Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Post History

60%
+1 −0
Q&A I suck at plots. Is there a way to sort of train oneself to think of creative plots, specifically in scifi?

Don't be afraid of using cliche plots. Plots are all cliche. Think of architecture: for the most part, buildings all follow the same general rules. That's because these rules are necessary for the ...

posted 13y ago by oldrobotsneverrust‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T02:07:22Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/4718
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar oldrobotsneverrust‭ · 2019-12-08T02:07:22Z (about 5 years ago)
Don't be afraid of using cliche plots. Plots are all cliche. Think of architecture: for the most part, buildings all follow the same general rules. That's because these rules are necessary for the building to be structurally sound.

Plot is much the same. A standard frame with which you hang all the unique flourishes and twists that will set your work apart from the rest.

Some books on plot that have helped me tremendously:

- [Save the Cat](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1932907009) (technically on screenwriting, but still highly recommended)
- [The Writer's Journey](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/193290736X) (specifically focused on the hero's journey)
- [Story Engineering](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1582979987)
- [Plot and Structure](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/158297294X)
#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2011-12-30T15:25:01Z (almost 13 years ago)
Original score: 13