I’m obsessed with plot.
Have been for years. I stalk it at the grocery store. See it every time I close
my eyes. Watch it lovingly from afar while it’s out for a morning jog through
the park. Imagine the smell of its hair, the taste of its sweat . . . the
splendid siren’s song of its screams after I follow it home then stab it
three-hundred twenty-seven times in the chest with my loveknife because IF I
CAN’T HAVE YOU THEN NOBODY WILL!!!
(Ahem.)
I’ve
said it before and I’ll say it again: there exists only one plot in all of
fiction, A Hero Goes on a Journey or A Stranger Comes to Town. The protagonist’s
point of view decides which is yours. I stole this tasty tidbit from James
Hudnall while perusing the interwebs years back, and it blew my mind open to
endless possibilities. All the novels I’d read and all the movies I’d watched
up to that point suddenly made perfect sense thereafter.
But
Dwight V. Swain says there are actually three plots, centered round one driving
need of the protagonist seeking:
1.
Possession of something
2.
Relief from something
3.
Revenge for something
And
Christopher Booker expands upon the singular plot theory into seven basic plots
thusly:
1.
Overcoming the Monster: the (good) protagonist sets out to defeat the (evil)
antagonist force which threatens the protagonist and/or their homeland.
2.
Rags to Riches: the poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate,
loses it all and gains it back, growing into a changed and wiser person as a
result.
3.
The Quest: The protagonist and companions set out to acquire an important
object or to get to a location while facing temptations and other obstacles
along the way.
4.
Voyage and Return: The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming
the threats it poses to them, they return with experience.
5.
Comedy: Light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a
dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse
circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion. Though comedy is
more than humor. It refers to a pattern where the conflict becomes more and
more confusing, but is at last made plain in a single clarifying event. The
majority of romance films fall into this category.
6.
Tragedy: The protagonist’s character flaw or great mistake which is their
undoing. Their unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a
fundamentally good character.
7.
Rebirth: An event forces the main character to change their ways and often
become a better person.
Then
there’s Ronald B. Tobias who proclaims twenty master plots:
1.
Quest: The hero searches for something, someone, or somewhere. In reality, they
may be searching for themselves, with the outer journey mirrored internally.
They may be joined by a companion, who takes care of minor detail and whose
limitations contrast with the hero’s greater qualities.
2.
Adventure: The protagonist goes on an adventure, much like a quest, but with
less of a focus on the end goal or the personal development of hero hero. In
the adventure, there is more action for action’s sake.
3.
Pursuit: In this plot, the focus is on chase, with one person chasing another
(and perhaps with multiple and alternating chase). The pursued person may be
often cornered and somehow escape, so that the pursuit can continue. Depending
on the story, the pursued person may be caught or may escape.
4.
Rescue: In the rescue, somebody is captured, who must be released by the hero
or heroic party. A triangle may form between the protagonist, the antagonist
and the victim. There may be a grand duel between the protagonist and
antagonist, after which the victim is freed.
5.
Escape: In a kind of reversal of the rescue, a person must escape, perhaps with
little help from others. In this, there may well be elements of capture and
unjust imprisonment. There may also be a pursuit after the escape.
6.
Revenge: In the revenge plot, a wronged person seeks retribution against the
person or organization which has betrayed or otherwise harmed them or loved
ones, physically or emotionally. This plot depends on moral outrage for gaining
sympathy from the audience.
7.
The Riddle: The riddle plot entertains the audience and challenges them to find
the solution before the hero, who steadily and carefully uncovers clues and
hence the final solution. The story may also be spiced up with terrible
consequences if the riddle is not solved in time.
8.
Rivalry: In rivalry, two people or groups are set as competitors that may be
good hearted or as bitter enemies. Rivals often face a zero-sum game, in which
there can only be one winner, for example where they compete for a scarce
resource or the heart of a single other person.
9.
Underdog: The underdog plot is similar to rivalry, but where one person
(usually the hero) has less advantage and might normally be expected to lose.
The underdog usually wins through greater tenacity and determination (and
perhaps with the help of friendly others).
10.
Temptation: In the temptation plot, a person is tempted by something that, if
taken, would somehow diminish them, often morally. Their battle is thus
internal, fighting against their inner voices which tell them to succumb.
11.
Metamorphosis: In this fantastic plot, the protagonist is physically
transformed, perhaps into beast or perhaps into some spiritual or alien form.
The story may then continue with the changed person struggling to be released
or to use their new form for some particular purpose. Eventually, the hero is
released, perhaps through some great act of love.
12.
