“Write your book like a pro—step by step, scene by scene.”

If you’ve ever wished someone would just give you a plug-and-play blueprint for writing a novel, Evan Marshall’s The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing might be exactly what you’re looking for. First published in the late ’90s by a former literary agent and editor, this book offers a highly structured approach to plotting commercial fiction—with charts, checklists, and scene breakdowns galore.

It’s like Excel meets storytelling.

📦 The Core Concept

Marshall breaks a novel into planned units, assigning each one a function (action or reaction), a character focus, and a placement within a larger grid. He tells you how many chapters your book should have based on its genre and word count goal, and even recommends specific chapter counts for major character arcs.

Basically, if the Snowflake Method builds up your story, The Marshall Plan maps it all out from the start.

✅ What Works

• Highly structured and specific: You won’t wonder what to write next—Marshall tells you.
• Tailored by genre: Advice changes based on whether you’re writing romance, mystery, thriller, etc.
• Great for commercial fiction: Especially helpful if you’re targeting traditional publishing or genre markets.
• Scene pair system: Alternates between action and reaction scenes to create emotional rhythm and pacing.

❌ What Doesn’t

• Extremely rigid: Creative writers may chafe against its formulaic nature.
• Outdated in tone: Some examples and advice reflect 90s publishing norms and haven’t aged well.
• Low focus on theme or prose: It’s all about structure—don’t expect much on voice or literary style.
• Spreadsheets required: Seriously, there’s a workbook, charts, and a very spreadsheet-friendly logic.

🎯 Best For:

• Writers who crave structure and deadlines.
• Plotters writing genre fiction (especially mystery, thriller, or romance).
• Self-publishing authors who want to streamline the process.

📊 Final Verdict:

3.5/5 for pantsers
4/5 for most plotters
5/5 if you love checklists, templates, and word count targets.

The Marshall Plan won’t teach you how to write beautiful sentences, but it will teach you how to write a solid, market-ready book. Think of it as the IKEA instruction manual of novel writing—functional, step-by-step, and deeply satisfying if you follow it all the way.