Fiction Workshops 15 Christopher Booker's Seven Basic Plots

Christopher Booker has produced a great tome of a book in which he defines seven plot outlines.  These don't actually contradict Campbell, McKee, Propp or Vogler but flesh out and fine tune some story lines. The rest of Booker's book discusses story in more detail. It is well worth a read and after you've read it you may want to go back to it from time to time.

You can take a short-cut to remembering the seven plots by just looking at the cover of the book. You'll see what I mean if you look at the link below.

Here's a summary:

 

The Seven Plots

Overcoming the Monster

Rags to Riches

The Quest

Voyage and Return

Comedy

Tragedy

Rebirth

 

Overcoming the monster

The call

Initial success

Confrontation

Final Ordeal

Miraculous escape   

 

Rags to Riches

Initial wretchedness at home (call)

Out in the world – initial success

Central crisis

Independence and the final ordeal

Final union, completion and fulfilment

 

Quest- Odyssey

Problems encountered:

Monsters

Temptations

Deadly opposites

Journey to the underworld

Story arc:

Call

Journey

Arrival and frustration

Final ordeals

Goal

 

Voyage and return

Anticipation

Dream stage

Frustrations stage

Nightmare stage

Thrilling escape and return

 

Comedy

Often contains:

• Characters dressing up in disguise or swapping clothes 
• Men dressing up as women  or vice versa
• Secret assignations when the wrong person turns up
• Characters hastily concealed in cupboards etc. 

Types of comedy:

• Burlesque
• Dark figure is hero themself
• No dark figures

 

Macbeth (and other tragedies) 

Act One - anticipation

Act Two – dream stage

Act Three – frustration stage

Act Four – nightmare stage  

Act Five – destruction stage 

 

Rebirth

Hero falls under shadow of dark power

Threat may seem to recede

Threat approaches with full force

Dark power seems to triumph

Miraculous recovery – some input from hero, though

 

Some archetypes

Booker also mentions some common archetypes:

• Good old man
• Innocent young girl
• Rival or “shadow”
• Temptress

 

Dark figures

As well as archetypes, Booker identifies some common dark figures:

• Father
• Mother
• Rivals
• Other self 

Underlying shape

Booker also defines an underlying shape that is very similar to the ones we've met before.  

• Initial phase
• Opening out
• Severe – constriction
• Dark power dominant
• Reversal and liberation

Reading exercise

Consider the novel you have most recently read. Which of Booker's stories does it conform to? Does it follow the underlying shape? Can you identify any archetypes or dark figures?

Writing exercises

1.Your work in progress

Take a look at your story. Does it follow one of Booker's templates? If not, would making it adhere more closely also make it more effective?

Would the inclusion of additional archetypes or dark figures make it more engaging?   

2. Start a new story

Take one of Booker's templates that appeal to you. You might like to consider one you've not used before. Now craft a story according to that template.