A Conversation for Writing Right with Dmitri: Experimenting with Thoughts
There are only a few original plots, but characters can save your story
paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant Started conversation Jul 9, 2018
If there are seven original plots, they might be:
Overcoming the Monster.
Rags to Riches.
The Quest.
Voyage and Return.
Comedy.
Tragedy.
Rebirth.
Or mnaybe there are 8:
PLOT 1 – CINDERELLA
The protagonist’s true potential for happiness and fulfilment is at last realised after many ups and downs.
PLOT 2 – ACHILLES
The fatal flaw of the main character.
PLOT 3 – FAUST
The debt that must be repaid when fate finally catches up with you, as Faust did when making a deal with the devil.
PLOT 4 – TRISTAN
The eternal triangle.
PLOT 5 – CIRCE
The spider and the fly.
PLOT 6 – ROMEO AND JULIET
Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again (put these in any order you like).
PLOT 7 – ORPHEUS
The gift that is taken away.
PLOT 8 – THE INDOMITABLE HERO
The hero takes on all comers.
Whatever. Many writers have found that, whatever their plots were, some of their characters became so real that the authors just sat back and let their characters take over.
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There are only a few original plots, but characters can save your story
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