August Craft Focus: 20 Master Plots

Ahhh! Is it August already? Well, good news is I’ve got my latest novel proofed and out the door. So this month, I’ll be playing catch-up with my reviews. I think I’m a bit “tone deaf” when it comes to plotting, so I’ve set my sights on identifying all 20 of the Master Plots (as presented in Tobias Buckle’s 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them) within the short fiction of some of my favorite pro markets. Maybe this will also expose some trends in what types of plot lines editors are drawn to, or what writers are writing more often. I’m going to try to kick out as many as I can this month before settling into my next novel, and all of my time gets sucked up again.

And for those playing at home, this site has a list of the plots and some fun exercises as well.