Talk:Plot device

message: As the article says, a plot device is a thing or event introduces solely for advancing the plot(or story). That means stuff like the sword you have to collect to save the world, or the sudden appearance of pirates who capture the hreoine. Anything that doesn't serve that purpose isn't a plot device, including stock characters, literary cliches etc. I've removed a whole load of stuff that doesn't qualify. 199.71.183.2 (talk) 21:36, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Not plot devices

message: and a rather strange one, by the way...  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.194.89.178 (talk) 17:39, 30 July 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I've removed it. It was unsourced and there was no clear indication of which type of plot device was supposedly in evidence. IMO, examples go in the subarticles with, at most, 1 or 2 well sourced, very clear examples for each here. - SummerPhD (talk) 19:05, 30 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:   Why Fallout 3 as the only example???? 

message: Anyone know any terms used for this?
Is it worth a section of its own... or is it just a twist?
212.69.48.150 (talk) 18:58, 11 February 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bringing people back to life! 

message: The lead states, "A contrived or arbitrary plot device may annoy or confuse the reader, ..."  I could find no Wikipedia article defining what is meant by "contrived," so I created such an article as a stub.  I think it is important to make this concept clear to writers, editors and critics.  Unfortunately, "contrived" is not defined in any of my books either, so I would like to encourage any editors who know of reliable sources (i.e., books or journal papers), which define "contrived," to expand and cite the article, contrived plot device. — Anita5192 (talk) 07:39, 6 December 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, the article I created has been deleted.  Evidently, the concept does not merit a separate article.  Nonetheless, I still think it should be made clear, just what "contrived" means in literature.  I think some examples of contrived plot and good quality non-contrived plot should be given.  Perhaps it should be a section in this article.  In any case, I would like to know of some sources that treat the concept specifically. — Anita5192 (talk) 18:38, 7 December 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Contrived plot device 

message: The section should be gender neutral should it not? Jackiespeel (talk) 10:15, 15 March 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Which section? There is no . —67.14.236.50 (talk) 00:06, 17 March 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Okay, I think you mean the list item under , yeah? The whole presentation there seems a little sloppy, so I’ll go rewrite that. And you’re right (though I personally favor the generic he because English is stupid that way). Edit: Actually I’ll just delete it, since it’s unsourced. —67.14.236.50 (talk) 00:13, 17 March 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Death trap 

message: Why does 'plot armor' redirect to this article? It's not mentioned, even tangentially. Sure, it kind of counts as an example, but someone searching for the term will be no closer to understanding by just linking here willy-nilly. 68.60.202.174 (talk) 20:50, 23 September 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree.  See below.—Anita5192 (talk) 22:26, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: The redirects, Plot armor, Plot armour, and Character shield have now been deleted.—Anita5192 (talk) 22:43, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Plot Armor 

message: A discussion is taking place to address the redirect :Plot armor. The discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2020 September 24#Plot armor until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion.  Anita5192 (talk) 22:26, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Plot armor" listed at [[Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion|Redirects for discussion]] 

message: The section "Stories using plot devices" seems to have been written by someone under the impression that plot devices are literal devices, i.e. objects, rather than story-telling techniques or tropes. This confuses plot devices with MacGuffins. The section should be edited to represent different kinds of plot device. And maybe we should add a line on the page somewhere explaining that plot devices are not literal devices? Mtjh (talk) 15:27, 17 December 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Stories using plot devices" are all MacGuffins