DIY MFA 19 02 08
#DIYMFA
8. Prompt: What's your favorite story
type, and why?
According to
The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell
stories by Christopher Booker there are seven story types that have been
carried down through the long history of storytelling.
Story
Archetypes:
Overcoming
the Monster
Rags
to Riches
The
Quest
Voyage
and Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth
Booker
Also includes:
Rebellion
Against 'The One'
Mystery
In Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell, Bell uses the term Plot Patterns and says that over the years the number
has been as high as 36 and as simple as three.
Plot
Patterns:
The
Quest
Revenge
Love
Adventure
The
Chase
One
Against
One
Apart
Power
Allegory
In DIY MFA by
Gabriela Pereira, she mentions John Gardner who said there are only two plots
in all of literature.
You
go on a journey
A
stranger comes to town, aka A fish out of water
Pereira goes
on to suggest that instead of fitting your story into one of the above
categories, concentrate on the power struggle at the heart of your story,
"This will force you to put the conflict front and center".
To answer
the question, what is my favorite story type?
From the
lists above, I would say Rags to Riches, ('Riches' can mean things other besides
money.) I don't think every story can be slotted in to one type, I think many
are mash-ups of two or more story types.
Most of my
reading is contemporary romance; some historical romance and memoirs. I read
some history and literary fiction. These are genres, not story types or plot
patterns. A romance is not a Love plot pattern because, according to Bell, a
Love plot pattern can end happily, sadly, or tragically. Any of the types and patterns
above can contain a love story, but in a Romance the ending is always HEA
(happily ever after). A HEA leaves the reader with a feeling of completeness
and hope. We can all use hope.
I write in
the sub genre of Clean Contemporary Romance and I like to work in a bit of the
underdog as either the hero or heroine has to overcome a weakness or deficiency
to achieve a goal. The protagonist may or may not have the support of the love
interest at the beginning of their journey, but will gain or earn it by the end. I
explore how people are attracted to each other, how they realize and adjust to
the attraction, how they act on it and how they choose to adjust their life to
fit the dynamic of letting another person close.
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