Showing results by author "James Scott Bell" in All Categories

Most people think the way to write a best seller is to have a lot of talent and even more luck. As you will learn, there is a recipe for success, and luck may be the least important ingredient in creating a best seller. No one has cracked the code better than James Scott Bell. A best-selling author himself, and the author of the number-one best seller for writers, Plot & Structure, Mr. Bell has been teaching the principles of best-selling fiction for over 20 years, principles that apply to any genre or style.

”So you’re Mike Romeo. You don’t look so tough.” All Romeo wanted was to chill by the pool and talk to Zane Donahue, the man who’d summoned him. But trouble walked up to ruin a good day. When Romeo’s around somebody’s always spoiling for a fight. Dispatching a punk is one thing. Helping an old friend with a murder rap is another. Archie Jennison comes to Romeo when a gruesome and unsolved Hollywood murder is connected to him in a bizarre way. As Romeo begins his investigation, things take on a dark and twisted turn. Hidden secrets cast shadows over Archie’s case, and an open...

A man shoots his young wife to death. He drives to a freeway overpass, gets out, shoots himself, and drops 100 feet to the freeway below, crushing a Toyota Camry. Inside is an elementary school teacher named Jacqueline Dwyer, who dies at the scene. Ty Buchanan is a hotshot lawyer. Jacqueline Dwyer was the woman he was going to marry. Ty goes into a tailspin. And it gets worse when a mysterious man finds him at the funeral and says Jacqueline's death may not have been an accident after all.

Sell more books and build your career by kicking these blunders to the curb! Ever wonder why some books shoot to the top of the bestseller lists? And others that you think should, don't? It's usually a matter of mistakes that could have been avoided!#1 bestselling writing coach James Scott Bell has analyzed thousands of manuscripts over the years, by both new and experienced writers, and noticed certain errors that keep showing up to take readers out of the fictive dream. Now he's tackled the biggest offenders and shows you how to fix them. In 27 Fiction Writing Blunders you'll learn:* The ...

What are the secrets for writing a great ending for your novel? How do you leave readers so satisfied that they'll want another book by you, right now? What tools and techniques can shape your last 50 pages into a powerful, unforgettable experience? Listen to this audiobook, and you will come away with a thorough knowledge of why great endings work and how to create them for every novel you write.

There is one sure-fire way of improving your novel fast...You may know the fundamentals of how to write fiction. You may be more than competent in plot, structure and characters. But if your dialogue is dull it will drag the whole story down...Don't sabotage your chances of selling your work to readers or publishers because the dialogue is unexceptional. Dazzle them with what the characters say. How to Write Dazzling Dialogue will give you the tools to do it.

Type Hard. Type Fast. Make Dough. That was the formula of old-school pulp fiction—plot-driven, popular and gobbled up by a reading public hungry for more. And it produced many writers who hammered out a living selling “cash-and-carry” stories and novels. Some of these writers were among the best America has ever produced. Writers like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and John D. MacDonald. Others are numbered among the bestselling authors of all time, including Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, and Frederick Faust (better known by his pen name, Max Brand). What were the secrets of ...

She was beautiful and naked and dying... Mike Romeo finds her in the fog, on the beach, staggering around like a drunk. But it's not alcohol that's in her — it's poison. After getting this mysterious woman to the hospital, Romeo figures that's the end of the matter. But it's only the beginning. When the woman goes missing, Romeo is hired by her father to find her. But the trail grows cold, the circumstances strange. The people involved with her are a mix of L.A. odd and downright dangerous. There's a washed-up Hollywood star hoping for a comeback; hired muscle willing to break bones just ...

Returning aboard an ocean liner from the Hawaiian Islands, where she and husband, aviator Ted Fox, enjoyed their honeymoon, Kit Shannon is contacted by a desperate woman, Wanda Boswell, who fears something terrible is about to happen to her. When Wanda's new husband turns up dead on the ship, Wanda looks to Kit for legal protection, and Kit decides to defend the young woman. The trial is to take place in a small port city south of Los Angeles, a city where corruption is the prevailing currency. But is it possible that Kit's client is not as innocent as she declares? With the help of her ...

The keys to success as a writer are yours for the thinking! All success begins in the mind. For writers, the mind fuels the imagination and creates stories. But for authors who are productive and resilient, and see a good return on their efforts, there is another factor at work. They are winning the mental game of writing. Successful writers have the ability to inspire themselves to produce consistently, improve systematically, overcome obstacles and keep up a positive mental attitude. In this book, #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell takes you through the mental landscape of ...

