Plotting

[EUOL]

What's your favorite kind?  Meaning, what kind of plots do you like to read?  I'm curious, because I've tried a lot of different things, but I'm generally worried that I fall back on the same kinds of plots.  I'm interested to see other peoples' take on it.

One of my favorite kinds of plots is a guilty pleasure--I love the 'hidden identity' style plots.  Shakespeare was great at these--they're the plots where someone is pretending to be something they're not.  The audience knows, but the love interest/comrades don't.  The tension centers around the audience wondering when the characters will discover 'the truth.'  

This one can be really fun--unfortunately, I think it's over-used, and can be very lame if there's no personal tension (I.e., if it becomes a sitcom-style farce instead.)

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I'm a sucker for the epic quest, I'll admit it.

Which makes me wonder why I didn't include one in the first novel I'm actually going to complete.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I like epic quests that involve a lot of personal or inter-personal angst.

I'm really big on melodrama, so my guilty pleasure is anything melodramatic.

[42]

I like the epic quest, but I'm real sucker for the horrible, terrible, no-good, bad day kind of plot where things just keep getting worse. Especially is there is a silver-lining at the end of it all.

[Spriggan]

I like all kinds, I'm personaly partial to ones with lots of flashbacks even though I know most people hate that.

[GorgonlaVacaTremendo]

Me too, subplots are good.

I like plots that don't always resolve good.  I hate it when everything wraps up neat and tidy happily ever after.

[Mistress of Darkness]

My favorite plot is the quest. Just plain old, plain old. I'm happier if the protagonist isn't saving the world, creation, or life as we know it (Jim). I also really enjoy plots where character dynamics plays an important role.

[Oldie Black Witch]

I'm rather partial to mystery or puzzle plots. I love it when (the reader and) the hero is trying to figure out a solution to a problem (or figure out why things are falling apart) while on an impossible quest to save their world (be it their village, their kingdom, or their continent).