Plot Structure: Wretched Excess

In honor of Thanksgiving and in recognition of the many blessings, sometimes to excess, which we have, I thought I'd share a few comments from the book, "20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them) by Ronald Tobias, on "Plot number 18: Wretched Excess."

Please keep in mind that this is only an introduction to what your story may need if you choose this plot structure, because I can not fully (or legally) include everything in this blog, but a few key points are:

1. Wretched Excess is a character driven story about the protagonist's psychological decline.

2. The decline should be shown in three phases: how the character is before the decline, how he successively deteriorates, and what happens after the crises--does he give in to his flaw or recover?

3. Avoid "excessive" emotion. This isn't melodrama.

4. Don't lose hold of your character to lunacy. Make certain you personally understand the excess or you'll lose credibility with your reader. Personal experience is almost imperative to this plot.

Hope this helps.