20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them

I'm not sure whether it is cultural indoctrination or basic human wiring, but I do recognize that I as a movie viewer tune in to certain patterns in a story that make it fulfilling and believable. The most compelling movies are those that work within the frameworks I know, the story structure and character interactions that I expect on some level. Movies that leave me wondering "what the heck" are those that stray far from these structures. "20 Master Plots" is a must-read guideline for not only the most compelling plot structures but also for other advice that will help refine the writer's craft. I have ordered several extra copies of this book to give to other aspiring writers. I believe that when you review your favorite movies in light of this book's content, you'll have an "ah ha!" moment.

As a complete beginner to writing I have found this book extremely helpful. The author is very good at breaking down the process and the concepts behind a good plot into easy to understand points. More advanced and experienced writers may not find it as helpful - but I love it.

After 60 years of reading novels and 55 years of trying to write one to my satisfaction, I decided to take a course in writing fiction. The syllabus recommended Tobias' 20 Master Plots, one among three suggested titles. I read it first and liked it so much because it met my temperament. Consequently, I read it eagerly, penciling notes in the margins as I hurried along. Being selective for most of my reading life and favoring the classics or what is termed literary fiction, I suspect I am well into appreciating the craft required. However, what has troubled me about most guides to fiction writing is the continued emphasis on conflict in plot structure. Most conflicts bewilder me into wondering why I should care about the characters. Tobias makes clear that action plots drive most popular fiction today; the rest are character-driven plots. He uses as an alternative expression to conflict the prospects from tension in the story. This may be a subtly semantic difference, but it promises greater complexity and subtlety in story-telling than the out and out razzle-dazzle of action plots. Tobias hits the mark when he says, quoting Picasso, that the creator must first know the rules before setting out to break them. Okay, let's start with action and character examples of the most common plot usages. This he does with pinpointed relevance and incisive clarity. Also practically useful are the lists of check questions along the way. In short, did you learn the lesson? I've read enough novels over my lifetime to learn that in the few hundred years of novel development, authors have exercised a great deal of experiment not only in plot, but in style. What appeals to me as a reader spending his limited time on a novel is the author whose delivery shows a pertinent sentiment that no other writer reveals. Plot unravels the life of the protagonist or characters; and characters can propel the plot. Tobias shows why and how. At the end of the week, I answered "A Final Checklist" of all twelve questions that shows my grasp of the story on which I am presently centered - two pages of responses. No other writing guide has given me the challenge and confidence to go forward as this one has. Thank you, Mr. Tobias.

I've bought several books on script and novel writing, not sure where to start, etc. This is a VERY good book. The 20 Master Plots are less detailed than I thought they would be (I was imagining a "write by numbers" "template" :-), which this is, in a way, but less than I thought), but the author's general insights and his manner of conveying writing truths is very effective. I consider this a "gem" as I don't know that its terribly popular or renown (maybe it is and I'm just out of the loop), but its quite good. And even though the cover and title make it seem much more old and austere, its a fairly modern offering - he's citing movies from as late as the mid-90's. I mean it when I say, get this one, you won't regret it.

I found this book sort of embarrassingly useful. I mean, I feel like I should have understood all this, already. But, I did not, and so, this book was quite helpful to me. I don't think, (nor I suspect would it's author claim), that is the be-all-end-all book on plots, but covers enough of them, and offers plenty examples of the types the author illuminates, to get a working understanding of them. One could take issue with the categories, and which stories fit in exactly which category, but that's all beside the point. The point is that Mr. Tobias illustrates a number of different types of plot, and cites examples of each, and if one disagrees, well, it hardly detracts from Tobias's point, at all. The reader is clearly entitled to their own opinion. It seems a very practical how-to book for writers. If the story you're writing fits into one of his categories, see to it hat you hit the check boxes on his lists for each type, and you'll have a recognizable plot, that is, a plot your readers will recognize. That's worth something.

One of my all-time favourite books on the craft of writing. Lots of jargon-free advice on creative writing plus the chapters on the twenty plots and how to approach them. Definitely a keeper and a good reference book.

This is a great book. I haven't seen or read most of the books the author uses as examples, but he summarizes them so well that I don't have to. The book helped me in three ways: general writing / storytelling advice, showing the structure of common plots, and generating a lot of story and character ideas (from the many plot examples he gives).

Não se deixe enganar pelo título, esse livro aqui não se trata de receitas de bolo. Embora tenhamos uma análise sobre as 20 tramas básicas do storytelling, com tópicos e até mesmo checklists, o texto nos deixa claro que aquilo é um ponto de partida e joga luz sobre muitas questões importantes da técnica criativa voltada à narrativa. É uma ótima compra para quem deseja uma boa biblioteca sobre o assunto.

Jede Person, die sich nur in Ansätzen mal mit Storytelling befasst, hört irgendwann den Titel "20 Masterplots", ein Grund, weshalb ich mir das Buch irgendwann selber gekauft habe. Bin nicht enttäuscht worden. Sämtliche 20 Plots werden gut unterscheidbar dargestellt, bzw. es wird dargestellt, wo verwandte Plotmuster eine gemeinsame Schnittmenge haben und was dann doch wieder der Unterschied ist. Das ist zum Beispiel bei den Plotmustern "Liebe" und "Verbotene Liebe" sehr hilfreich. Jedes Plotmuster wird anhand mehrer einschlägiger Beispiele dargestellt. Hier ist es hilfreich, oder wäre es hilfreich, sich in amerikanischer Literatur gut auszukennen, denn oft zieht der Autor amerikanische, englische oder französische Filme oder Romanbestseller heran. Andererseits regt das Buch an, sich diese Bücher, oft Klassiker der Weltliteratur, mal anzugucken, was ja für angehende Romanschreiber und -schreiberinnen auch nicht so verkehrt ist. Hilfreich ist auch der Aufbau der einzelnen Plotkapitel: Nach einer allgemeinen Erläuterung des jeweiligen Plotmusters folgt eine Aufbau-Erläuterung "Erste, zweiter, dritte dramatische Phase". Das hilft einem als schreibende Person, zu überprüfen, wie sich das jeweilige Plotmuster in den allgemeinen Spannungsaufbau des Romans mit erster Wendepunkt, zweiter Wendepunkt etc. einfügt. Autor Tobias unterscheidet auch, welche Plotmuster actiongetrieben und welche persönlichkeitsgetrieben sind. Alles in allem ein hilfreiches Tool zur Literaturanalyse und zum eigenen Schreiben.

Bought several books on plot and structure and this is one of the best. Very concise and readable, easy to understand with useful checklist at the end of each chapter which is downloadable (if that's a proper word) from Writer's Digest. Would also recommend books by Sol Stein and Robert McKee on the same subject.