Transformation: The transformation plot leads to change of a person in some
way, often driven by unexpected circumstance or event. After setbacks, the
person learns and usually becomes something better.
13.
Maturation: The maturation plot is a special form of transformation, in which a
person grows up. The veils of younger times are lost as they learn and grow.
Thus the rudderless youth finds meaning or perhaps an older person re-finds
their purpose.
14.
Love: The love story is a perennial tale of lovers finding one another, perhaps
through a background of danger and woe. Along the way, they become separated in
some way, but eventually come together in a final joyous reunion.
15.
Forbidden Love: The story of forbidden love happens when lovers are breaking
some social rules, such as in an adulterous relationship or worse. The story
may thus turn around their inner conflicts and the effects of others
discovering their tryst.
16.
Sacrifice: In sacrifice, the nobler elements of the human sprit are extolled as
someone gives much more than most people would give. The person may not start
with the intent of personal sacrifice and may thus be an unintentional hero,
thus emphasizing the heroic nature of the choice and act.
17.
Discovery: The discovery plot is strongly focused on the character of the hero
who discovers something great or terrible and hence must make a difficult
choice. The importance of the discovery might not be known at first and the
process of revelation be important to the story.
18.
Wretched Excess: In stories of wretched excess, the protagonist goes beyond
normally accepted behavior as the world looks on, horrified, perhaps in
realization that ‘there before the grace of God go I’ and that the veneer of
civilization is indeed thin.
19.
Ascension: In the ascension plot, the protagonist starts in the virtual gutter,
as a sinner of some kind. The plot then shows their ascension to becoming a
better person, often in response to stress that would defeat a normal person.
Thus they achieve deserved heroic status.
20.
Descension: In the opposite to ascension, a person of initially high standing
descends to the gutter and moral turpitude, perhaps sympathetically as they are
unable to handle stress and perhaps just giving in to baser vices.
So
who’s right and who’s wrong?
We’re
all right, silly!
Because
every good story possesses a minimum of 7 basic plot points, and there’s no
getting around this fact of fiction. Even Pantsers write to and through them
though they may not realize doing so. The structure of a story’s basic plot
points is simple when you strip everything else away.
You
establish the protagonist’s ordinary world so we can get to know them,
otherwise we won’t empathize with them when they’re hit with the major problem
or big opportunity of the inciting incident. After some personal debate, the
protagonist eventually decides to act because the inciting incident has
impacted their ordinary world no longer ordinary in as permanent a way as
possible, leaving their old word of restrictions behind for the new world of
possibilities ahead. After some fish out of water time, the protagonist makes
new friends and enemies while training to develop new virtues and skills to
replace old flaws and bad habits. They’re tested through a pinch point, because
the new skills and virtues need proof of their worthiness while the old flaws
and bad habits they replace need proof of their worthlessness. The protagonist
enjoys a midpoint victory in brazen display of their character growth thus far
. . . soon undermined by the midpoint reversal of a key revelation which raises
the stakes for all involved in the story’s main conflict as well as shifts the
protagonist from Reaction (not in control of the conflict) to Proaction (taking
control of the conflict) from this moment forward. But now the antagonist is on
to them and enemies close in while the protagonist’s team of allies suffer
internal dissension until someone precious to the protagonist is captured or
killed and/or something precious to the protagonist is taken or destroyed
during the punch point and protagonist’s all is lost where the antagonist
seemingly wins. But the protagonist’s lowly depression ends when they are
struck by a jolting bolt of inspiration to continue one last assault against
the antagonist because they refuse to accept the misery of their new stasis. So
they rally the surviving troops, tool up, storm the castle, and allies of the
protagonist and minions of the antagonist are eliminated because war is hell
with many casualties. The protagonist confronts the antagonist one-on-one as
only the protagonist can and either defeats the antagonist or dies trying. The
end.
That’s
plot in a nutshell.
Not
much to it, really.
And
it describes 99% of every story you’ve ever read or watched or heard because it’s
the most logical and dramatic way to introduce conflict, complicate it, then
resolve it.
But
maybe you’re staring at a blank page and have no idea where to begin.
No
prob, Bob.
Happens
to the best of us.
The
above “nutshell” can be broken down into the 7 basic plot points all good
stories possess. They’ve been around for hundreds of years, and if you’re not
familiar with them then I suggest you introduce yourself now:
1.
Inciting Incident
2.
Plot Turn 1
3.
Pinch Point 1
4.
Midpoint
5.
Pinch Point 2
6.
Plot Turn 2
7.
