The Plot Machine: Writer Better Stories Faster

The information is to the point, and covers the major types of plots.

Narration is wooden but serviceable.

No. I listened to several parts over again to absorb the information.

If you've read a book on writing before, you'll learn nothing new here. I don't have a problem with that. Having the essentials of storytelling hardwired into your brain can't be a bad thing, so I don't mind hearing things I've heard before. That said, when you claim one will "Write Better Stories Faster," and you don't provide any original tips on how one would do that, well, I can't rate this higher than three stars. If the subtitle were, "The Elements of Storytelling," I'd have given it five stars.

I'm a filmmaker and frequently try my hand at screenwriting, so I get lots of books like this to inspire and to learn more about the craft. I really love the content of this book! It breaks down stories into different types of characters, situations, themes etc. The problem with this is, is that it's pretty useless as an audiobook. What you really want is to be able to review these lists and breakdowns as you are writing, and an audiobook is just not a good format for that. So this audiobook has absolutely convinced me that the book is a must-buy, but the audiobook itself is kind of useless. Buy the book instead!

really enjoyed it! lots of practical information to use right away. short and to the point. wish he had more books. Narrative was a bit monotone but I found it funny and enjoyable on my second and third listens

Everything is vague. He gives a few examples of possible plot points, etc. Okay for getting ideas, but it doesn't do well at teaching story structure. The examples aren't from actual books/movies, which would have worked better to help you see story structure in action.

(Some of his advice even seemed misguided- he says it's okay to use a prologue for "conveying such tedious information" as "political history of a fantasy realm." That sounds like a good way to make your reader close the book.)

Also, his voice is a half step above a text-to-speech robot.

I have read this book and it's performance so highly because it performs exactly as promised. This book is not going to be a classic, and it's performance is not going to win any awards. The book itself is workmanlike and sturdy, just as the performance is. This book is all about setting up a machine for designing plots, and as the author makes clear, this is not a book on writing. This is a book more about the business of writing, specifically as it applies to the writer going about business.
Please forgive any typos in this review, as I am dictating it while driving. Thank you.

I made it 15 minutes into this book and turned it off. Mr. Kutzera narrated this book and should stick to writing. His delivery was so monotone that I was bored to tears and almost fell asleep while driving. I heard a few good points here and there -- but the wasted time and money left a bad taste in my mouth.