craft: twenty master plots and allie's master plan
1. Quest
A search for something specific, a grail object, and finding it changes the protagonist in some way. Often the object itself is not what s/he believes it to be, or lacks the powers attributed to it, but the lessons learned along the way enable hir to achieve the end for which the object was needed.
Ex. The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy runs away from her aunt and uncle wanting a real home. Her journey to meet the Wizard teaches her that home has been there all along.
Jason and the Argonauts. Jason seeks the Golden Fleece and travels far and wide to find it. When he does and returns it to the king, the Fleece is no longer gold. The king refuses to accept it and keep the bargain, but Jason knows he has been cheated. He kills the king, keeps the Fleece and becomes ruler in his own right. Jason might've slain the king at the beginning of the story, but it's the journey that teaches him to be a king.
2. Adventure
A journey for its own sake, in which the protagonist goes to the brink of death and survives. S/he need not be changed by the story, as this is more or less entirely plot-driven. The story should possess exotic locations and a wealth of detail, as, for the reader, the point is the vicarious experience of a life removed from the mundane - in this, they're often helped by the protagonist being a more or less ordinary person thrust into an extraordinary experience.
Ex. Gulliver's Travels. While there are lessons for the reader - Swift is a satirist - the focus of the story is on the unique and exotic places Gulliver goes and the people he meets.
The Odyssey. After the war, Odysseus must make the journal home. The story focuses on the trials and perils and unusual places - Sirens, Circe, Polyphemus. Odysseus remains the wily, ruthless man he was at the beginning (though we might wish it elsewise).
3. Pursuit
A pursuit story is simple: someone runs, someone pursues. The chase is the key thing and must be kept unpredictable, taut and engaging. Keep the pursuer close; tight time and geographical space makes for tension. No one needs change, though they may. Whether the chased is caught at the end depends on who it is. If the antagonist does the chasing, the protagonist must escape for an up ending - unless it's a romantic antagonist and getting caught becomes a good thing. If the protagonist does the chasing, catching the antagonist must occur for an up ending. But if it's a "group antagonist", letting one or more go free is a good way to make a sequel.
Ex. Batman Begins. This is somewhat arbitrary. It's possible to read this film as discovery, etc. but at its core is the story of Batman chasing the evil that threatens Gotham. He catches him, and is not unchanged, but neither does he abandon his earlier principle: he will not kill him, but he does not have to save him. The rest of the evil is not completely contained, and so: sequel.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The bad guys are the good guys, on the run from the law. Despite them being train robbers, we root for them to evade pursuit.
4. Rescue
The protagonist must save someone (or something, but usually someone) from the antagonist. The plot relies heavily on the devious antagonist. It combines the quest, in which the grail object is the victim (note this makes the victim passive and largely unimportant) and the pursuit (catch the villain or get to the victim in time). The story often revolves around kidnappings, ransom, but regardless, it will always be about saving someone or something.
The Princess Bride. The story is told in part from Buttercup's POV to show us the depth of her despair at being caught by Humperdinck; showing the victim's peril is essential to helping the reader/viewer understand the stakes and increase the tension. Though Buttercup tries to escape, the story remains that of Westley's rescue of her. It's a classic fairy tale with a lot of mock built in.
Heroes. The "save the cheerleader, save the world" arc is all about the rescue. In particular, it's Claire being rescued - although because of the multiple episode format, and the multiple POVs, Claire also tries to escape, more or less successfully. A more modern fairy tale, and yet, in the end, her "prince", Peter, must rescue her from Sylar. It's hardly surprising that it's a popular 'ship; rescue fantasies are powerful things.
