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M.G. Herron

M.G. Herron

Science Fiction Author in Austin, TX

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Lester Dent’s Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot Formula

M.G. Herron · Jan 23, 2015 · 3 Comments

“Wow,” said a writer friend, when I sent him a copy of the Lester Dent’s Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot. “This was a lot more specific than I thought it would be, rock on.”

And specific the Master Fiction Plot certainly is. In Dent’s words:

“This is a formula, a master plot, for any 6000 word pulp story. It has worked on adventure, detective, western and war-air. It tells exactly where to put everything. It shows definitely just what must happen in each successive thousand words.

No yarn of mine written to the formula has yet failed to sell.

The business of building stories seems not much different from the business of building anything else.”

Full credit goes to Dent for this one, but I like to hold a thing in my hand. I put Dent’s formula on a PDF you can print at home. Pin it up on the wall behind the computer screen at your writing desk or on the bulletin board while you’re storyboarding.

Lester Dent Master Fiction Plot - Printable version

Scrivener Template for Lester Dent’s Fiction Formula

While looking into this, my research brought me to something even better than a PDF. You know how I love Scrivener, right? Well, Lou Yuhasz did us all writers a favor and created a Scrivener template for Dent’s Master Fiction formula.

Thanks, Lou. I’ve used your template and it’s awesome.

Other Useful Guides for Writer

You might also enjoy these three printable style guides for writers.

If you need some pointers on Scrivener,I wrote a how-to book on Scrivener (that’s my amazon affiliate link btw) that you may find useful when you’re learning the software, or trying to compile an ebook.

Writing Tools lester dent, pulp paper master fiction plot formula, writing tools

The Auriga Project and two short stories

The Auriga Project

This one’s on me: a science fiction novel and 2 short stories, guaranteed to keep you up at night! High-tech disaster meets ancient Mayans when archaeologist Eliana Fisk is transported to a strange new world.

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Comments

  1. Triffid says

    March 30, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    Very useful. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Eleize Silva Ferreira says

    April 23, 2022 at 8:17 pm

    I am in love! I will try that for sure. When I was a child really love to read these books.

    Reply

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