While doing some research on Google, I found this helpful page(s):from a lecture on Stupid Plotting Tricks By Teresa Nielsen Hayden.

While most story tellers strive to be unique and original, sometimes it’s best to stick with a time tested story element instead of reinventing the wheel. Ms. hayden’s workshop is part of the Viable Paradise: Fantasy and Sci-Fi writers workshop in Martha Vineyard. She writes:

- A plot doesn’t have to be new. It just has to be new to the reader.
…
- A plot device that’s been used a thousand times may be a cliché, but it’s also a trick that works. That’s why it keeps getting used.
…
- Steal from the best.

Here lists of information are really about what NOT to do. It is written for humor, including what villian is not to do.

If I Ever Become the Evil Overlord…

… My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.

You can also get some random plot elements, based on the site HERE.

Tag(s): Teresa Nielsen Hayden|plot|writing|