5. Escape
Escape plots invert rescue plots. The victim must free his or herself. The situation here need not be as morally black and white as with a rescue, which is usually pretty clear: someone is being held or threatened by someone else and that's bad. Here, we empathize with the victim because of the awfulness of the confinement (note that this is a physical confinement, not a metaphorical one like an addiction; something like waking up from VR or the Matrix might blur these lines, though), and whether s/he is wholly innocent, we want hir to escape. The conditions of the confinement must be sufficiently disproportionate to the victim's "crime", however. Ie, death penalty for stealing a loaf of bread. There may be someone searching for the victim on the outside, but the victim should be the main protagonist.
Ex. O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief". Two men take a hostage for ransom. The hostage turns the tables and torments them. In the end, they agree to pay the ransom, just to get free of him.
The story effectively demonstrates the idea of inversion that may work nicely in Pursuit and Rescue plots as well. Who is pursuing whom? Who is rescuing whom? Things may not be as they appear, or they may get turned inside out and combined.
Heroes. HRG, Parkman, and Sprague escape The Company in an ingenious series of maneuvers directed by HRG. There is no one on the outside trying to help them; they must save themselves. Note that HRG's escape from Thompson leads to us being much more sympathetic toward him and trusting of him when he kills Thompson in the end.
6. Revenge
The revenge story is a retaliation by the protagonist against the antagonist for some real or imagined injury that almost always takes place outside the limits of the law. The protagonist is usually forced to take vengeance when the law won't give her justice. The antagonist will have committed a crime, there is usually a victim to be avenged, and the punishment should equal the crime or else the protagonist may stop being sympathetic.
Build a strong emotional bridge between the protagonist and readers by making them feel the horror of the crime (even if you don't tell them what it was). Often there will be a third party who impedes the protagonist, then ends up helping when they come to be persuaded.
Petty revenges may make good comedy. Elaborate cons may make for a very entertaining story while removing the element of physical violence that often inhabits a revenge plot.
In the true tragic form, everyone dies.
Ex. Nine to Five. An old Dolly Parton movie where some office workers get revenge on their sexist boss by tying him up in the basement.
Hamlet. Hamlet sees a ghost that informs him his uncle killed his father to become king and likely sleep with his mother. Uncertain as to whether it's truly a ghost or his own suspicions, he sets out to learn the truth and then to take his revenge. Rocks fall and everyone dies.
7. Riddle
A riddle plot has a deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous question at its heart. It is a test of cleverness; and writing one is like playing charades with the reader. It's a game, and you must play fairly. Instead of red herrings or false twists, hide your information in plain sight.
Most riddle plots present a closed view of the universe. There is one correct answer, but the universe itself is rarely that closed. If you choose to leave your mystery open-ended, that may be great literary fiction, but it's less likely to appeal to a consumer audience.
Ex. "The Lady or the Tiger." Behind one door is a tiger, behind another is a lady who is not the suitor's love. Assuming he knows which is which, which should he choose? To preserve his life or to die for love? The story essentially is more of a paradox than a riddle. It's a gimmick that only really works as a short story (or a Grateful Dead tune, but you see how open-endedness and exploration of the universe could work there I'm sure), unless a clever hero/ine figures it out in advance and rigs the contest so he can win.
Chinatown. Layer upon layer of deception in this plot, but at it's core is a riddle about the relationship between the parties. Father/lover, sister/daughter. The information exists, but the clues are laid down slowly and the viewer must follow along carefully.
2001: A Space Odyssey. Is like "The Lady or the Tiger" in that the meaning of the monolith appearing throughout the film is up for grabs. Kubrick gives no right answer and permits of many interpretations. While, again, this makes for fabulous exploratory literature, it's well to note that lots of audiences found it bizarre and extremely frustrating.
8. Rivals
Two people compete for the same goal. They should be of equal skills and strengths, but not matched. Cleverness versus strength is a common contest, for example. An initial reversal of fortune is used to gain sympathy for the protagonist, but it is wise to establish common ground between the rivals first. Winning or losing may not be as initially expected, or winning may transcend the "temporal" victory.
In some ways, a rivalry plot is really a clash of two quests.
