We’ve
all heard it…There are no new stories. I guess that is only partially true.
There are basic story structures that have stood the test of time. But what we
do with these structures is our own.
Like
I said on Monday, I just finished reading Save the Cat by Blake Snyder.
Amazing book! Purchase worthy. He wrote about 10 story types, and knowing what is expected in these types can
improve your story.
I
wanted to blog about this, but I don’t want to plagiarize Mr. Snyder. So I’m
going to give you the story types, but give it my own Angie spin :)
After
I started writing this post I realized it would be super long, so I’m going to
break it in two and post the second half next Wednesday.
1. The Quest Story: This story type is
as old as Greek mythology. Have you read Odysseus? The quest story follows a
hero (sometimes with a group of friends or sidekicks). The hero needs something
and must go out on a quest to find it.
The Purpose: What you need to
remember about a quest story is that the real story is not about what the hero
is searching for, but about how the journey changes him and what he learns. If
all you focus on is the end result you miss the point.
Examples: Lord of the Rings, Fablehaven, Wizard of Oz
2. The Family Saga: This story type is
about groups of people and how they interact with each other. Family can be a
bit misleading it can mean: traditional families, military, offices, political
groups, religious groups, girlfriends, etc.
The Purpose: Stories of this type
tend to explore what is good about “families” and what is dysfunctional. When
is it honorable to sacrifice for the group and when is it foolish? Often told
from the POV of the new comer, the question is usually, “Who is crazier? Them
or me?”
Examples: Little Women, Animal Farm, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
3. The Mystery: Yep, this is pretty
self explanatory :) Readers are the detectives. If you are writing a mystery
making your MC relatable is important, because the reader mush be able to see
themselves in the character.
The Purpose: The mystery is less
about “who” did it, but “why?” It is
about readers discovering something about human nature that they didn’t know
before.
Examples: Agatha Christy, Dan Brown, Mary Higgins Clark
4. The Underdog: Don’t we all love an
underdog? We do! We can see ourselves in them, because haven’t we all felt like
we can’t win against the big bad world?
The Purpose: You need a MC to fight
against the institution, but you also need some kind of insider to help your MC
navigate this uncomfortable world. You don’t need to make things impossible for
your MC, but in the end David must beat Goliath.
Examples: The Hunger Games, Flowers of Algernon, Diary of a Wimpy Kid
5. The Superhero: Extraordinary guy
thrown into an ordinary world. There is a little special in all of us, which is
why we love these stories so much.
The Purpose: This story explores
the idea that even being special is hard. The hero must deal with the small
minds around him that just don’t get it.
Examples: Artemis Fowl, Frankenstein, all Comic Books J
Here is a quick peek at the next five: Monster in the House, Regular
Guy Huge Problem, The Love Story, Coming of Age, and Wish
Fulfillment. Want to read the post? Click here!
So what type of story
have you written? Does your story fall into one of these categories?
-Angie
18 comments:
I'm a love story kind of girl! :D
Fraction is a quest, that's for sure :)
The one I'm currently writing is probably more 'coming of age'. No, probably more 'underdog.'
Love this post Angie. Very well done! :)
I love STC. This is a great summary of the different story types. I actually like your explanation better. :D
I'm with Kyra I'm a love story type of girl :)
Great post, looking forward to the second one.
I guess my main one is a mix of quest and family.
Mix and Match? Multiple Choice? Geez... Mine is primarily a Quest, with dashes of Superhero, Coming of Age and Regular Guy with Huge Problem. I'll get back to work and see if I can't mix in a few more just to make things a little more clear. LOL
These are excellent examples of story types. I would say mine is a mixture of quest and superhero, with perhaps a little love thrown in too.
Um, I guess TGT is superhero, quest, underdog. LOL. This is great, can't wait until next Wednesday.
Oh I've written all different sorts, lol. Quest for sure, love story... which you'll go over later, and coming of age... again, later, lol.
I'd love to try a mystery, but I'm afraid of scaring myself, lol.
I KNOW I need to read this book. It's been on my TBR list for a year now. Now to actually R it!
Mine is a contemporary love story. Could be a Family Saga, too!
Oooo . . . Elana's teaching from his book for Storymaker.
I think mine's a mystery. I should know for sure, right? Well, I don't...cuz what are the other ones? I will tell you for sure after Part 2.
Mine is underdog and quest... I think. lol. Great post! I need this book!
Love Save the Cat! Being that I write romance, I'd say mine is more like the family saga.
Mystery for one - I think my other will come up in your next post :-)
I think mine is more of a quest story, with possibly a little underdog too it. I also love mystery, although I couldn't write it to save my life!
I like stories about families, which is why A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my favorite books. I don't usually read books with multiple narrators because they can be too confusing, but Betty Smith was able to do it in a way that was very engaging. I also loved that Francie was a bookworm, because that made it easier to relate to her.
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