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Author: KJMackley

Apr 27th 2010 at 4:32:53 PM

A plot device is anything that enables the plot to go forward. It is certainly a very wide subject and we have barely touched the surface of all the different kinds. And it is not always the most important thing in a story. For example, Sam in the TransformersFilmSeries got involved because of putting his grandfathers glasses on EBay, a MacGuffin. But the whole sequence with him being arrested and claiming to see his car stand up was another plot device that caught the attention of Sector Seven, drawing Sam to Hoover Dam and so forth.

Whenever someone uses the term Plot Device derisively (if they are using the term properly), it is because there is a dissonance between it and the actual needs of the story. For example, the hero has a chance to stop the BigBad but he is called away because his wife is TrappedByMountainLions. It makes the story more complicated without adding anything in return. The villain doesn't build any credentials by setting up the {{sadistic choice}} and the hero doesn't spend time agonizing over his missed opportunity.