Only Seven Basic Plots
In 2004, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker was published. Mr. Booker worked on the book for thirty-four years. His seven basic plots were: Rags to Riches, Overcoming the Monster, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Comedy and Tragedy.
With only seven basic plots in storytelling and thousands of books published each year you’d think that most books would be terribly similar. The basic plot may be the same, but that’s where the similarity ends. Genre, setting, mood, theme and characterization enhance the basic plot. After reading Mr. Booker’s list I wanted to assign some of my own work to each basic plot.
Let’s begin with the Rags to Riches plot. If you add up the number of romance books you’ve read, you’ll find you’re very familiar with this basic plot. Jane Eyre is a Rags to Riches story, but so is The Godfather. That’s why this plot is so popular. Dragonfire 4: Covenant, my book about an arranged marriage, lands in this basic plot.
Overcoming the Monster – Hero learns of a great evil threatening the land, and sets out to destroy it. Jaws and War of the Worlds are perfect examples of this plot. Kela’s Guardian, my book about a celestial warrior hunting a powerful demon, fits this basic plot.
The Quest –The protagonist sets out to acquire an important object or get to a location, facing many obstacles and temptations along the way. Lord of the Rings is a great quest book. Dragonfire 5:Caught, my story about a dragon shifter undertaking a quest that has plagued his clan for two hundred years, works well in this basic plot.
Voyage and Return – Hero or Heroine head off into a strange land, and after overcoming the threat it imposes returns with nothing but experience. Two examples of the Voyage and Return plot are Gone With the Wind and The Time Machine. Scarlet Tear, my sci-fi book about a soldier who assumes the identity of a notorious pirate, finds a home in this basic plot.
Rebirth – The protagonist is a villain or otherwise unlikeable character who redeems himself over the course of the story. A Christmas Carol is an excellent example of this basic plot. Nightwing, my book about the thief who enters the void between life and death and earns a chance for redemption, slides right into this basic plot.
Comedy – Books in this category can be humorous, but this basic plot is described thus- hero and heroine are destined to be in love, but something is preventing them from getting together, which is resolved by the end of the story. I think this category should have been called romance. Plots can overlap and all of my books, including my recent release, Nightglow, fit in this basic plot.
The last basic plot is Tragedy – the protagonist is a villain who falls from grace and whose death is a happy ending. Shakespeare was a master at this plot. Since I prefer a different kind of happy ending, I haven’t written anything that fits this basic plot.
B.J. McCall is published in print and Ebooks with Ellora’s Cave, eRed Sage, Cobblestone Press and Changeling Press. She writes paranormal erotic romance. Her website is www.bjmccall.com.
BJ’s Books at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/author/bjmccall
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/B-J-McCall?store=book&keyword=B.J.+McCall
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http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=B.J.+McCall
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Kate:
Thank you for the guest spot on your blog.
B.J.
LOL all good books are essentially hunt or quest plots. There’s a lot of info out about this–read Chris Vogler or Joseph Campbell 🙂
Thank you for being a guest, B.J.
Kate