Includes index.

Plot -- Symptom: "Writer's block": Common Ailment -- The Flypaper Effect -- Case Study: Plot-Driven vs. Character-Driven Stories -- Case Study: Chinatown's Ending -- Symptom: Predictable plots: Common Ailments -- Rushing -- Underexposure -- Overly Mechanical Plots (Joseph Campbell Syndrome) -- Case Study: Fresh Plotting, Stale Plotting -- Symptom: Ho-hum suspense: Common Ailments -- Uninvolving characters -- Low Stakes -- Symptom: Flat payoff scenes: Common Ailments -- Promising Too Much -- Paying Off Too Little -- Characterization -- Symptom: Contrived pivotal action: Common Ailment -- Insufficient Character Motivation -- Symptom: Flat scenes, predictable traits: Common Ailment -- Cardboard Minor Characters -- Symptom: Low stakes, bland personality: Common Ailment -- Uninvolving Protagonist -- Symptom: One-dimensional antagonist, overly evil antagonist: Common Ailment -- Stereotypical Antagonist/Villain -- Setting -- Symptom: Underdescription/overdescription: Common Ailment -- Wallpaper Settings -- Symptom: Description overload: Common Ailment -- Clumping -- Symptom: Low-impact settings, off-beat pacing: Common Ailment -- Wrong-Address Settings -- Style -- Symptom: Bland phrasing; writing that echoes published writers but is less effective: Common Ailments -- No Style -- Cliched or Imitative Style -- Symptoms: Monotonous phrasing; overwritten and confusing passages; muddled details: Common Ailment -- Inappropriate Style -- Symptoms: Oversimplified, emotionally shallow characters; major crossgender characters who seem minor; inaccurate gender-specific details: Common Ailment -- Unconvincing Cross-Gender POVs -- Theme -- Symptoms: Melodrama; narrow, plot-centered focus: Common Ailment -- Insufficient Intellectual Involvement -- Symptom: Noticeable lack, or overbearing use, of symbols: Common Ailment -- Crash Symbols -- Symptom: Imitative theme: Common Ailment -- The Photocopy Effect -- Case Study: Groundhog Day -- Case Study: What Makes "A&P" Naturalist -- The Writer's Life -- How can I find more time to write? -- How can I tell if what I'm writing is good? -- How much outlining do I have to do? -- How can I get the most out of a writing workshop? -- What is the best way to revise my manuscript? -- How can I improve my own writing by reading fiction?.

Just like a first aid manual, this reference quickly offers writers easy-to-follow steps and specific remedies for fixing the parts in their manuscripts that "just aren't working."