History SoYouWantTo / WriteAnExcusePlot

* BeachEpisode

* Why use the excuse plot in favor of a richer, more involved narrative? In some cases, it's simply because a work doesn't warrant anything more than that, and in some cases, anything more elaborate [[TropesAreNotGood could actually be a detriment to the work.]]

-->''"I don't care much about story--plot, as they call it. If you have the neatest tailored plot in the world and yet haven't personalities, living characters, you've nothing."''

-->''“Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It’s expected to be there, but it’s not that important.”''

-->"If you like a cartoon, you might say: "I liked that, therefore it was a good story." Sometimes maybe it is, but story is not the main ingredient of entertainment. Sensations are. I've never heard anyone say, "Boy that was a great dance. I wonder who wrote it." or "Who wrote this ice cream?" These make about as much sense as "That cartoon made me laugh, therefore it was a good story." Most pleasures are not derived from story. In entertainment, story can certainly be an ingredient of the experience, but it isn't entirely necessary and it's only one of many possible things that are fun to watch, listen to and experience. I use drawing, acting, animation, sound effects, music, voice acting and every possible type of entertainment tool I have at my disposal to try to amuse the audience."

* LampshadeHanging: If a work is comedic and self aware, it could [[SelfDeprecation outright mock how irrelevant its own plot is for a laugh.]] For example, the first ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'' had [[FourthWallObserver Cranky Kong]] poke fun at the games very simplistic plot.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongJungleBeat'''s minimal plot was poorly received by making DK, who had previously been characterized as a MartialPacifist, brutally violent for no apparent reason. Game director Yoshiaki Koizumi said in an interview that "The only thing Donkey Kong needs is to be the best, and to become the king of the jungle," which did not go over well with fans.

* ''Film/SpaceJam'' is a film that has been strongly criticized for this. The plot itself (WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and co. are forced to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext team up with Michael Jordon to challenge aliens to a basketball game to save them from being enslaved in an alien amusement park]]) is an obvious vehicle for Jordan's comeback into basketball at the time, with the Looney Tunes sandwiched in for marque value--not to mention that the film itself was literally based on a series of sneaker commercials starring the Looney Tunes [[MerchandiseDriven shilling Air Jordan shoes]]. Creator/ChuckJones also criticized the film's plot, pointing out that Bugs could have [[IdiotPlot easily resolved the conflict in mere minutes]] [[BadassDecay if he had acted like he did in the original cartoons.]]

* An excuse plot could possibly lead to a series work [[StrictlyFormula becoming formulaic.]] Even a critically acclaimed series like ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' (and its follow ups such as VideoGame/MegaManX) have been criticized for almost always falling back on the threat of Dr. Wily and his robots (substitute with Sigma and his Mavericks in the X series) as a plotline, only being compounded by the [[HijackedByGanon increasingly transparent villain twists]] as the series ran their course.

* This trope is one of the (many) reasons why Soulstorm, the third VideoGame/DawnOfWar expansion, is so despised. While the previous three campaigns possessed fairly intricate stories with detailed characters (though Dark Crusade was pushing it), Soulstorm's campaign is "a NegativeSpaceWedgie attracts nearly every faction in the galaxy to a single system. They fight".

* Despite his acclaim as a master storyteller and his legendary reputation for having anal-retentive attention to detail in his films, Creator/WaltDisney firmly believed in using the Excuse Plot in both his short cartoons and feature films, even as early as his WesternAnimation/OswaldTheLuckyRabbit cartoons. To him, gags based on character motivation and context were what really mattered. Two of his top animators, [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston]], verify this early in their book "Too Funny For Words: Disney's Greatest Sight Gags";

* WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants: The Excuse Plot can lend itself well to improvisating elements inside of a work, especially if it's a comedy.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': With very few exceptions, Story is ''always'' a formality in the theatrical cartoons and amounts to little more than very basic set ups for each film, and some films, like Creator/TexAvery's spot gag pictures, didn't even bother with plots, instead relying on a string of gags based on a specific theme. The conflict in the series peak year shorts are always a result of either an individual characters actions or friction between the characters personalities and very rarely from an outside conflict or influence. Creator/ChuckJones stressed in his biography "Chuck Amuck" that the characters personalities were always given top priority over the stories;

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' never relied on anything more than very basic setups and conflicts for their stories, which went hand in hand with their fast paced slapstick comedy, which was the real meat of the cartoons entertainment. One of their directors, Creator/ChuckJones, even explained why they did this in his biography "Chuck Amuck";

* SilenceIsGolden: The Excuse Plot does not preclude the use of dialogue, but often the irrelevant nature of the story or possible lack of it can warrant having little to no dialogue for the characters, possibly allowing other elements like atmosphere and pure visual presentation to take precedent instead.

