According to “The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories” by British author Christopher Booker, the seven basic story themes or plots that have continuously fascinated readers for millennia are: the quest, voyage and return, overcoming the monster, rags to riches, rebirth, comedy and tragedy. Here are some ways of thinking about story lines based on the 7 basic plots that will help you get started:
Send Your Protagonist on a Quest In the quest, the protagonist undertakes a hazardous, excitement-filled journey in order to achieve a difficult goal. Classic examples of the quest are The Iliad and The Odyssey by the blind Greek poet, Homer (circa 850 BC) and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Send Your Hero/ine on a Long Voyage, Then Bring Them Back With the voyage and return plot, the protagonist journeys from familiar territory into a strange and different place. The protagonist faces a series of perils, and is eventually able to dramatically escape from the strange land and return home. The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and Journey to the Center of the Earth are unforgettable examples of the voyage and return plot.
Create a Fascinating Monster That Has to Be Vanquished In the overcoming the monster plot, the element of other is embodied by a treacherous being who is grotesquely different from the protagonist. The monster can inhabit a land that is also dangerous and different from that of the protagonist. From Jack and the Beanstalk to Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the overcoming the monster plot continues to inspire fear.
Make Your Dirt-Poor Protagonist Rich The rags to riches plot takes the protagonist starts off in dire poverty, but becomes wealthy following a series of unusually fortunate or magical events. The rags to riches story is also paralleled in comic book stories of ordinary people who are actually super-heroes. Aladdin, Cinderella, King Arthur and Superman are fictional characters with rags to riches stories.
Take Your Hero/ine to Hell & Back With rebirth plot lines, the protagonist is confronted by an evil person or circumstance that threatens to ruin their lives. The protagonist is so overwhelmed by evil and adversity that it looks like they are destroyed. At the last minute the situation is reversed and the protagonist is saved from destruction. It’s a Wonderful Life is an enduring power of a well executed rebirth plot.
Create an Impossible yet Humorous Conundrum Comedy plots uses humorous confusion mix-ups to advance the story. The confusion is usually so dense as to appear unsolvable. Eventually the situation works out and everyone does well. Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well and Jane Austen are examples of effective use of comedic plots.
Take a Walk on the Dark Side With tragic plots, the protagonist is plunged into the depths of darkness as a consequence of a tragic character flaw or overwhelmingly adverse external circumstances. Les Miserables, The Scarlet Letter, MacBeth, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Faust are timeless examples of tragic plots.