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ljwrites20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias was recommended by splinteredstar on the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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.
20 Master Plots feels like two books trying to be one. The first five introductory chapters are a general discussion on the nature of the plot and story crafting. Chapters Six to Twenty-Six are about the titular 20 plots, plus their introduction and the book's conclusion. The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that the 20 plots take up only 19 chapters; this is because Plots 19 and 20, Ascension & Descension, are handled in one long chapter.
Chapter One starts off the book by discussing the nature and function of plot. I found a lot to like here, including Tobias's assertion that plot is not a skeleton, as often said, but more like an electromagnetic force that keeps all the particles of an object together. Plot gives meaning and direction to all elements of the story, and without it the story would be a mush of unconnected, meaningless elements. I like this metaphor and explanation, which gave me a new viewpoint on what plot is.
Chapters Two and Three talk in more depth about constructing and using plot, with Chapter Two giving tips for building compelling plots and Chapter Three categorizing plots into those of the body (action plots) and those of the mind. I thought these were useful material, and didn't find anything wrong per se.
Where I was expecting a tightly-woven elaboration of the electrifying premise in Chapter One, though, Chapter Two consisted more of generic (though helpful) plot tips I could find elsewhere. Maybe that's the point, that the all-permeating force of plot doesn't come from some arcane magic but rather workmanlike crafting. Still, I would have liked to have seen more accord between Chapters One and Two. The taxonomy in Chapter Three is a decent jumping-off point for the 20 master plots, though it seemed short and incomplete to me. Now that we had the general theory and taxonomy in place, the book was ready to wade into the master plots.
But wait! The author couldn't possibly let us go without some last-minute instructions. Rather than going straightaway into the master plots, the book diverges at this point into other aspects of story. That is how we get Chapters Four and Five, "Deep Structure" and "Triangles," which discuss how to use structure to bring about a moral argument without being pushy or preachy, and why it's a good idea to focus on three major characters.
I have mixed feelings about this broadened focus in Four and Five. On the one hand, these two chapters are some of my favorite parts of the book; on the other, they seem to belong in a different book. It's as though Tobias had all these great ideas about great writing but didn't have a book's worth of material, so he tossed them into a different book instead. They are worth reading, but I wish they'd been developed into book-length discussions rather than be forced to squat in a book where they get in the way. I nevertheless enjoyed Tobias's ideas about story crafting and highly recommend them.
Then finally Chapter Six introduces the master plots, and we get underway with the 20 plots starting with Chapter Seven. The rest of the book, other than the conclusion, is taken up by the 20 classic plots including "Quest," "Discovery," "Metamorphosis" and so on.
The master plot chapters all follow a similar structure. First the specific plot, such as "Adventure," is introduced, then an example story is given and analyzed to show the structure of the master plot. Then comes a three-act breakdown of the plot, and a checklist for construction. I found this consistent structure easy to follow, if predictable.
These chapters, like all the others, were well-organized and well-written. Each chapter had good insights on what made the master plot work, and gave good reminders of things to consider when building each plot. Perhaps what I liked best about these chapters was the way I got to revisit classical stories such as Ben Hur and Beauty and the Beast to reexamine them from a structural standpoint. I enjoyed the read, and can see myself leafing through them to look for pointers.
My main complaint about the book is that it didn't cohere very well in a structural sense, which is ironic for a book about plot as a cohering force. Chapter Four in particular seemed like an intruder from a different, and even better, book that I wish existed. (I may have found that book in John Truby's The Anatomy of Story. I can't be definite yet because I haven't finished it, but I'm getting some good mileage out of it.) Just when the book's focus should have been narrowing on plot it went wide and started talking about moral argument and the number of main characters, which I think detracted from the unity of the book. It looks like Tobias should have applied his idea of plot as an all-permeating force to nonfiction as well as fiction.
In the end, the introductory chapters and the 20 plots seemed to be two different books trying, and failing, to be one book. The first "book" of general writing advice and theory was interesting but too short to develop its ideas fully, and didn't really gel with the second "book" on master plots. If there was a deeper connecting theme between these two parts, I failed to see it.
