20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them

This is a great, concise, simple reference to use to kickstart the structuring of your plot when you get stuck. I could do without some of the filler, and just make a cliff notes type version of this book, but overall I'm giving it 5 stars because it was worth the money for me. But DO NOT get the Audible version! The narrator is HORRIBLE like to the point of making me want to vomit. It's torture.

As a writing guide, this book was just all right. It was more of a survey than a how-to. Tobias assumes the reader already knows a lot about film and literature. At times he names characters as examples without listing which work they are from, or references authors and expects the reader is familiar with their plot trends. Also, he was repetitive to the point of monotony. If you don't need examples or you don't want to read every point five times, everything instructional about each plot can be found in the checklist at the end of each chapter. It didn't make sense that he constantly repeated himself as if his readers are beginners while also assuming they know a lot about cinematic and literary works.This entire volume suffered from a lack of editing. I don't mean grammar or nit-picky stuff. I mean, it was disjointed. Sometimes he switched gears without titling a new header, there were often no transition sentences between paragraphs to make things read smoothly, and he included things that made the reader wonder where that came from or why it was in that place (particularly in the six chapters preceding those covering master plots).Not that I mind it since he is a screen writer, but he frames his discussion of the three-act structure primarily around examples from screen, giving marginal attention to either classic or contemporary literature. What I did mind is that he showed his screen bias so obviously (more than once). He prefers plot-driven commercial plots rather than character-driven literary plots. He said they don't require as much thinking and that he doesn't like to feel "lectured" by moral characters in literary stories. He also dares to speak for most of America with this particular opinion, citing market trends. I completely disagree with him. Readers are actually trending toward stories with deep individual characters and their individual situations more than generic action plots "on autopilot" that you could plug any stock character into.I liked a few points he made though. He likened the writer to being a referee for her characters, demanding a certain level of fairness to all of them. He said showing clear bias [toward your protagonist] without meaningful opposition is propaganda. He's right. A good writer should be able to argue both sides convincingly, even if the winner is already decided in the author's mind. Perhaps Tobias should create opposition to his own plot biases by highlighting the role of character more in each of these plots. It barely got a nod toward the end of each chapter.Edited April 10, 2016: I have changed my rating of this book from 3 stars to 4. Time and work have proven this to be an excellent brainstorming reference. My initial frustration stemmed from being stuck in the middle of a project that needed in-depth, emergency help to salvage the mess I had made of it. While I still don't think this is an adequate how-to, and it IS repetitive with a screen bias, it's a good launching pad for ideas. I was well past the launching pad stage when I needed help, so this book, at that time, wasn't helpful. It has been helpful at the beginning stages, though. Browsing this volume again, I remembered the critical review I wrote years ago and felt hypocritical not amending it given the number of times it has been used.

This book is so good I actually wore out my first copy, which was hardback and bought in the 1990s from Writer's Digest. It's still in my possession, but the high lighting is so extensive, and the spine & cover are so worn, bent, buckled - from always being held open with binder clamps... I bought a new paperback!These twenty plots are the bread and butter of storytelling in Western Civilization. Studying each, to the point of memorization will repay you enormously. Watching a movie or reading a novel, you'll come to see, quickly, which plot paradigm the author is using. However, being able to see the wheels turning absolutely won't ruin a story for you. There's nothing mechanical about using these templates -- no, no! The templates are there, whether you can see them or not. I think the empowerment that comes from an awareness of the story's plot paradigm can only free you to create a better novel or movie or play. Ronald Tobias is a master - learn from him. Get this book -- or maybe get two!

This is a book that you can use to get started on a story and have all the parts there. It is one of my many reference books that I keep handy.

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.

Muy útil para entender cómo funcionan las tramas y utilizarlo como plataforma para crear tus historias. No es la receta del éxito, pero si un muy bien comienzo.

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.

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).

Pour ceux qui lisent l'anglais, ce livre est absolument une véritable mine d'or. Toute la collection est pratiquement indispensable pour ceux qui manquent parfois d'idées ou veulent approfondir certaines idées.

I'm not a writer, but an improviser and as such I'm interested in getting better at the mechanics of how stories/plots work. This book is very practical, with loads of examples of each type of plot and it also give you very useful advice on how to structure any kind of story.Highly recommended!