I adored this book. I read it all the way through in a day, then went back and took detailed notes, then went back again and made a cheat sheet that I can use in my own plotting and outlining. I very nearly went back and redid a bunch of outlines I’d already worked on, but stopped myself at the last minute. I know that technically this is a screenwriting book and not a novel-outlining book, but the ideas transfer over and they absolutely jive with how my brain works.

I loved the idea of the triple-goal (physical, emotional, spiritual). I love the idea of thematic question / argument / synthesis. I loved the “four questions.” I loved dividing up the acts into the “four archetypes” (orphan, wanderer, warrior, martyr). I loved the “unity of opposites” framework. All absolutely fantastic stuff.

I was a little less sold on the “44 plot points,” admittedly. I was never entirely certain how long a “plot point” was supposed to be (some of them he describes in as a single sentence, some a full paragraph with many beats), and I found that sometimes he tried to shoehorn in movie beats to his framework in a way that didn’t quite work. I preferred his 12-point “guide” as an outlining tool, but even then I’m not sure entirely how much I’ll use it. (I do like it, though. And it might come in more useful as I move beyond 1000-word outlines to the more detailed outlining stuff.)

Still, well worth the $17 I paid for it. Would buy again, 5 stars.