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20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them
Give your story a solid foundation - a plot that engages readers from start to finish!
The best stories linger in the hearts and minds of readers for decades. These tales gain their power through plots that connect with the audience on both an emotional and intellectual level.
Inside, Ronald B. Tobias details these 20 time-tested plots. Each is discussed and analyzed, illust...more
The best stories linger in the hearts and minds of readers for decades. These tales gain their power through plots that connect with the audience on both an emotional and intellectual level.
Inside, Ronald B. Tobias details these 20 time-tested plots. Each is discussed and analyzed, illust...more
Paperback, 236 pages
Published
January 17th 2003
by Writer's Digest Books
(first published January 17th 1993)
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There are dozens of books that promise to list out all of the plots possible. From Heinlien's famous three to George Polti's
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations
, writers have been attempting to codify what makes a plot a plot.
Tobias' contribution is certainly in that same vein, but this is probably one of the weaker books in my "how to write" collection. The first hint that something is amiss is the cover, which has scenes from movies rather than books (although how you would illustrate a cover...more
Tobias' contribution is certainly in that same vein, but this is probably one of the weaker books in my "how to write" collection. The first hint that something is amiss is the cover, which has scenes from movies rather than books (although how you would illustrate a cover...more
I found this book extremely helpful. I don't think it would be helpful for someone simply looking for plot ideas. That's not what it's about. There are a million other books with that aim. Without an idea in mind, I can see how the text would seem vague, as another reviewer mentioned. But I think the idea is to bring an idea to the book, search through the plot descriptions to find the one that best suits your story idea, and then use it to keep your plot focused. If you're coming to this book w...more
I picked this book up as a reference source for my writing. I have a horrible time coming up with plot, so I figured this would help. That part is bordering on success. It's a good general tool, and the author reminds the reader several times that there is no true way to writing plot. However, there are still some major weaknesses with the book. This is a general overview of 20 master plots, and when I say general I mean some parts are so diluted and water down they make no sense. The further I...more
Published in 1993. The politics and world-view is dated, and the overt homophobia and ingrained Judeo-Christian moral sensibility are a little surprising. Likewise, the race and class issues are rampant, but the determined use of female and male pronouns in his examples is both welcome and sort of adorable in that "awww, early 90s! Look at you being inclusive!" way.
The plot examples from literature and film are very good. The world has changed a fair bit in 19 years, however, so the way he descr...more
The plot examples from literature and film are very good. The world has changed a fair bit in 19 years, however, so the way he descr...more
I felt Tobias really had a good feel for how composition worked, the big picture and complexities.
The first few chapters don't go into the 20 plot types-- they talk about story telling as a whole and various things that make a good story. Tobias also is careful to tell us why certain things work, but understands that there are exceptions to everything. These are guidelines, not rules.
Easy to read, sensible, and it made me cast different story types in ways I haven't thought about them before. T...more
The first few chapters don't go into the 20 plot types-- they talk about story telling as a whole and various things that make a good story. Tobias also is careful to tell us why certain things work, but understands that there are exceptions to everything. These are guidelines, not rules.
Easy to read, sensible, and it made me cast different story types in ways I haven't thought about them before. T...more
I took screenwriting from Ron in 1993 so I read the first book at that time. He was an amazing teacher due to his way of simplifying even the most complicated works. This is how this book works, too. If you need to get the basics, which is all anyone really needs, here's the best place to start. Once you figure this stuff out, it's a fast road to developing your own touches.
Thanks to this book I was a finalist in the AMPAS Nicholl Screenwriting Competition of 1993 and I won the best in Idaho Nel...more
Thanks to this book I was a finalist in the AMPAS Nicholl Screenwriting Competition of 1993 and I won the best in Idaho Nel...more
Eine gute Referenz für klassische Plotstrukturen, aber mir fehlte eine Anleitung zum Mischen dieser Plots mit dem Ziel der Erzeugung von Haupt und Nebensträngen. Die Beispiele sind - verständlicherweise - in erster Linie der angloamerikanischen Literatur entlehnt und daher für mich nicht immer nachvollziehbar. Die Sprache ist flüssig. Der Stil allerdings mitunter verglichen mit anderer Creative Writing Literatur etwas gravitätisch und altbacken, aber das Buch ist ja auch schon etwas älter. Nachh...more
I've published a ton of non-fiction and short stories (all for pay), but up to this point in my writing career the intricacies of the novel had eluded me- character, no problem. Dialogue? Got that covered. Description/sense of place? Absolutely. I find plotting by far the most difficult aspect of fiction writing.
This book gives a terrific break-down of several different "types" of plots, and shows the reader what is essential to each (aside from good writing, etc.). I've found it very helpful.
A...more
This book gives a terrific break-down of several different "types" of plots, and shows the reader what is essential to each (aside from good writing, etc.). I've found it very helpful.
