Master Plot Formula for Adventure stories

[dreamflower]

While doing that "Books Meme", I was reminded of the author of the Doc Savage books I used to read and collect in the 60s and 70s. Lester Dent (pen name Kenneth Robeson) wrote hundreds of short pulp adventure novels, and at one point wrote down his secret of success. It can be found here: Dirty Thirties: The Lester Dent Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot.

While a bit crass and cynical in expression, the advice he gives really does show how to write a page-turner in most genre fiction, and when I think about it, most of the successful adventure-oriented fanfics I've read tend to more or less follow the outline (word count excepted, since there's no such strict word count for fanfic as for pulp novels which were closer to novellas than true novels). But the story more or less divides up along the same lines!

Of course, the catalyst in his adventure stories was almost always a murder, but it could be adapted to other genres with a slightly different catalyst.

Dent never really thought of himself as an artist--he considered his pulp writing a job, and considering the times, he made a very good living at it.

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Interesting to read that! I do like a good suspense/mystery, although I don't tend to like the super serial ones where it's the same detective or whatever solving every case. I don't know why. Although the exception might be Lisa Jackson and the DeeDee something-or-other series (ha, can't think of her last name).

[dreamflower]

I was really very into mysteries when I was younger, but in recent years have lost interest--nowadays when I'm in the mood for one, I'll go back to old favorites: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Rex Stout, etc. rather than pick up a new one.

I do like a good detective series, especially if the detective is very personable.

But good old Doc was far closer to a super-hero than to a detective. If he'd been female, he'd have been a Mary Sue, because he was so perfect and could do everything. But my favorite characters were his sidekicks, especially "Monk" and "Ham", rather than Doc himself.

Doc Savage

[lindelea1.livejournal.com]

Oh, my! I hadn't thought of Doc Savage in years! That really brings back old memories of pilfering my big brother's books and sneaking off to read them in a corner somewhere, or behind the couch...