Review: conclusion points helpful
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 2, 2013
I liked Mr. Spencer's concluding points--they have great potential to improve and sharpen scenes, and they earned the book three stars.  Other than that, I didn't find this little book to be particularly helpful, and some of his statements didn't ring true.  For example, in the body of the introduction the author states, "Every aspect of fiction is artificial," but he concludes the introduction with the statement, "And besides, reality itself is a fiction. So, again, get over it." What sort of teaching is that? "Get over it" is condescending, rude, and ridiculous coming after that conflicting set of statements.  I nearly put the book down at that point.It is also not true that every aspect of fiction is artificial, for readers must be able to relate to something in the book.  Lewis Carroll wrote delightful nonsense, but he incorporated enough reality that his stories hang together and speak to our hearts. Movies like Star Wars work because we find commonality with the characters and their struggles.  You must relate to your readers at some level, and total artificiality can't do that.Mr Spencer's definition of scene also seems to me to expand and contract a bit, which blurs his meaning.  He defines a scene as "a piece of the action, a stage in your story's development." Later, he makes the point that people come out of a movie talking about the plot.  Then he says, "No one goes to a movie because of its theme alone; they go because of scene."  In the flow of this paragraph he appears to equate plot with "scene"--not "a scene" but "scene," which has morphed his definition into some huge esoteric idea that we can't quite grasp completely.I borrowed this book through Amazon prime, so I read it for free.  I found his conclusion worthwhile, so I'm glad I read it.