Ex. The Prestige. The two contest to be the best magician, as well as for the heart of the girl. Unlike most films, the clear nature of rivalry and the mania of it is clearly shown, and neither man comes off blameless. But the contest ultimately is of wealth v. passion, and of "proper motives." The ostensible "good guy" doesn't win - he dies - and yet we still feel that he has won, because of the riddle at the heart of this plot (note the combining here of plot types/use of subplots) and in the end, he has pulled off the greatest trick. But so, it seems, has his rival.
In the end, who wins? Borden or D'Angier? The answer depends on your nature, much like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It might be wise to note that despite the absolute love that was this film, it received no award nominations. A more closed ending might've drawn more popular and critical acclaim.
Ben-Hur. A childhood friendship becomes bitter rivalry when Ben-hur won't declaim the rebels. In the end he wins, but his victory is as much on the spiritual plane as the temporal one in the chariot race.
9. The Underdog
An underdog plot features a rivalry/dual quest story where the protagonist and antagonist are not an even match. The ending of the story will focus more on the comeuppance due the overbearing antagonist than the achievement of victory by the protagonist.
Ex. Rocky. Rocky is the classic underdog. Working class guy from an Italian background, and his opponent not only has backing, status, and weight on him, he's also a better fighter. We root for Rocky because he trains hard, works hard, wants it badly, and when he wins, we not only cheer for him winning, but because he knocked down the bully.
Cinderella is another classic. The Disney version uglifies the stepsisters and makes it a story about how goodness and beauty will triumph over ugliness and evil. The original tale has beautiful stepsisters who might've attracted the Prince's attention on their own merits, so the cruelty to Cinderella (Aschenputtel) is more gratuitous. Instead of being a romance about the Prince lifting Cinderella from her humble origins, Aschenputtel is a clear underdog story, in which care, patience, and supernatural fortune aid the young, virtuous Aschenputtel in achieving her victory. The ending isn't about the happy ever after, but about the sisters getting their eyes pecked out by Ascheputtel's bird friends for their presumptions.
10. Temptation
The protagonist must be tempted to commit some crime, large or small. The plot may be mostly about the struggle against the tempter or it may be about the consequences. But at its heart, a temptation story tells a moral tale about the costs of giving in to temptation. It is a character story, about the impact of giving in and about maturation through trial.
Ex. Queen Esther's story in the Bible. Esther wins the beauty contest and becomes Ahasuerus's wife by hiding her identity as a Jew. When her people are being killed by the wicked councilor Haman, she eventually (at the risk of even greater personal cost) defeats the temptation to self-protection and goes to her husband on behalf of her people. They are saved, and she remains queen. Her uncle, Mordecai, is raised to councilor as well. Although you might read this story many ways, it scans to me as a fable about the benefits of defeating selfishness. Sort of an inverse temptation story.
Adam and Eve ought to be obvious.
Doctor Faustus, too. Mephistopheles offers him everything as an attempt to win his bet with God that even the best man can be bested by temptation. Faustus fights everything offered to him, but ultimately cannot help but accept the temptation when he has the opportunity to learn things that will benefit his people. In the end, God snatches him up, because he has only used the offered power for good, but Mephistopheles protests that he ought to have won the bet. A weird way to win, since he gave in to temptation, but it's a moral story after all. ;)
11. Metamorphosis
A curse or some other magical act causes someone to be transformed into something other than him or herself, usually something beastly. The curse may be cured almost always only by love, but that love need not be sexual in nature. Release from the curse can either be through death or fulfillment of the terms of the curse, and if the latter, then the metamorph will be prohibited from revealing the terms before they are fulfilled.
The metamorph is usually but not always the protagonist and if the terms will be fulfilled by love, then the one to fulfill them usually starts out as an intended victim.
Ex. Beauty and the Beast. The Beast was cursed to remain in Beast form until he was loved. Belle is sent against her will to be his bride. When she loves him and kisses him he is turned back.
