So are there 3, 7, 9, 20, or 36 basic story archetypes? Trick question — they're all wrong. The correct number of basic plot types is 6, and we know that thanks to a simple sentiment analysis tool.
Many academics, most notably author Christopher Booker, believe there are only seven basic narrative plots in all of storytelling – frameworks that are recycled again and again in fiction but populated by different settings, characters, and conflicts.
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was first proposed by Georges Polti in 1895 to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance. Polti analyzed classical Greek texts, plus classical and contemporaneous French works.
When writing a novel, you need to use more than one plotline. In fact, most successful books need at least three.
Christopher Booker writes for the Sunday Telegraph and is the bestselling author of The Seven Basic Plots, The Real Global Warming Disaster, The Great Deception and Scared to Death (all published by Bloomsbury Continuum).
A good rule of thumb might be: Include as many characters as needed to tell the story and evoke the proper style and scope—and no more. For intimate novels, this number might be as small as 2-5 secondary characters, and for broader stories, this number might be 20-30.
Enmity of Kin—Hatred between relatives or among a tight-knit group. Rivalry of Kin—Rivalry between kinsmen, in any kind of relationship.
His analysis outlined the dramatic structure into five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This dramatic structure is one of the most utilized tools in storytelling.
The MDQ, or major dramatic question, is the central thematic idea on which all plays are founded. It is the 'why' behind your story, and the source of relevance and connection for your audience.
Whether you are writing a short story or a full-length novel, your story will need you to build a plot. Of course the plot will need to be more complex and involved if you are writing a longer story, but even a piece of micro-fiction will have key plot elements.
You can have as many, or as few plot lines as you wish, provided that you give enough attention to each plotline.
Familiarize yourself with the different masterplots and the plot synopses for each one. While there is some dispute over what the masterplots are, most people accept these 20 main ones.
A plot arises out of the actions and interactions of the characters. On the whole, you need at least two characters to create a plot. Add even more characters to the mix, and you'll have possibilities for more than one plot. Most stories consist of more than one plot.
Rebirth plots are where the central character usually goes downhill morally. Due to a series of important events in the story they change their ways to redeem themselves. At the end, the previously morally bankrupt character has been revitalised and reborn into a noble or better person.
Role and character, relationships, situation, voice, movement, focus, tension, space, time, language, symbol, audience, mood and atmosphere.
Drama is created and shaped by the elements of drama which, for the Drama ATAR course, are listed as: role, character and relationships, situation, voice, movement, space and time, language and texts, symbol and metaphor, mood and atmosphere, audience and dramatic tension.
Drama gives children opportunities to explore, discuss and deal with difficult issues and express their emotions in a supportive environment. It enables them to explore their own cultural values and those of others, past and present.
God's Word also tells us that sin should not be our master (Romans 6:14). When we keep on sinning without ever attempting to turn from it or restrain it, it is because we are still sin's slaves. We must never forget that sin is God's enemy and Satan's friend.
I quote King Benjamin from Mosiah 3:19: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint.”
Greek: And I will set enmity between you and between the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he will watch out for your head, and you will watch out for his heel." Old Latin: And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed.
Some short stories are under 1,000 words. Often these are described as flash fiction.
The definition of a deuteragonist (from the Greek deuteragōnistēs, for “second actor”) is the second most important and present character in a story—often called a secondary main character.
Generally, a story only has a single villain. That's because the villain is the protagonist's main opponent. Some franchises and series have multiple villains, but in those situations, only one main villain is featured in each installment or episode.