You might be surprised to know that there really aren’t that many story plots out there. If you picked any novel or movie it most likely falls in one of the seven or twelve, depending on who you talk to, story archetypes that exist. Whether it’s overcoming a monster, rags to riches, a quest, a comedy, a tragedy, a voyage and return, or a rebirth, most stories will fall into one of these archetypes. Some say there are twelve or even fourteen or maybe 100, but really they’re all sub divisions of these basic plots. They exist for a reason and are helpful when starting out and planning to write a novel or any story. As they are a blueprint to set expectations for the reader, this may sound formulaic but it’s what you do within them, and the characters that are thrown into these plots that differentiate stories. Even mixing archetypes can unlock something unique, but in the end they help guide you as you write. In the latest Writer Syndrome episode Tim and I chat about the seven story archetypes, throw some examples out there, and realize even those can’t be bucketed nicely (which they don’t need to be). Check it out!
Categories: Podcast