"Heart", the werewolf episode of Supernatural. Madison could not be turned back into a human. Her only release from the curse is death. Sam and Dean deliver it out of love (for each other, not her). Though the story didn't hold together as well as it ought to have and many items of the plot didn't gel, this part at least held true.
12. Transformation
Transformation plots are the change of life/identity through the occurrence of significant events. The process of gaining wisdom and often the price is pain or sorrow.
Ex. Pygmalion. Eliza is changed from a flower maid to a lady, but in the end, she is at home as neither. Henry invites her to stay and be a bachelor with him and Doolittle but she declines. Henry learns the cost of meddling in people's lives and is left sadder but wiser.
Emma. Emma is a Pygmalion type story as well. She tries to elevate the pretty young girl who she befriends, with a good deal of success. However she scorns the heart of a young man who loves her in favor of pursuing someone of Emma's status, particularly, Mr. Knightley. There are reversals, everyone restored to their "proper place" and Emma and Knightley united as Emma has finally become a woman. Arguably this might be a maturation plot, but the outward transformation of the friend mirrors Emma's inward transformation and she is sadder but wiser. Sense and Sensibility might likewise be a transformation plot for the younger sister.
13. Maturation
Similar to the transformation plot, the maturation plot deals with change of life. However, the maturation plot deals with children or very child-like characters. A naïve young character is exposed to the harsh realities of the world and grows up thereby. S/he will be tested by something powerful enough to shake the child's belief system,; it acts with an apocalyptic force. Ie, the death of beloved parents.
Often the child reacts first with denial and does exactly the wrong things. Then the new system of beliefs must be developed to the point that they can be tested and accepted and the child can accept the role of an adult in a meaningful way.
Ex. The Chronicles of Narnia. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are torn from their parents by the war. In Narnia, they each experience the death of Aslan, also, that forces them to accept adulthood in leading the armies of Narnia. Edmund in particular sacrifices his own life for his siblings, on Aslan's model, but Lucy is able to heal him with her potion of love and childlike belief in what is good. Their adulthood is signified by their enthronement and also the fact that at a certain point, each is barred from returning to Narnia, and that point is when they are an "adult" in the external world.
Batman Begins. The death of young Bruce Wayne's parents catapults him into the adult world. For a period during which we know very little, Bruce simply grows under Alfred's tutelage. But the death is enacted again in Chill's parole. Bruce does exactly the wrong thing - plans to kill him. It's not until after he flees and faces the world, and then his new beliefs are tested when he's asked by R'as to kill the criminal, that he truly becomes an adult and embraces adult responsibility.
14. Love
Boy/girl/herm/androgyne meets boy/girl/herm/androgyne (whatevs!), but… Love must be tested. There must be an obstacle blocking their path to union. It doesn't really matter what it is; rather, it matters that it is uniquely challenging to these characters, especially the protagonist.
Love stories rise or fall with the actually characters. Stock types won't work (except for category romance, eh?), as the all important chemistry between the characters arises in the particulars.
A love story is about love denied and either recaptured or lost. It may be about falling out of love, rather than falling into love. Three stages: love found; lovers split up - one will actively try to "rescue" the other; lovers reunited by overcoming the obstacles raised in the second phase and their love is stronger for the testing.
Ex. Orpheus and Eurydice. She's taken, he plays for the courts of hell, and is given his love back. Like Lot, he is not to look until they are back in the upper world. Unlike Lot, he doesn't until he is out. She's still on the threshold and she is lost. Trauma and enduring sorrow ensues.
Just for contrast, The Wedding Singer. When Julia and Robby meet, she is engaged and very soon to be married to Glenn. They quickly discover in each other kindred spirits and begin falling in love. They are separated by Glenn, her best friend, his ex-fiance, his misunderstanding of what she wants, her misunderstanding of what he was trying to do, and her decision to run off and marry Glenn in Vegas. He sets off to rescue her, and with the help of Billy Idol and a really dumb song, wins her back on a plane. He kisses his bride-to-be and the story ends in their marriage.
