Literary Birthday – 10 August – James Scott Bell

Happy Birthday, James Scott Bell, born on 10 August 1954.

James Scott Bell Quotes

1. A great novel is the record of how a character fights with death.
2. In fact, one could argue that the skill of the fiction writer boils down to the ability to exploit intensity. (Plot & Structure)
3. At this point in the story, the character looks at himself. He takes stock of where he is in the conflict and––depending on the type of story––has either of two basic thoughts. In a character-driven story, he looks at himself and wonders what kind of person he is. What is he becoming? If he continues the fight of Act II, how will he be different? What will he have to do to overcome his inner challenges? How will he have to change in order to battle successfully? The second type of look is more for plot-driven fiction. It’s where the character looks at himself and considers the odds against him. At this point the forces seem so vast that there is virtually no way to go on and not face certain death. That death can be physical, professional, or psychological. (Write Your Novel From the Middle)
4. Write like you’re in love. Edit like you’re in charge.
5. The semi-colon is a burp, a hiccup. It’s a drunk staggering out of the saloon at 2 a.m., grabbing your lapels on the way and asking you to listen to one more story. (How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript)
6. You keep writing because it’s the only way to finish the book. (Revision and Self Editing for Publication)
7. Keep writing. Get to the end. Don’t allow yourself to abandon the project. You must finish what you write. But what, you ask, if I have a chaotic mess at the end? Celebrate. This is the way it usually is, even for veteran novelists. (Plot & Structure)
8. Structure is translation software for your imagination. (Write Your Novel From the Middle)
9. Have you given us a character worth following? – Have you created a disturbance in the opening pages? – Do you know the death stakes of the story? – Have you created a scene that will force the character into the confrontation of Act II? – Is it strong enough? Can the Lead character resist going into the battle? – Does it occur before the 1/5 mark of your total page count? (Write Your Novel From the Middle)

Source for quotes: Goodreads

James Scott Bell is an American thriller writer and author of books on the craft of writing. A former trial lawyer, he studied writing with Raymond Carver at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He later graduated with honours from the University of Southern California Law Center. Bell is the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award and the author of the #1 bestseller for writers, Plot & Structure. His novels include the Mike Romeo thriller series; the Ty Buchanan legal thriller series; and stand-alones including Your Son Is Alive and Final Witness, which won the first Christy Award for Suspense. Bell was also the fiction columnist for Writer’s Digest magazine. He has written several popular books on writing, including Just Write, Conflict & Suspense, Write Your Novel From the Middle, and The Art of War for Writers. For more writing advice from James Scott Bell, visit his Substack.

Source for photograph: Author’s Website

by Amanda Patterson
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