A...more
Apr 28, 2011
Kate Maxwell
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone new to writing
Shelves:
wishlist,
non-fiction
This was an informative book on general plots. The author listed 20 themes that have been used in literature. What I liked about this book is that the author gave an overview of basic plot structure, as well as examples from past literature to illustrate his points. At the end of each Plot chapter, he listed several questions to help the writer make sure they are hitting the main points of that particular type of plot.
While this book is general, it does help someone new to writing get an idea of...more
While this book is general, it does help someone new to writing get an idea of...more
Dec 17, 2009
Erin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
own-book-form
'20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them' is a well thought out idea that falls a little short in it's delivery, but in the end saves itself through originality.
The first chapter, titled 'Invisible Fiction', sets the mood for what's to come. The author expresses his opinions on plots and the many forms, how they all originate from a top three to be broken down into a 'top 20' for easier following. Chapter two, ' The Lowest Common Plot Denominators', discusses building tension through opposition,...more
The first chapter, titled 'Invisible Fiction', sets the mood for what's to come. The author expresses his opinions on plots and the many forms, how they all originate from a top three to be broken down into a 'top 20' for easier following. Chapter two, ' The Lowest Common Plot Denominators', discusses building tension through opposition,...more
I found this book to be very useful in helping me choose a plot for a story I'm working on. I have a longish story I'm planning to expand into a novel, but I wasn't sure exactly what kind of plot it would have. Reading through the examples here helped me clarify my ideas. The introduction was very interesting, too, going over types of plots, their uses and evolution. It even delves into the ramifications of the number of characters you have. I suspect it will make a good reference for future pro...more
A simple breakdown of the phases of different types of plots and the different elements and types of characters one needs for each. As with many Writer's Digest books, the amount of content is skimpy for the price. However, I've never seen this material laid out in this way before, so the price was worth it to me.
Not bad, but I do doubt there are only 20 plots, even after reading through multiple times. Don't use this book for creating a plot, use it to see what plot your book seems to follow and gain a better perspective on what direction your story should take.
While I enjoyed the breakdown of each plot and what they entail, there was a lot of build up to them that felt like space filler.
I prefer jumping right in without a lot of build up,. Get the the pint, stress the points, and move on, ya know?
I prefer jumping right in without a lot of build up,. Get the the pint, stress the points, and move on, ya know?
I admit that I'm addicted to technical books about writing, and as plot books go, this is a really good one. It's nicely detailed with sufficient popular culture references (books, and movies) to provide easy-to-understand examples. If you're a serious writer, consider adding this one to your reference library.
The author does an excellent job of discussing 20 of the most well-known story plots. Besides the discussion, he gives examples sprinkled with humor, knowledgeable insights and down to earth advice on crafting stories using these tried-and-true plots. Also, at the end of each "plot" chapter, he provides a checklist to help the reader focus on structuring the story, something akin to guidelines. Though he repeatedly tells the reader, that their story can and maybe should deviate from the norm, an...more
This as a killer book for those people who like to write. It had lots of info on writing plots and gave 20 examples of plots that are used in almost every story or movie. This would be a great help to anyone writing a book.
More like 3.5 stars. I found this book nicely unpretentious, and it was helpful in a "here are some ideas to try" kind of way instead of the typical "this is a cookie-cutter writing program that will work for you" kind of way.
A great book which should be expanded to include subplots. A book like this is sorely needed, and I think this writer could do it justice if they took it on. As it stands now, it's a bit limited on examples.
Interesting summary of common plots. It hasn't helped me a ton in my writing yet, but I think it has some useful information in understanding the structure of plots, common threads, and their differences.
This book proved to be an interesting overview on the subject of plotting. Tobias lists twenty master plots, and then gives each one analysis referenced from both movies and books. At the end of each chapter there is a checklist of the material presented.
This book is OUTSTANDING. It belongs on every writer's bookshelf. Essential for novelists and screenwriters. Writer's Digest has published many excellent books, and this is one of the best.
Pretty amazing. I learned a lot from this book, and it was really eye opening for me. An interesting analysis of plots and lots of examples.
This book was useful for me.
This book was useful for me.
Excellent overview of different types of plot with good instructive examples. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the history and uses of various story plots.
Sure you've seen them before. But it's nice to have them all laid out for you--especially when you're stairing down a blank page and need a little jump start.
Character and Plot, Character and Plot, Some writers have it and some do not.
This I'll tell you brother, you can't have one without the other.
This I'll tell you brother, you can't have one without the other.
It really isn't geared to the writing I have been doing, but somehow that was a boon. I found parts of this book very useful.
This book may be useful if you're stuck or dealing with an unwieldy first draft. It might help you find the core of the plot.
Worth reading if you're a writer. It takes basic themes from literature and boils them down to the basic steps.
I thought the author did a good job of telling us why to do certain things rather than how, and I like that.
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Oct 02, 2011 02:18pm