Like it or hate it, this story works and stands out from the mass of romantic comedies written every year because of Adam Sandler's Robby. Julia is a sweet party girl who fell for the class schmuck - she's a little stereotypical and the story would be strengthened if she were more defined. But Robby carries the story with his quirky sense of humor, his desire to be a rock musician, the cast of people he interacts with and his heart of gold. Despite the somewhat stereotypical characterizations, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler give enough life and breath to the characters that the chemistry sings between them.
15. Forbidden Love
The power of the idea of love or of love itself crosses into forbidden territory. The story will either be about the "bad" of crossing the lines or about love overcoming societal disapproval. Typical themes are adultery, incest, homosexuality (sad, sad, sad), miscegenation (also sad, sad, sad), pedophilia and May-December.
Ex. Romeo and Juliet. They fall in love, their parents oppose, there is fighting. Death feigned, death actual, et voila the lovers are united in death.
Harold and Maude. Young Harold is a bit disturbed; he stages elaborate mock deaths for his mother for entertainment. Then he meets Maude, a concentration camp survivor in her late 70s, and they fall in love. He's planning to marry her, but she's planning her death. She's lived and done and wants to move on. At the end, we are allowed to think that he is driving his car off the edge of a cliff, but when the shot pulls back, he is standing there playing music in Maude's honor. Loved, lost, learned.
General examples from fandom: uh, let me count the ways? Wincest - the love between brothers becomes romantic when they have no one to turn to but each other. Petrellicest - again, the love between brothers takes a turn for the sexual and increasingly epic when events force them to trust each other over anyone else; added spice of a little May-December. Or, Petrellicest the Claire variants - uncle/niece, "they have great chemistry" and "who cares if he's her uncle?"; father/daughter - he didn't raise her, they have no chance for a normal parent-child relationship and he's already incestuous with his brother so why not? And she's already incestuous with his brother also. Snarry - Snape/Harry, a little touch of Lolita.
Slash in general is what happens when fans shift the societal framing of heterosexuality and opt instead for subversive chemistries.
16. Sacrifice
Sacrifice is a character plot, which manifests the decision that something is more important than the X that has been crucially important before. The character must play for big stakes, give something up for the sake of a higher ideal. In some ways, the sacrifice plot may be scene as the clash between the id and superego: the animal, self-protective, selfish self v. the conscience and moral imagination. Don't make a saint of your character, and make sure there is a strong moral dilemma.
In order for a sacrifice plot to work and be meaningful, you must set the foundations for the character. Use flashback (carefully) to reveal the importance of the X to be sacrificed and also to show that the character has the potential to make the sacrifice. This can be done in the story-present as well, by showing the character taking small actions, revealing incidents about his or her past in conversation (careful to show not tell).
And in the end, show the effects of the sacrifice on both the character and others around. The moral conclusion of the story is whether or not the sacrifice was worth it, and in what ways.
Ex. Casablanca. Selfish Rick doesn't help others. He learned his lesson long ago. He just doesn't get involved. Then Elsa shows up again, and he must choose between his safe-comfort and hindering the Nazi cause. We're shown that he has the potential to do the "right" thing before he does through careful use of flashbacks.
High Noon. In this, the bride-to-be sacrifices her nonviolent principles to save her beloved from an unwinnable confrontation that his honor won't let him avoid. He, and his life, are more important to her. One wonders whether they live happily ever after since she has now changed who she was for him.
Feminist technology 20%. She takes up arms to save her man, so she's not a helpless victim. But everything else? Fail. Still, it's a powerful story.
17. Discovery
The discovery plot is about a person and his or her quest to find out who s/he is. Characters in search of understanding something fundamental about hirself.