Resolution
I’m
a weightlifter. Have been since I was the spry young age of twenty. And there’s
a wise old saying when it comes to the Iron Game that goes a little something
like this: “There’s nothing new when it comes to picking up heavy shit.” You
see, eager young bucks all full of beans and looking to pack on pounds of
muscle will come across a new-to-them lifting routine thinking they just
discovered the greatest thing since sliced bread. But us veterans know the
better because we’ve seen it all before. Been there, done that. What comes
around goes around then eventually comes back around. “New” routines are only
new to the young and ignorant. If you lift and live long enough, you see the
same old tried and true routines gain popularity then fall out of fashion for a
time only to become popular again years later. Same old same old.
And
the same holds true for writing.
There
is nothing new about these 7 basic plot points. Every so often a successful
author is asked how they write so well and they reply with their personal take
on the Basic 7, and for some reason they’re credited with discovering a
newfangled system of plotting stories as if they came up with the concept
themselves--which they didn’t. Claiming you invented the Basic 7 is like
claiming you invented writing interesting lies then calling them stories. You
didn’t so stop embarrassing yourself.
The
Basic 7 are divided into Acts thusly:
ACT
1
1.
Inciting Incident
2.
Plot Turn 1
ACT
2
3.
Pinch Point 1
4.
Midpoint
5.
Pinch Point 2
6.
Plot Turn 2
ACT
3
7.
Resolution
Personally,
I prefer calling Pinch Point 2 the Punch Point because it’s a stronger version
of Pinch Point 1. During Pinch Point 1 (or just the Pinch Point) imagine the
antagonist sneaking up behind the protagonist and pinching them on the rump in
reminder of the story’s main conflict, whereas during the Punch Point imagine
the antagonist marching right up to the protagonist and punching them in the
face. Because that’s what pinch points really are, the antagonist flexing their
muscles against the protagonist in reminder of the story’s main conflict and
the death stakes involved (physical, professional, or psychological) if the
protagonist fails to obtain or achieve their goal.
But
the Plotter I am, the Basic 7 are neither detailed nor descriptive enough for
me; I prefer to make things my own thusly:
Nothing
new in what I’ve done. All I did was change some letters around and add an
extra stage to Act 3 because “Resolution” can contain any number of events,
namely the Crisis and Climax before it as well as the fact that all remaining
subplots outside the protagonist must be concluded before the big one-on-one
protagonist vs. antagonist showdown. And I split Act 2 in half because the
events comprising Act 2A and Act 2B are opposites. Imagine being poor (Act 1)
then winning the lottery (Inciting Incident). During Act 2A you have a buttload
of money and enjoy spending it, living the high life while all the wonderful
charms of being filthy rich are on full display. Then comes the Midpoint Twist
ushering in Act 2B where you then learn all the problems having such wealth
eventually brings with angry friends and family wanting to borrow money they
did nothing to earn, thieves stealing from you, people using you, bills
flooding in from all the things you carelessly bought, taxes and such. But I
digress . . .
You
present the protagonist’s ordinary world through Old World Stasis so we can
empathize with them when they’re hit with the Inciting Incident which changes
their ordinary world no longer ordinary into New World Flux. After some
personal debate, the protagonist decides to act, causing Plot Turn 1 while
venturing from Act 1 into Act 2, leaving their old world of restrictions behind
for the new world of possibilities ahead. Things Come Together for the
protagonist as they make new friends and enemies while training and progressing
toward resolving the story’s main conflict, of which they are reminded through
the Pinch Point splitting the activities of their progress. Eventually they
earn a False Victory at the Midpoint, then a TWIST of new revelation strikes
them, raising the stakes while flipping that internal protagonist switch from
Reaction (not in control of the conflict) to Proaction (taking control of the
conflict). But the antagonist is fully aware of their protagonist problem now,
and Things Fall Apart for the protagonist through internal dissension while
external enemies close in. Smack in the middle comes the hot beefy injection of
the Punch Point, then the protagonist suffers a False Defeat where the
antagonist seemingly wins . . . until they are hit with the inspiration to
continue one last assault against the antagonist and by doing so cause Plot
Turn 2, leaving Act 2 behind for Act 3. During the Resolution the protagonist
executes their final plan in a False Solution that brings them closer to
defeating the antagonist. Allies of the protagonist and minions of the
antagonist are eliminated (the False Solution is where all remaining subplots
outside the protagonist must be resolved) because the protagonist must confront
the antagonist one-on-one as only the protagonist can. Then comes the True Resolution
where the protagonist applies all they’ve learned through their story’s journey
and either defeats the antagonist or dies trying. The end.
