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20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them Second Edition

by Ronald Tobias (Author)

74 ratings

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20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them
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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, illustrating how a successful plot integrates all the elements of a story. Tobias then shows you how to use these plots effectively in your own work.

Tobias then goes to the next level, showing you how to choose and develop plot in fiction. He shows you how to craft plot for any subject matter, so that you develop your work evenly and effectively. As a result, your fiction will be more cohesive and convincing, making your story unforgettable for readers everywhere.

ISBN-10

1582972397
ISBN-13

978-1582972398
Edition

Second
Publisher

Writer's Digest Books
Publication date

January 17, 2003
Language

English
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.75 x 9 inches
Print length

240 pages
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Ronald B Tobias
343
Paperback
56 offers from $4.26
Victoria Lynn Schmidt
98
Paperback
30 offers from $4.49

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ronald B. Tobias has spent his career as a writer moving from genre to genre, first as a short story writer, then as an author of fiction and nonfiction books and finally as a writer and producer of documentaries for public television. He is currently a professor in the Department of Media and Theatre Arts at Montana State University and the author of The Insider's Guide to Writing for Screen and Television. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writer's Digest Books; Second edition (January 17, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1582972397
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1582972398
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.75 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #646,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,008 in Authorship Reference
- #1,642 in Writing Skill Reference (Books)
- #2,699 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books)

Customer Reviews:
74 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

74 global ratings

5 star		67%
4 star		25%
3 star		4%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Fox Forrester

A must have for any story writer.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 1, 2016

Verified Purchase

Amazon completely misses the point of what this book is supposed to be by asking what the 'plot' is of this book.

Long story short, this book is for writers. It tells you what makes a good plot, and gives you many plot archetypes to study and gives you the foundation for what is a good plot structure (and what a specific plot needs when) to really deliver the best for the story you're working on. I really suggest this one along with 'Save the Cat' by Blake Snyder if you're serious about writing stories.

This book is incredibly insightful and really blew my mind when I first read it. I bought this years ago and still use it to this day.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ray Salemi

A nice survey of plots. Will get you started

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 19, 2006

Verified Purchase

I have been working on a mystery novel and I picked up 20 Master Plots to help me structure the story. Since I've already got my basic plot (Mystery) I was able to use the book to help me make sure that I had my ducks in a row.

However, the book will not go much deeper than getting you started in any master plot type. It essentially delivers a magazine article about every plot type -- a great starting place.

The book is a great reference book and should sit in the writers library. From there it will deliver wisdom in 10-minute shots and get you going on any story.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kiki

Extremely Helpful for Plotting Your Story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2011

Verified Purchase

This book was a Godsend. My writing instructor recommended being aware of the 20 master plots as we structured stories for her class. I decided to read the entire book so I would understand just what a plot is and does. Although I've read several other books that discuss plotting a story, they were too theoretical and murky for me to understand how to actually structure one. This book clearly explained both what a plot is, what it is not and what's necessary in order to plot your story successfully. The repetitiveness mentioned in other reviews is a means of comparing plot types, not just repeating what was already said, which is what I thought when I read the criticism. After reading this book, I created my first complete plot. I highly recommend it.

5 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Just the meat

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

As a good writer whose weak area is story-creation, I found this book extremely useful. It allowed me to consider the novel I'm planning against a range of plot schemas, and I'll likely turn to it again and again. Some writers may disdain the many references to film, as opposed to literary fiction, but I didn't mind at all -- films undeniably pare down plot to its purest elements, and references to "real" literature abound, as well. Tobias does not pretend that the 20 plots he discusses (and dissects) cover the entire territory of plot-craft, but his pared-down approach allows the writer (or would-be writer) to encounter story from a straightforward and critical perspective.

2 people found this helpful

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Joseph T. Page II

There's no new story ideas under the sun... but this will allow your story to be coherent at least

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 30, 2011

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"20 Master Plots" is a good reference book for budding authors. Each of the plots is given a thorough run-through, with "real" (story) world examples of well-known tales. Some plots even include a mini-checklist at the end of the chapter to provide consistance with the plot listed to your story. I have found with my stories, they have run-on plots into many different areas (i.e. starts out a mystery and ends up a revenge plot) - this book helped clear up the context to remain true to the writing. No more crappy cross-plot tales from my pen!

3 people found this helpful

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J. Sexton

Not as good as Save the Cat Goes to the Movies

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 23, 2010

Verified Purchase

How can a book on Plot Structures be compared to a book on writing movie scripts? Well, the late Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! books had a particularly unusual - but incredibly insightful and useful - way of classifying movies. Blake uses 10 categories instead of 20, but Blakes ability to deconstruct these categories is light years ahead of Tobias's analysis of his 20 plots. 20 Master Plots is still a worthwhile book, but I'd recommend you buy Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told first. You won't be disappointed.

4 people found this helpful

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LClark

Great intro to plot building

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 4, 2010

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While this comes off as a literary cook book, it really isn't. Tobias simply gives aspiring fiction writers a series of common plot patterns that have been used for hundreds (or thousands) of years. He also describes the relationships between the various patterns. Creativity and intelligence will always be essential for the development of quality fiction. Tobias just helps clarify the basics for beginner writers.

Helpful

M. Carey

More than a how-to....

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 31, 2008

Verified Purchase

I was very pleased to find that this "how-to" guide is actually a very well written introduction to and analysis of the major plots found in all storytelling media in our culture.
The writing is crisp, enjoyable, accessible, yet also deep with critical insights valuable to any writer or wannabe.
I've already recommended it to several friends without hesitation! Read, learn, apply, enjoy!

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

M

Solid resource to make you think

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 24, 2011

Verified Purchase

This book is a decent read and will certaintly make you think. You may conclude that few decent films sit comfortably in any single plot type and using this as a blue print may result in your writing being a bit formulaic, so beware. I would have no hestiation in recommending reading this book.

3 people found this helpful

ScottyK

... high hopes for this but I'd say it's more useful if you write genre fiction

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

Had high hopes for this but I'd say it's more useful if you write genre fiction. Quite simplistic. I probably won't get much use out of it.

One person found this helpful

Fergus O'Connell

Three 5-star books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 6, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is great, but you should also get the wonderfully practical 'Plot and Structure' by James Scott Bell and completely brilliant 'The Seven Basic Plots' by Christopher Booker.

Splash out on these three and IMO you'll know all you ever need to know about plotting.

7 people found this helpful

LH

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 30, 2016

Verified Purchase

great book-bought for reference.

Mr. M. Sanders

20 Master plots

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 26, 2010

Verified Purchase

I bought this as I was preparing to start work on my latest writing project and it yielded some useful information, although some of the information in there can be arrived at once you have done a bit of writing for yourself.

A useful guide to someone who wants to start writing fiction, I would recommend also buying a few other guides to ensure that you cover as many techniques and ways of working as possible.

I was pleased to read that some of the themes it explained I already was using in my writing work.

2 people found this helpful

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20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them Second Edition

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