Doing Write

Lester Dent's outline for a successful pulp action tale.  Since he was the guy behind Doc Savage and the Avenger, he knows whereof he spoke.

FIRST 1500 WORDS

1. First line, or as near thereto as possible, introduce the hero and swat him with a fistful of trouble. Hint at a mystery, a menace or a problem to be solved--something the hero has to cope with.
2. The hero pitches in to cope with his fistful of trouble. (He tries to fathom the mystery, defeat the menace, or solve the problem.)
3. Introduce ALL the other characters as soon as possible. Bring them on in action.
4. Hero's endevours land him in an actual physical conflict near the end of the first 1500 words.
5. Near the end of first 1500 words, there is a complete surprise twist in the plot development.

SO FAR: Does it have SUSPENSE? Is there a MENACE to the hero? Does everything happen logically?

Not that I recommend being completely formulaic -- but like all rules, it's best to know how to use them so that you understand why you're violating them.

It also occurs to me that a lot of this would be easily adaptable to a pulp RPG like Spirit of the Century.