So
now what?
That
blank page of yours hasn’t change yet, has it?
Well,
patterns exist in writing same as they exist in nature. Spirals are a common
pattern found in nature. In hurricanes and galaxies, and even in our own DNA
double helix. Spirals also exist in stories. During the Things Come Together
stage (split by the Pinch Point) it’s an upward spiral of progress and fortune
for the protagonist. And during the Things Fall Apart stage (split by the Punch
Point) it’s reversed as a downward spiral of regression and misfortune.
But
enough about spirals.
A
common pattern in story is the Midpoint to Climax pattern. You see, the
Midpoint and Climax of a story parallel each other. A happy Midpoint and thus
triumphant Climax are separated by an unhappy All Is Lost between for emotional
contrast. And an unhappy Midpoint and thus a tragic Climax are separated by a
happy All Is Joy between for same reasons.
False
Victory Midpoint --> All Is Lost --> Triumphant Climax.
And
same goes for the opposite.
False
Defeat Midpoint --> All Is Joy --> Tragic Climax.
But
the pattern doesn’t end there, my ugly friend.
Satisfying
stories come full circle, their beginning and ending mirroring each other by
contrast as proof of the protagonist’s change earned through character growth,
otherwise the events of the story are rendered meaningless because they’ve
provided no lasting effect.
Triumphant
Climax = an unhappy protagonist leading a dissatisfying life at the beginning.
Tragic
Climax = a happy protagonist leading a satisfying life at the beginning.
And
by equal contrast you want to hit your happy protagonist with a major problem
as their inciting incident, whereas you hit your unhappy protagonist with a big
opportunity as their inciting incident. Because stories are an emotional
rollercoaster of highs and lows.
Unhappy
Protagonist --> Big Opportunity --> False Victory Midpoint --> All Is Lost
--> Triumphant Climax.
Happy
Protagonist --> Major Problem --> False Defeat Midpoint --> All Is Joy
--> Tragic Climax.
Now
you want to separate the Big Opportunity and False Victory Midpoint with
contrasting emotion same as you did the False Victory Midpoint and its
Triumphant Climax, so you stick in a Minor All Is Lost to split the feels. And
you do the same with the Major Problem and False Defeat Midpoint, splicing in a
Minor All Is Joy between.
The
Triumphant Protagonist:
1.
Unhappy Protagonist
2.
Big Opportunity
3.
Minor All Is Lost
4.
False Victory Midpoint
5.
Major All Is Lost
6.
Triumphant Climax
The
Tragic Protagonist:
1.
Happy Protagonist
2.
Major Problem
3.
Minor All Is Joy
4.
False Defeat Midpoint
5.
Major All Is Joy
6.
Tragic Climax
But
you still need to split the drama feels even further:
The
Triumphant Protagonist:
1.
Unhappy Protagonist
2.
Big Opportunity
3.
Minor All Is Lost
4.
False Victory Midpoint
5.
Major All Is Lost
6.
Inspiration
7.
False Defeat
8.
Triumphant Climax
The
Tragic Protagonist:
1.
Happy Protagonist
2.
Major Problem
3.
Minor All Is Joy
4.
False Defeat Midpoint
5.
Major All Is Joy
6.
Crisis
7.
False Victory
8.
Tragic Climax
See
now how the rollercoaster of emotions flows?
Triumph
/ Tragedy
1.
Unhappy / Happy
2.
Happy / Unhappy
3.
Unhappy / Happy
4.
Happy / Unhappy
5.
Unhappy / Happy
6.
Happy / Unhappy
7.
Unhappy / Happy
8.
Happy / Unhappy
These
are not the only two patterns of plot, though they are the most prevalent so
they’re good enough for the girls I go with. And I’ve dwindled them down to 6
plot points, adding one in before the Inciting Incident while leaving the 2
Plot Turns out because Plot Turns are the protagonist’s obvious decision to act
and are, well, obvious from their surrounding events as well they depend solely
on your particular protagonist and their particular story. Plot Turn 1 (better
named the Physical Crossing because the protagonist physically leaves the “old”
world of restrictions behind that is Act 1 for the “new” world of possibilities
ahead that is Act 2) depends on the Inciting Incident preceding it, and Plot
Turn 2 (better named the Spiritual Crossing because the protagonist finally
reaches their epiphany point of true self-awareness and leaves their new “old”
world of Act 2 behind for the “new” defeat-the-antagonist-or-die-trying world
of Act 3 ahead that ends in triumph or tragedy permanence) depends on the Major
All Is Lost or All Is Joy preceding it. For ease of reference:
1.