The courtrooms of 1903 Los Angeles are a man’s world––until Kit Shannon arrives With shoulders squared and dreams set high, Kit Shannon arrives in Los Angeles feeling a special calling to the law. Yet under the care of her socialite aunt, Kit quickly comes to realize that few understand her burning desire to seek justice and practice a profession known only to men. When her aunt adamantly refuses to support her unconventional career aspirations, Kit questions whether she is truly following God's will. And when her growing love for a man pledged to another threatens scandal, Kit knows ...

Learn the inner secrets of selling fiction to an ever-increasing audience of readers! Bestselling author and writing coach James Scott Bell brings you powerhouse techniques and strategies in this collection, much of which is from his popular posts at The Kill Zone blog. If you're serious about selling your fiction, Fiction Attack! is your battle plan for breakthrough.

Young, idealistic law clerk Rachel Ybarra has just been handed a career-making opportunity - helping in the prosecution of an infamous leader of the Russian Mafia. But when the star witness turns up dead, Rachel discovers the case is not merely a battle for the truth - it's a battle for her life.

Now, learn the master key for writing great short stories, and the strategies for using them to advance your writing career As most writers will tell you, the hardest fiction form to master is the short story. To be successful, a short story needs to have "emotional wallop," and in under 7,000 words. Not easy to do. In this book, #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell explains the essential ingredient for a successful short story, no matter the genre. He shows how any writer—whether planner or "pantser"—can use this key to unlock infinite story possibilities. And turn readers ...

The bestselling series continues . . . As Kit Shannon defends a down and outer named Mousy Malloy on the charge of attempted murder, she also takes on the case of a woman whose young son is tragically killed by a Los Angeles trolley. Was the death of little Sammy Franklin an accident? Or could it have been avoided? The trolley case pits Kit against a powerful coalition of railroad men and politicians—all of whom seem to have something to hide ... a secret Kit must uncover in order to win. As these two cases move forward, it becomes clear there is some sort of connection—one that could ...

Nothing had prepared her for the hostility of a city gripped by prejudice . . . With her first trial a dramatic success, Kit Shannon steps out from the protective and guiding hand of her mentor and begins her own law practice. When she is drawn to the defense of a man accused of a crime that crosses racial lines, Kit is unprepared for the prejudice and hatred that is hurled in her direction. A loyal supporter of the law, Kit struggles with the secret role of the very officers who claim to represent justice. When a new suitor enters her life, Kit finds her heart longing to embrace the love ...

what if it's not the beginning or the end that is the key to a successful book? What if, amazing as it may seem, the place to begin writing your novel is in the very middle of the story? According to writing teacher James Scott Bell, that's exactly where you'll find your story's heart and heat. Bell's "Mirror Moment" is the secret, and its power is available to any writer, at any stage of the writing process...Bell presents a truly unique approach to writing a novel, one that will stand the test of time and serve you all your writing life.

Super Structure represents over two decades of research on what makes a novel or screenplay entertaining, commercial, original, and irresistible. Contrary to what some may think, structure is not a nasty inhibitor of creativity. Quite the opposite. Properly understood and utilized, structure is what translates story into a form audiences are wired to receive it.

The courtrooms of 1904 Los Angeles . . . Clarence Darrow . . . President Teddy Roosevelt . . . William Randolph Hearst . . .and one young woman determined to crack the walls of the legal profession dominated by an old boys’ network . . . The bestselling, inspirational historical series continues. When an old enemy of Kit Shannon is arrested on suspicion of murder, he insists Kit is the only one who can represent him. Refusing at first, but moved by his desperation, she agrees. His possible guilt tests Kit’s resolve to represent only the innocent. Step-by-step, she discovers there is ...

How far will a man go to protect his family? For lawyer Sam Trask, it is farther than he ever thought possible, even in his worst nightmare. Because his worst nightmare is about to come true. At age forty-seven, attorney Sam Trask finally seems to have his life in order. The dark years of too much drinking and self-seeking ambition are behind him. His marriage is solid again. Everything seems finally on the right track. Until a voice from the past comes back to say hello. Suddenly, Sam faces a danger more real than he ever imagined—danger from someone who will not rest until Sam's life ...