In 1928, William Wallace Cook published Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots, a “how-to” manual for writers in need of that extra plot push so many of us strive for and struggle with, to make a story actually do something. The dreaded question—“What happens?”—can now be answered, following Cook’s deceptively simple formula: “purpose, opposed by Obstacle, yields Conflict.”

In a dizzying array of possible plot suggestions, hundreds of situations and scenarios, Cook inspires Plottoists and their as-of-yet unwritten imagination. We look forward to reading your stories!