20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias first came out in 1993 and its most recent iteration (according to Amazon) is from 2011. It’s still actively being sold in online and in-person bookstores. This book endures for a reason–if you need help understanding what your overarching plot is and what beats are needed to “satisfy” that plot, this is the book for you.

I’ve used it for many years, and I’m even going to recommend it during my panel Fanfic into Fiction this year at Matsuricon for fanfic writers who may need to decide what their main plot is when rewriting it from a previous IP plot.

Anyway, I haven’t consulted this book since graduate school (oh, like thirteen years ago) but as I am completely stumped with The Fear and the Flame, I thought I’d whip it out again to get some help.

My overarching plot is MASTER PLOT 4: RESCUE. The book is all about Lily saving Andresh from Nigredo Gate. I have the chapter to read, plus the bonus checklist I printed out that focuses on what all needs to happen in a Rescue Plot.

As a precaution I printed out MASTER PLOT 14: LOVE. This is the other plot to the story, and I’m not sure if it’s concurrent or secondary (I’m leaning towards secondary, even though this series is romantasy), but I plan on focusing on a lot of it when writing. The checklist for the Love Plot is way longer than the Rescue Plot, and I don’t know if all of it will apply!

Anyway, I just completed the tough task of writing the blurb for The Step and the Walk, so now I’m going to go through the 20 Master Plot checklists and chapters and try to continue to fill out my 10-block plot worksheet.

Fellow writers, are you familiar with this book? If so, how has it helped you out?