Unhappy/Happy Protagonist = PROTAGONIST’S LIFE BEFORE THE INCITING INCIDENT
2.
Big Opportunity/Major Problem = INCITING INCIDENT
*(Plot
Turn 1, or Physical Crossing: protagonist’s decision to act, leaving Act 1
behind for Act 2)
3.
Minor All Is Lost/ Minor All Is Joy = PINCH POINT
4.
False Victory Midpoint/False Defeat Midpoint = MIDPOINT
5.
Major All Is Lost/Major All Is Joy = PUNCH POINT
*(Plot
Turn 2, or Spiritual Crossing: protagonist’s decision to act, leaving Act 2
behind for Act 3)
6.
Triumphant Climax/ Tragic Climax = RESOLUTION
Now,
I want you to grab some index cards. Atop two write #1A and #1B, then on the
first write Happy Protagonist, the second write Unhappy Protagonist. Your next
two sets of cards you write . . . I’ll just show you below:
#1A.
Happy Protagonist
#1B.
Unhappy Protagonist
#2A.
Major Problem
#2B.
Big Opportunity
#3A.
Minor All Is Joy
#3B.
Minor All Is Lost
#4A.
False Defeat Midpoint
#4B.
False Victory Midpoint
#5A.
Major All Is Joy
#5B.
Major All Is Lost
#6A.
Tragic Climax
#6B.
Triumphant Climax
These
are your writer flashcards. Keep them handy because the next time your drunk
muse vomits an awesome scene into your brain I want you to take out your
flashcards and find which card best suits said scene. After deciding on the
particular card, you can then work backwards and forwards while fleshing out
your next great novel-to-be by using the other flashcards as prompts.
Your
happy-go-lucky protagonist comes home from work early and finds her husband
wrestling in bed with her best friend? Sounds like a “Major Problem” to me!
Though to you and your story it may be a “Major All Is Lost” or a “False Defeat
Midpoint.”
Hungover
Harry shambles in to work one bleary-eyed morning and gets that raise he’s been
begging for because his tyrant boss died from a fatal heart attack
mid-cheeseburger the night before? Sounds like a “Big Opportunity” to me!
Though to you and your story it may be a “Minor All Is Joy” or a “False Victory
Midpoint.”
No
one is holding a loaded gun to your head and demanding you think to formula
either. Go ahead and mix your flashcards up. Change and rearrange them to suit
your imagination. You prefer a Happy Protagonist to receive a Big Opportunity
instead of a Major Problem as their Inciting Incident? Nothing is stopping you
but time and the effort of writing as much yourself.
Maybe
you hate my suggestions and wish to stick to the Basic 7. Okay. Then make new
flashcards and use those as your writing prompts. I live in Ohio
Just
thought up a bored secretary who hates her job and so moonlights as a daring
jewel thief? Put ‘er down for flashcard #1 then dream up a Major Problem or Big
Opportunity to hit her with as the Inciting Incident that rocks her world with
change--because that’s what an Inciting Incident is: change to the protagonist’s
normal stasis in as permanent a way as you can make it. Maybe she’s fired for
slacking on the job because she’s tired from her nights spent burgling and her
story tells the tale of learning humility while surviving homeless on the
streets. Maybe she’s caught and arrested and her story turns into a prison tale
of redemption. Maybe she robs the most handsome man she’s ever seen and her
story becomes the tale of an obsessed stalker who murders the wife in the hopes
of replacing her. Or maybe you want the bored secretary turning daring thief at
the Midpoint instead, preferring a slow burn and build-up to her nightly
escapades. Have at it, Hoss.
The
possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination.
Plot
isn’t paint-by-numbers no matter what most Pantsers claim. I’ve found those who
speak ill of plot are also those who want you to believe they are geniuses,
hoping others view them as the “tortured artist” writers we often see in movies
who are struck with wonderful writing epiphanies only their superior brains can
comprehend then translate to page for us lesser beings to enjoy.
That’s
arrogant bunk.
Movies
exaggerate because they’re made to entertain and for earning millions of moola,
and the fact is most Pantsers plot even if they aren’t aware of it. They may
not write everything down beforehand like Plotters prefer, but they’ll often
sit in ponder for hours before writing what happens next.
NEWS
FLASH: thinking IS plotting.
However
you select your writer flashcards, keep them handy for when that next great
jolt of inspiration strikes (like it should your protagonist moments before
their Spiritual Crossing). Choose a plot point then build your story around it.
Because
failing to plan is planning to fail.
Happy writing!