Plot Device Quotes

“A deus ex machina will never appear in real life so you best make other arrangements.”
― Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics

“Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter...No Women's Bathroom”
― Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Vol. 1

“Audience turn to archetype packed stories to enjoy, whether consciously or unconsciously, the device of repeated plots with small variations. Dispositio rather than elocution. That's why the serial, even the most trite television serial, can become a cult both for a naïve audience and for a more sophisticated one.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Club Dumas

“Here it is: there's only one story. There, I said it and I can't very well take it back. There is only one story. Ever. One. It's always been going on and it's everywhere around us and every story you've ever read or heard or watched is part of it.”
― Thomas C. Foster, How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines

“To create an immersive experience, trigger curiosity by introducing a mystery, evoke empathy by drawing readers into the inner world of a protagonist facing a challenge, and ignite imagination by painting a vivid scenario that hints at a broader conflict.”
― Will Raywood, Trust Your Story: Master Storytelling and Build a Successful Creative Writing Career

“What truly matters isn’t your feelings or even those of your characters—it’s the emotional experience of your audience.”
― Will Raywood, Trust Your Story: Master Storytelling and Build a Successful Creative Writing Career