* NegativeContinuity: Because the excuse plot is basically irrevereant, continuity can be seen as having little to importance to the work or even a hinderance to the work.

* The Excuse Plot could leave little, or in worst case scenario, no room for strong characterization, character development or SubText if mishandled, or alternatively, the lack of attempting characterization of spite of it could keep the work from being engaging.

* ComeForTheXStayForTheY

* TheEveryman: Because a work using an ExcusePlot is sometimes (but not always) percieved as being something that leaves little room for characterization or has a format that precludes it, characters in some works using them tend to be either one note or simplistic in personality due to this.

** The WriteAWesternRPG guide mentions that most DungeonCrawler-type RPGs have excuse plots so the player can focus on looting and grinding.

* Many vintage cartoons in general aren't as much about narratives as they're variations on a comedic theme. ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' is a perfect example of this; the shorts rarely had anything resembling real stories, relying on wafer thin setups within the basic cat chases mouse formula (i.e. Jerry is protecting a friend or his ward from Tom, Jerry has Spike the Bulldog work as a bodyguard for him, Tom gets rich but isn't allowed to harm Jerry as a catch) which in turn lead into a series of vignettes, to accommodate the series fast paced slapstick and pantomime.

* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' likewise rarely had anything resembling real stories, relying on wafer thin setups (i.e. Jerry is stealing a midnight snack, Jerry has Spike the Bulldog work as a bodyguard for him) and vignettes to accommodate the series fast paced slapstick and pantomime.

* AllThereInTheManual: Often in older video games due to either memory or technical limitations, or as a preference in a more contemporary work, whatever plot the game has will usually be delegated to the manual, or in supplemental material like novels and comic book tie-ins. Fighting and racing video games, as well as most arcade games, frequently do this, even to this day, as the very nature of their gameplay or format frequently precludes having a strong narrative or characterization.

* AllThereInTheManual: Often in older video games due to either memory or technical limitations, or as a preference in a more contemporary work, whatever plot the game has will usually be delegated to the manual, or in supplemental material like novels and comic book tie-ins. Fighting and racing video games frequently do this, even to this day, as the very nature of their gameplay frequently precludes having a strong narrative or characterization.

* The game or work could have an engaging, rich backstory that is relevant to the overall experience, [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory but it can be overlooked or skipped]] in favor of the rest of the works content.

Are you tired of spending hours and hours wanting to write the next great American work? Do you just want to kick back and have the main idea set up as quickly as possible so you can get to the details, or use it to showcase the special effects or newest gimmick of the week?

* TheEveryman: Because a work using an ExcusePlot is percieved as something that leaves little room for characterization or has a format that precludes it, characters in some works using them tend to be either one note or simplistic in personality due to this.

* Why use the excuse plot in favor of a richer, more involved narrative? In some cases, it's simply because a work doesn't warrant anything more than that, and in some cases, anything more elaborate could actually be a detriment to the work.
** Creator/CharlieChaplin, one of the most influential filmmakers and actors in history, who made whole movies by trial and error, only using some pre-planning on his features, said that he didn't worry about the story, knowing it would naturally grow out of the characters.

* TheEveryman: Because the ExcusePlot can potentially leave little room for characterization, characters in some works using them tend to be either one note or simplistic in personality due to this.

* {{Characters}}: It goes without saying, but even if your plot is a formality, a work with an excuse plot still needs an interesting, or at least appealing, character to carry it out.

* AllThereInTheManual: Often in older video games due to either memory or technical limitations, or as a preference in a more contemporary work, whatever plot the game has will usually be delegated to the manual, or in supplemental material like novels and comic book tie-ins. Fighting and racing video games frequently do this, even to this day.