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20 Master Plots and How to Build Them
 
 
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20 Master Plots and How to Build Them (Hardcover)

by Ronald B. Tobias (Author) "The shelves of libraries are stacked with the stories of centuries, but out in the street, the air swarms with newly made fiction ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (25 Feb 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0898795958
  • ISBN-13: 978-0898795950
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 207,121 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #74 in  Books > Reference > Writing > Fiction
    #97 in  Books > Reference > Publishing & Books > Authorship

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Product Description

Synopsis

Identifies and analyzes twenty common plots, including revenge, rivalry, adventure, maturation, and love, discusses physical and character plots, and offers advice for developing a story.
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First Sentence
The shelves of libraries are stacked with the stories of centuries, but out in the street, the air swarms with newly made fiction. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview with useful info, 9 Dec 2001
By A Customer
A cut above the usual stuff that fills most of the "how to write" genre over and over again. A useful look at the major categories of plot and what readers expect from each. This is NOT a write-by-numbers book. It could be especially useful for anyone who wants to experiment with writing different, and perhaps unfamiliar, types of stories.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful, 19 May 2006
By xenofan "xenofan" (Nottinghamshire, UK) - See all my reviews
  
This review is from: 20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them (Paperback)
This is one of the better "how to write" books that I've brought over the past few months or so, and i found myself rather pleasantly surprised by it. The tone was light, comfortable to read and each chapter is very in-depth. Rather surpring to me was the initial starting chapters-which I expected to be boring page filler/introductory text. But, they actually turned out to be some of the most helpful and informative tips on the subject of plots that I've read.

What I particularly found good about this book was that it raises points that made me think about my own story and its plot, and I found myself mentally applying the principles discussed in this book's pages to my own work.

The author uses clear and friendly writing to get accross a point, drawing from examples in both fiction and film. The author does not assume that you've seen most of what they discuss, so whenever a title is discussed, the author gives enough information to those that might not be familiar to the work being discussed. I didn't feel like I had to go and do several hours of reading homework before I could access this book and know what the hell the author was talking about.

I'll be referring to this book again as I write my own story. There are no winning solutions, but lots of sensible advice, much of which is pretty logical---but to a beginner like myself, it was invaluable and highly useful.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic LEGO brick builder for a first time writer., 11 Jan 2001
By A Customer
I have read this book a couple of times. It is easy to follow and logically laid out. The author brings a wealth of practical experience to this work. This is a great book for a starter, it helps build a proper foundation for formula story writing. Thank - you Ronald.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally some one who talks sense.
I've just finished reading it and I really like his writing style; clear, to the point, and humourous. Read more
Published on 5 April 2005 by Caroline

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Basic Info
This is a wonderful book. Not too complex, and handy as all get-out. Readers have certain expectations, and this helps you make sure you've covered all your bases. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars Look elsewhere for help with plotting
This author's style is arrogant and condescending toward certain genres. Overall, I found the book to be a rather boring read, and it hasn't helped me much in my efforts to... Read more
Published on 26 Jul 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A great help for a beginner writer
As a begginer writer, I love this book. Very easy to read and urderstand. Besides the explanation of the 20 plots, the first chapters about plot and structure in general are... Read more
Published on 28 April 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Great handbook for Plot making/revising
Tobias includes Aristotles three parts of the play, then expands this into a list of "the lowest common plot denominators. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 1996

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