@rubbishcorp

7 plots in 7 minutes

are there any new stories, or have they all been told?

british literary critic Christopher Booker has a theory

every story has been told

tragedy the protagonist character is the Villain, but we get to watch

him/her slowly spiral down into darkness before finally being

defeated, freeing the land from his evil influence

comedyhero ‘n’ heroine are destined to be together, but a dark force is

preventing them from doing so; the story conspires to make the

dark force repent. this shows everyone for who they really are,

and allows two or more other relationships to form

monsterhero learns of a great evil threatening the land (sea), and sets

out to destroy it. obvious (eternal) psychological appeal

*

voyagehero heads off into a magic land with crazy rules, ultimately

triumphs over the madness and returns home far more

mature than when he set out

*

questhero learns of a great MacGuffin that he desperately wants to

find, and sets out to find it, often with companions - this story

links most popular fiction

riches

surrounded by dark forces who suppress and ridicule the

hero, he/she slowly blossoms into a mature figure who

ultimately gets riches, a kingdom, and the perfect mate

- literally or metaphorically

*

rebirthas with the tragedy plot, but our protagonist manages to realize

his error before it's too late, and does a heel face turn to avoid

inevitable defeat /finds a new reason for living

it’s not about whether or not a plot is considered

'original' or 'unoriginal'. all stories are, to some

degree, cover versions

it's how you carry these universal plots into the

here and now that's the challenge for every writer

that doesn’t mean a novel, play or film can't

be truly original. it means originality doesn't

come via the plot

so...

you’re all off the hook

@rubbishcorp