Customer Reviews

20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them

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If you've looked inside the book yet then you've noted the twenty master plots that are exposed in this book. So I won't list them here.

For each one there is an example, an analysis of the example and a three-act structure for using the plot. There is also a checklist at the end of each plot so you have some idea what you should be doing to develop this plot in a successful manner.

eg plot 3 the pursuit: the checklist is
* the chase is more important than the people who take part in it
* Make sure there's a real danger of the pursued getting caught
* your pursuer should have a reasonable chance of catching the pursued; they may even catch them momentarily
* rely heavily on physical action
* Your story and your characters should be stimulating, engaging and unique
* Develop your characters and situations against type to avoid cliches
* keep your situations as geographically confined as possible; the smaller the area the greater the tension
* The first dramatic phase should have 3 stages. a) establish the ground rules for the chase b) establish the stakes and c)start the race with a motivating incident

okay this book does a slightly cookbook feel about plot developement, but for those new to the game, what's wrong with getting a little support and help? Consider it a training manual for plotting! And sure you might not agree with the checklists and the manner...but don't you see, that it's getting you thinking about it too! So even if you hate it, you still gain because it pushes you to refute or accept or partially accept what it presents, and this requires effort. Effort creates thought, which leads to understanding and the development of your own ideas! So where's the problem! The only problem is if you're looking for a 'do-it-for-me'...sorry you miss out here.

Apart from the exposition of each of the 20 plots there are chapters (as listed in the table of contents) involving triangular relationships, structure, motivations, the basics of plotting: the things that are always the same.

Seriously for $10 you get a lot of book. It has some really useful content here. I am an engineer and have written two fictional novels (neither published, since I never realy tried to get them published). Yeah scary huh? A literate engineer! That aside, it appeals to my 'generalize the solution space' nature and make a solution that is readily acceptable, decipherable and accessible (there was once a british engineer who went to the local library, found out the most popular childrens books, analyzed them for the common characteristics and plots and then wrote his own...hey it's ugly but it worked!)

Just remember that there is no substitute for actually writing. Nothing will write for you. It is not a panacea. It won't give you ideas nor will it make you a good wordsmith. It will guide and help you to develop one of the major stumbling blocks in writing: having a story that actually goes somewhere (you just have to be sure you avoid being 'formulaic' and applying a given plot too rigidly- remember it's a guide, not a blueprint!). Great characters doing nothing don't interest too many poeple outside of the literary criticism clique. I'm sure it makes them cringe because one doesn't do these things...circumventing the process of suffering for ones art.

Great value for money, well written, using examples we all know and it's cheap. What more could you want? Definitely 5 stars!

This books starts well, and if you are interested in pursuing plot type #1, Quests, and haven't dissected a plot since high school then I think this is highly recommended. Things start with a very technical approach, giving a useful breakdown of plot's parts and the main types of plot. In his approach to Quests Tobias even uses one or two of the terms that loom so large in his initial over-view.

Unfortunately things swiftly digress and it is not long before the reader is left to establish his own technical descriptions; Tobias meanwhile falls into the traps of most fiction 'how to' books, generalization and ambiguity, for example suggesting sagely over several paragraphs (in Maturation) that anyone interested in writing about adolescents should try to think like one, but offering very little concrete technical guidance to work with.

Anyone expecting a book which examines difficult plotting in depth (Tobias works mostly with fairy tales, which, although paradigmatic, are rarely comperable in their structural intricacies to novel-length fiction) and hoping to witness either a detailed dissection of exemplary plots by great writers or else a highly technical, step-by-step dissection of architypical "master" plots would be better off buying the Cliff Notes to the works of Conrad, because they will not find such revealing stuff here.

You could say that this book asks more questions than answers--it is certainly not a soup-to-nuts 'how to write a novel' book. But I found its approach inspiring. That is not to say I dislike 'how to' books like Cleaver's, Stein's or Frey's; I have read them and find them useful.

In 20 Master Plots, Tobias demonstrates the inherent patterns, relationships and expectations imbedded in plot. I think this information is helpful to create something that the modern reader will find engaging. I also recommend highly the writing craft books of Noah Lukeman.

I have three big boxes of books on writing I'm going to sell and just keep this one. I almost didn't buy this book because I don't want to write formula fiction and was put off by the title. But this isn't about formulas -- it's about understanding the dynamics of story and what the reader needs.
It's well written, concise and unexpectedly entertaining. But best of all, it has helped me break down the elements of my novel to better understand what's working and what's not -- and how to fix it. I wish I'd bought it when it first came out. For the writer struggling with plot, this is the book for you.