Favorite plot mechanics?

Of course, it's not to say or even consider implying that we would willfully be repetitious when our pens meet paper, or fingers, keys; however it's doubtless that most of us do have plot mechanics we like using. Whether that means an underdog who's been beaten down by the world, or a vivacious femme fatale who means the undoing of our gruff, world worn hero.

Do you have plot mechanics you prefer more than others? Why, or why not? How often do you use them? And, what's your opinion on plot mechanics in general?


Regardless of how you answer, remember! Be a storyteller, not a story welder!

Hmm...

Most of my stories tend to have the plot mechanic of the main character getting over some type of oppression. It could come from my parents being way too overprotective while I lived under their roof.

Okay, now I'm interested in this. Do other people draw connections from favorite plot mechanics to something from their real life?

Plot mechanics

I'm very fond of a few of them that appear to pop up in my writing every once in a while. Biggest examples would probably be having characters who are hobbyists at a given art and will refuse to make paid jobs out of it, and having Aces (as in characters expert in a task) always coming in pairs.

That's two of them. There are others, I guess, but these two are the ones I could identify and put words the quickest for.

Why? I think they come from my time in highschool where I was both an observer and a part of those phenomena, but I'm not totally sure. I guess part of the Aces thing is how having a personal, chivalric rivalry with someone is supposed to bring the best of you two over time.

How often? Apparently an element in at least half of my stories. My two concurrent stories in writing have Ace Pairs. Playfield, an old story I wrote for Pokécommunity's SWC, ended up having both plot elements sorta occur at once (one of the characters laments having turned his hobby into a job), though I didn't realize it until after about two years from publishing it.

Kyoe said:

a vivacious femme fatale who means the undoing of our gruff, world worn hero

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Is that one of yours personally? If so: Could you expand a bit on where may it come from and why do you use it? It's admittedly interesting because it's one of those things that feel "classical" at a first look, but even a slightly deeper examination reveals various timeless elements about it.

I like the mechanic of "the only survivor," like say someone's family was killed and that someone went for revenge. I'm a glass half-empty type of person; I find more negatives than positives, which makes me better at writing darker pieces (i.e. a world of war/genocide/something like that) than something light. Also, I do like the buddy-cop mechanic.

solovino said:

Is that one of yours personally? If so: Could you expand a bit on where may it come from and why do you use it? It's admittedly interesting because it's one of those things that feel "classical" at a first look, but even a slightly deeper examination reveals various timeless elements about it.

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I picked it up from watching and reading classic hardboiled novels. Think: Dashiell Hammett, or Philip Marlowe. The Great Gatsby even, to a point.
I really love that initial kick you get from it, that it's something classic. And the idea of a beautiful woman, the girl of your dreams showing up and in the end being your downfall is interesting to me. Not to mention that it fits well in the genre of noir or hardboiled mysteries, which are some of my favorite to write.

"My story begins where trouble always seems to, with a woman. She had walked into my office about a week ago, now. Bright red lips leaving a cut of lies through the city. She had used them on me, too. I can still remember those words... swimming through my head like champaign... ready to explode."