Review: 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them

20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias was recommended by splinteredstar on the write_away writing books recommendations thread. I really liked it and recommend it even more for its introductory chapters than for the master plots, though the plots weren't bad, either.

( A good book hiding an even better book )

Still, even in its disparate parts 20 Master Plots was well worth my time for its intelligent discussions about story, plot and morality. If nothing else I would recommend Chapters One and Four for the theory of plot and deep structure.

See also: 20 Master Plots smacks down Plot Versus Character, at least in my febrile imagination.

20 Master Plots and Plot Versus Character: SMACKDOWN EDITION

Here's how big a dork I am: As I read 20 Master Plots, reviewed here, I kept pitting it in my head against Plot Versus Character, which I had read and reviewed earlier. The imaginary dialogue went something like this:

( Of characters and writers )

So that's Exhibit One Million and One in my nerd trial, in case anyone's counting. But the juxtaposition was uncanny, and I found myself writing such well-reasoned and thoughtful responses as "A thousand times YES" in the margins as I read 20 Master Plots.