>>> Item number 30881 from WRITERS LOG9406A --- (63 records) ----- <<< Date: Thu, 2 Jun 1994 18:35:02 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: TECH: BOOK: Steal This Plot Steal This Plot Noble, June and William ISBN 0-8397-7881-3 Paul S. Eriksson, Publisher 1985 Just some notes - the basic thesis of this book is that you can take a plot idea, often from a book, story, or poem. Change the setting, characters, etc. and write a new story. Part of their presentation is the notion that you add motivation - why is this happening - through one of the following: Vengeance Catastrophe Love and Hate The Chase Grief and Loss Rebellion Betrayal Persecution Self-Sacrifice Survival Rivalry Discovery/Quest Ambition Further, they recommend "spicing" the plot with one of the following: Deception Material Well-being (plus or minus) Authority Making Amends (GUILT!) Conspiracy Rescue Mistaken Identity Unnatural Affection Criminal Actions (including murder) Suspicion Suicide Searching Honor/Dishonor So, for example, perhaps you want your character to find the magic keys and save the kingdom (HOKEY!). As motivation, you pick love and hate, deciding to spice the mix with criminal actions (including murder). So your hero(ine) is driven by love (for who?) and/or hate (for who?) into criminal actions, perhaps even murder - culminating in rescue of the kingdom. Perhaps another character is driven by self-sacrifice, spiced with concepts of honor and dishonor, which lead them to oppose and then eventually to support the shady anti-hero(ine) who offers to save the kingdom. Somehow these "roll-the-dice" plotting methods always make me a bit queasy. Still, it's another method... tink