Read 20 Master Plots And How to Build Them Audible Audio Edition Ronald B Tobias Barry Abrams Tantor Audio Books

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 9 hours and 20 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Unabridged Publisher Tantor Audio Audible.com Release Date February 26, 2019 Whispersync for Voice Ready Language English, English ASIN B07NPRH99X

20 Master Plots And How to Build Them Audible Audio Edition Ronald B Tobias Barry Abrams Tantor Audio Books Reviews

• 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.
• This book is a masterwork. It's taught me how to write a story with an actual plot. Now I can sit down at the computer with a tiny seed of an idea and *know* that I'll be able to grow it into a competent story.
  
  That's kind of amazing.
  
  I disagree with the few criticisms I've read. I didn't think it was particularly repetitive. And if it was repetitive here and there, I didn't think it was a problem. I read each chapter twice anyway; I mean, it's a workbook, not a quick read. I wrote a complete story for each plot type. I also didn't think the author was condescending regarding popular fiction. He seemed to find more value in literary fiction <yawn> than I do, but hey, maybe his insights will make literary fiction less boring if I ever read any again. Seriously, even if you're not a writer, this book is worthwhile for the way it'll help you better appreciate your reading.
  
  I'll admit, I was disappointed that the book didn't give me a cookie cutter formula that I could create a book around. Instead, the author taught me how to analyze and understand plots and create my own. It's like a parable A woman buys something on seeking one foolish impossible thing and ends up with something so much more valuable than she imagined. She went to not even knowing what she lacked; then she bought this book that helped her understand what she needed and then helped her achieve it on her own.
  
  This is an absolute standout book. Probably one of the most significant books I'll read in my life. The NEXT time I get on the NYT bestsellers list (hehe, I'm not being facetious, I took one of the pictures in How to Take Over Teh Wurld A LOLcat Guide 2 Winning 'wuz awsome. srsly!) I'm gonna track down this author and send him a present!
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  I wanted to add that in May I wrote one story for each of the 20 plots as an exercise. In July I finally got around to sending out some submissions. Now it's the beginning of August and I've been published twice on the Internet and four more stories are scheduled to be published. Plus, one of my stories was purchased by two different anthologies. Thank you, Mr. Tobias! [...]
• I'm not sure whether it is cultural indoctrination or basic human wiring, but I do recognize that I as a movie viewer tune in to certain patterns in a story that make it fulfilling and believable. The most compelling movies are those that work within the frameworks I know, the story structure and character interactions that I expect on some level. Movies that leave me wondering "what the heck" are those that stray far from these structures.
  
  "20 Master Plots" is a must-read guideline for not only the most compelling plot structures but also for other advice that will help refine the writer's craft. I have ordered several extra copies of this book to give to other aspiring writers. I believe that when you review your favorite movies in light of this book's content, you'll have an "ah ha!" moment.
• This book offers invaluable advice to any reader or writer on how to analyze or craft a story. Tobias offers excellent examples from film and literature. I personally would have preferred more examples from literature, however, movies probably provide a more common ground of knowledge for a wide reading audience. The summaries at the end of each chapter provide a quick guide for a reader or writer to go back to as a reference. This book will definitely be one of my most valuable references in the future. I recommended for all students of literature.
• I've read many, many books on the topic of writing, trying to gather advice to launch a writing career of my own. I can assure you that this book is one of those worth reading it contains special insights on plot types that I haven't seen elsewhere, and I found enlightening.
  
  Having said that, this book isn't terribly well structured. Large swaths of it proved boring, repetitive, and even worse for a book I might've wanted to use as a reference book, unstructured sometimes chapters will be segmented with headers ("Act One" "Act Two" "Act Three" "Checklist"), frequently they will not, and it will just be a long ramble.
  
  It's probably the result of a brilliant plot-writer but merely adequate essay-writer writing a book. And the end product is a book that, if you want to know more about plot writing, you SHOULD read, but you should also be prepared to slog through.
• 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.