Master Plots

An attempt to enumerate the Ur-plots...

What qualifies a plot as a Master Plot? Hard to say. Let's take Tobias' list as a kicking off point. He contends there are twenty basic stories. Any of these can be used in genre.


 * 1) Quest (Christopher Booker calls this "The Quest", Blake Snyder calls it "Golden Fleece")
 * 2) Adventure
 * 3) Pursuit
 * 4) Rescue
 * 5) Escape
 * 6) The Riddle
 * 7) Rivalry
 * 8) Underdog (Blake Snyder calls this "The Fool Triumphant")
 * 9) Temptation
 * 10) Metamorphosis
 * 11) Transformation
 * 12) Maturation
 * 13) Love
 * 14) Forbidden Love
 * 15) Sacrifice
 * 16) Discovery
 * 17) Wretched Excess
 * 18) Vengeance
 * 19) Ascension
 * 20) Descension

''from: Tobias, Ronald B. 20 Master Plots. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 1993. (ISBN 0-89879-595-8)''

Compare Booker's The Seven Basic Plots and Ten Movie Plots in Snyder's ''Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need'', each of which not only enumerate the plots but also summarize them.