Break The Spine.

[Tawmis]

Yes, true. I've also heard of the seven basic plots, and used some of them in the past. I agree that although the basic ideas (e.g. Time-Travel, The Chosen One, etc.) are well-worn, it's how you present them that counts.

Neverending Nights was originally supposed to go about 5 seasons - with us PURPOSELY using those basic plots as satire. I combined that, along with the requirements for writing a module for DUNGEON MAGAZINE - and the "don't do" that they listed a module concepts.

(The most recent - for the now defunct - Dungeon Magazine is here: https://paizo.com/writersguidelines/dun ... elines.pdf ) - but prior to that, when it was owned by TSR (and not Paizo) - there were also bullet points to avoid... and it was like "Get a quest from a dragon, free someone from mind control, recover an artifact, piece together an ancient artifact, etc"... I wish I still had a copy.

I talk about it in the Easter Egg page for Episode 16 - http://www.neverendingnights.com/easter-eggs

Maybe the most important is subverting your audience's expectations. If your audience reads the plot summary -- "heroes time-travel to the future to save a person in the present, and return to a present that is broken; now they have to fix it" -- they'll expect the story to go a certain way. Coming up with ways to subvert that, and surprise your audience (in a good way), is part of the challenge.

One thing when Weis & Hickman team up - they could write for a summary, "The Heroes of the Lance paint the Inn of the Last Home and watch paint dry."

And when you read it, it would come across as the deepest character driven story ever.

They excel, when teamed up together, at making characters shine - the rest of the story is important - but you will fall in love with their characters.

And they will make you cry.

At least once, in every trilogy.

[Rath Darkblade]

Maybe the most important is subverting your audience's expectations. If your audience reads the plot summary -- "heroes time-travel to the future to save a person in the present, and return to a present that is broken; now they have to fix it" -- they'll expect the story to go a certain way. Coming up with ways to subvert that, and surprise your audience (in a good way), is part of the challenge.

One thing when Weis & Hickman team up - they could write for a summary, "The Heroes of the Lance paint the Inn of the Last Home and watch paint dry."

This reminds me oh-so-very-much of this classic Simpsons bit -- parodying every Clint Eastwood western, ever (but especially "Paint Your Wagon", a real film)... and it is hilarious.

And when you read it, it would come across as the deepest character driven story ever.

They excel, when teamed up together, at making characters shine - the rest of the story is important - but you will fall in love with their characters.

And they will make you cry.

At least once, in every trilogy.

Yes, I've heard many good things about Weis & Hickman. I've never read any of their stuff, though ... it's kind of difficult to find here in Australia.

[Rath Darkblade]

Huzzah! Check out my new acquisitions, which I got myself for my birthday!





I've never heard of Travis Baldree before. Are his books good? I hope so.

And I also got these two ...





I look forward to reading them. The "Shortest History" series is a favourite of mine -- they're relatively short (duh), but cover all the essentials to understanding the story of the country.

(And no, there isn't (yet) a "Shortest History" of the USA, or of Canada. But I've read at least 5 books on USA history (the Revolution, the Civil War, etc.), and 3 on Canadian history, written by Pierre Breton.)