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Randy Krum
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« Just How BIG Is Apple? | Main | The Eagle Scout Infographic »
Friday
Apr272012

Mapping Popular Story Plot Lines

Finally! The secret ingredient to writing a good book has been revealed. Plot Lines, the infographic from Delayed Gratification, the slow journalism magazine, shows the dominant themes in last year’s books nominated for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.  An interactive, zooming viewer available on the original landing page.

What makes a prize-winning novel?  As Julian Barnes wins the Booker Prize, Johanna Kamradt charts the themes of this year’s longlisters.  (Illustration by Christian Tate)

If you want to write a hit novel, it pays to stick with the tried-and-true plot lines.  DEATH of your characters is clearly the overall winning theme, with every one of the novels listed from 2011 including death as a theme.  Other classics like WAR, LOVE, BETRAYAL and CORRUPTION followed closely.  Obscure plot points like AN ESCAPED TIGER and HOMICIDAL COWBOY BROTHERS are certainly much more of a risk.

I love this design, and how it takes the multiple, complex story plots from the complicated mix on the left, and converts the chaos into order on the right.  Even with all of the crossover lines, you can still pretty easily follow a line across the diagram.  It’s fun and engaging for readers to follow the connections, and draws the readers in to look more closely. 

Found on visualnews.com

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Reader Comments (7)

I'm curious to say, you write that is what it looks very powerful
and very funny
Certainly a lot of people like this appreciates you
April 28, 2012 | Unregistered Commenteromega seamaster replica
Man, that is one messy infographic!
May 3, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterWe-Vibe
thanks
very nice
May 30, 2012 | Unregistered Commenterarthut
I hope you have a nice day! Very good article, well written and very thought out. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future
June 12, 2012 | Unregistered Commenterbody health
Does not really make it easier to absorb the information.
Use of colour and sequence of both series seem arbitrary, as does the circular arrangement.
Does not makes unexpected patterns stand out.
Only advantage over a plain matrix is that it is prettier.
Plot lines _only_ works as a pun, it tells is nothing of how these elements are used in the novels.
November 26, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick Traill
I wish the infographic was bigger. I can't read any of the words.
December 14, 2015 | Unregistered CommenterDimensionX
Very good article, well written and very thought out. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future
April 23, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterLingerie
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