Now that I’ve gone over the different plot structures here, here, here and here; I want to talk about types of plots. They say that there are only seven plots out there. That those seven plot archetypes can encapsulate all literature, and every story ever written.
The seven plot archetypes are:
- Overcoming the Monster
- Rags to Riches
- The Quest
- Voyage and Return
- Comedy
- Tragedy
- Rebirth
Let’s go ahead and look at each of the archetypes in detail and what kind of story you would tell while using it.
Plot Archetypes
Overcoming the Monster
This one would be used when you have a character who has an issue that needs to be resolved internally. Maybe they are an addict, and the story is about their journey to sobriety. Another, more literal interpretation could be a fantasy story where someone is captured by some kind of monster, and they have to either befriend or defeat the monster in some way. The Princess Bride definitely has this plot type.
Rags to Riches
Easy enough to figure out this story. A poor person finds success. I would say that we see this one more commonly, where someone in the first exposition has everything; then they lose it, and they have to gain it again from nothing. Cinderella would be an example, although in more modern re-tellings Cinderella does get to gain her good fortune back, in the old fairy tales, she just waited for rescue in a more passive role.
The Quest
Our characters have to do something. There are usually pretty high stakes in these types of tales, it’s important to get the baby to the person because the world may end. The most modern example of this I can think of is Disney’s Onward. Which is, of course, a movie. A book that has a quest plot is really any fantasy book you pick up. The Way of Kings has some questing, Words of Radiance as well. Any story where the characters need to find something, and the stakes are high would qualify.
Voyage and Return
This is The Hero’s Journey. The characters go on a journey, and then they return home. The journey could be far reaching, it could take them into a whole other dimension–like in The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, or across the universe like in: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The most popular example of this archetype is, I think, The Lord of the Rings.
Comedy and Tragedy
As they say, comedy ends with a wedding and tragedy, a funeral. When I think of these two types, I think of Shakespeare. There are so many examples of both in his works. The comedies normally revolved around a mistaken identity, while the tragedies dealt with all kinds of heavy subjects. A lot can be learned by studying the bard’s works.
Rebirth
The character is born anew. The Hunger Games books do this, do a degree. The Katniss we meet at the beginning of book one, and the Katniss that we end the last book with, are very different people. Although, whether that is due to her own inner thought processes, or simple PTSD is left up to the reader/audience to decide.
The Plot Archetypes are a mix and match bag of tricks for the writer to use. Use a Quest and a Comedy, or a Rebirth and a Tragedy. It’s important to know what kind of story that you are writing. One part of knowing that, is to understand what kinds of stories are out there. The only way to understand what exists in the world is to study it. I know it sounds boring, but it is important to know what you are doing.
Thank you for reading my post about plot archetypes, please let me know if you would like to see more of this kind of thing, or if you would like to know something else.