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.
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.20 Master Plots feels like two books trying to be one. The first five introductory chapters are a general discussion on the nature of the plot and story crafting. Chapters Six to Twenty-Six are about the titular 20 plots, plus their introduction and the book's conclusion. The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that the 20 plots take up only 19 chapters; this is because Plots 19 and 20, Ascension & Descension, are handled in one long chapter.
Chapter One starts off the book by discussing the nature and function of plot. I found a lot to like here, including Tobias's assertion that plot is not a skeleton, as often said, but more like an electromagnetic force that keeps all the particles of an object together. Plot gives meaning and direction to all elements of the story, and without it the story would be a mush of unconnected, meaningless elements. I like this metaphor and explanation, which gave me a new viewpoint on what plot is.
Chapters Two and Three talk in more depth about constructing and using plot, with Chapter Two giving tips for building compelling plots and Chapter Three categorizing plots into those of the body (action plots) and those of the mind. I thought these were useful material, and didn't find anything wrong per se.
Where I was expecting a tightly-woven elaboration of the electrifying premise in Chapter One, though, Chapter Two consisted more of generic (though helpful) plot tips I could find elsewhere. Maybe that's the point, that the all-permeating force of plot doesn't come from some arcane magic but rather workmanlike crafting. Still, I would have liked to have seen more accord between Chapters One and Two. The taxonomy in Chapter Three is a decent jumping-off point for the 20 master plots, though it seemed short and incomplete to me. Now that we had the general theory and taxonomy in place, the book was ready to wade into the master plots.
But wait! The author couldn't possibly let us go without some last-minute instructions. Rather than going straightaway into the master plots, the book diverges at this point into other aspects of story. That is how we get Chapters Four and Five, "Deep Structure" and "Triangles," which discuss how to use structure to bring about a moral argument without being pushy or preachy, and why it's a good idea to focus on three major characters.
I have mixed feelings about this broadened focus in Four and Five. On the one hand, these two chapters are some of my favorite parts of the book; on the other, they seem to belong in a different book. It's as though Tobias had all these great ideas about great writing but didn't have a book's worth of material, so he tossed them into a different book instead. They are worth reading, but I wish they'd been developed into book-length discussions rather than be forced to squat in a book where they get in the way. I nevertheless enjoyed Tobias's ideas about story crafting and highly recommend them.
Then finally Chapter Six introduces the master plots, and we get underway with the 20 plots starting with Chapter Seven. The rest of the book, other than the conclusion, is taken up by the 20 classic plots including "Quest," "Discovery," "Metamorphosis" and so on.
The master plot chapters all follow a similar structure. First the specific plot, such as "Adventure," is introduced, then an example story is given and analyzed to show the structure of the master plot. Then comes a three-act breakdown of the plot, and a checklist for construction. I found this consistent structure easy to follow, if predictable.
These chapters, like all the others, were well-organized and well-written. Each chapter had good insights on what made the master plot work, and gave good reminders of things to consider when building each plot. Perhaps what I liked best about these chapters was the way I got to revisit classical stories such as Ben Hur and Beauty and the Beast to reexamine them from a structural standpoint. I enjoyed the read, and can see myself leafing through them to look for pointers.
My main complaint about the book is that it didn't cohere very well in a structural sense, which is ironic for a book about plot as a cohering force. Chapter Four in particular seemed like an intruder from a different, and even better, book that I wish existed. (I may have found that book in John Truby's The Anatomy of Story. I can't be definite yet because I haven't finished it, but I'm getting some good mileage out of it.) Just when the book's focus should have been narrowing on plot it went wide and started talking about moral argument and the number of main characters, which I think detracted from the unity of the book. It looks like Tobias should have applied his idea of plot as an all-permeating force to nonfiction as well as fiction.
In the end, the introductory chapters and the 20 plots seemed to be two different books trying, and failing, to be one book. The first "book" of general writing advice and theory was interesting but too short to develop its ideas fully, and didn't really gel with the second "book" on master plots. If there was a deeper connecting theme between these two parts, I failed to see it.
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.