Often the character is satisfied with life and not looking for a change. The middle phase of the plot is an examination of the character in depth usually along with a resistance to change and a confrontation of old and new aspects of character. The end will be a struggle to regain balance, integrate and affirm.
Careful: avoid melodrama. Keep the emotional expression to what the moment can/should contain. Better to understate than overstate. No heaving sobs when wet cheeks will do just as well. (Keep in mind that some characters are melodramatic and/or are legitimately high-functioning manic depressives and may show extremes of emotion appropriately. Just don't do that accidentally. - my note)
Ex. Oedipus Rex. Oedipus is overproud, is punished for his hubris, and learns (tragically late) his lesson.
Supernatural. For two seasons, Sam and Dean chase the YED. Sam begins developing psychic powers. Who is he? What is he? He's learned now he has demon-blood. He'll be fighting that, and he'll also be needing to reintegrate that into himself.
18. Wretched Excess
This plot takes someone to the margins of society and acceptable behavior and sometimes beyond. Normal people, abnormal circumstances; abnormal people, normal circumstances. The key to the plot is that the character is pushed to extremes, and we are to believe that under the right circumstances that could be me.
The villain will be bad news from beginning to end. The protagonist will have a tragic flaw that leads to hir downfall. Don't be coy in hiding sympathetic information about the characters until the end, as the reader needs to make a judgment in the character's favor.
The story need not be a tragedy; the character can do something constructive and get back on the "right road", but the story must move toward a choice between complete destruction or redemption at the crisis point.
Ex. Othello. Iago is passed over for a promotion, and enter truly awful villain. He takes his revenge to excess (like Medea!): note, often a villain is a product of wretched excess on the part of someone once wronged. Othello is led by his jealousy to do increasingly awful acts and ultimately to the death of the innocent and virtuous Desdemona.
Supernatural. Dean saves Sam. That's what he does, that's who he is. His tragic flaw is his altruism (toward Sam anyway). He puts himself in more and more and more danger to protect Sam, until finally he is driven to make a deal with a demon. Either he'll die in a year, or something will have to intervene - but no matter how it happens, Dean will have to begin to have a bit more self or else he will be destroyed. There are a lot of other ways to read this plot, particularly with Sam as Dean's grail object. I sort of like wretched excess, because it shows the level to which Dean will go - outside the bounds of societal (hunter society) acceptability to save Sam. And in this, he is like his father.
Boondock Saints. Lots of vigilante justice stories become Wretched Excess plots. The question here of whether Connor, Murphy, and Papa become a Wretched Excess plot rather than some other sort of revenge plot is left to some extent, to the viewer, as indicated by the interviews at the end - although, the film's "jihad" aspects seem valorized, it came out right near September 11, and the comparison became quite uncomfortable for the studios.
19 & 20. Ascension & Descension
The story of a fall from a high place because of a flaw, or the rise (rags to riches, for example) because of a virtue. Often the same trait precipitates rise at one point in cycle as leads to fall later, or led to fall and generates rise.
The centerpiece of both plots is a single strong vivid character. There must be an intimate connection between character and events.
Three stages: before, progression, culmination. The culmination in a decline will be succumbing to the flaw. In ascension it will be achievement of elevation. The end should be the character's realization of who/what s/he has become.
Saint's tales are often ascension stories. Biblical stories are often ascension stories as well. Faith being the key virtue.
Ex. Christ mythos. Jesus of Nazareth is lifted from humble beginnings to the right hand of God by virtue of his (divinity) faith.
Citizen Kane. Kane pursues a dream to his own ruin. Note that descension stories share thematically with Wretched Excess, but the character in a descension plot need never approach the margins of acceptable behavior.
I'm trying to learn plotting in prep for meeting two self-imposed deadlines for original fic: an m/m story for epub by Sept 1, and a redraft of my southwestern mutant postapocalyptic (bwa) by January 1. My current plan is to try to write one story (fic) of each type by August 1 (ha!).