If you’re a screenwriter, chances are that you’ve heard of the classic “plot” as it relates to movies. But how many times have you seen or read a movie where there’s not really much of an overarching story? And how many times have you read a description (or even heard someone talk about) of these same plots without ever seeing them in action? These days, most people think of plots as being particular types of stories:
- Epic tragedies like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings
- Quest films like The Odyssey
- Rags-to-riches tales like Slumdog Millionaire
- Overcoming monsters like Jaws or Jurassic Park
- Rebirths such as Avatar and Spiderman 3
In reality, there are so many different ways that writers can tell stories that only fit into some categories! So today, I’ll be talking about what makes up one type of story–a plot–and why it works so well for audiences around the world today.
Types of plots
An Epic Tragedy
An epic tragedy is a story that follows a hero who must rise to meet a challenge, only to fail. The hero’s failure is due to his own flaw. The audience feels pity for the hero and cheers when he suffers or dies as punishment for his mistake. Examples include: Macbeth (Macbeth), Hamlet (Hamlet), Oedipus Rex (Oedipus Rex).
The most common type of tragedy is the classic Greek tragedy. A traditional Greek tragedy is a story about a hero who must rise to meet a challenge, only to fail. The hero’s failure is due to his own flaw.
A Quest
A quest is a story in which the hero is called to adventure and sets off on a journey. A typical plot structure for this type of story involves the hero’s reluctance to go on their quest but then being persuaded by someone else that it’s an important thing they must do.
They may face challenges along their way (a villain) or even be given their mission by fate itself (Robin Hood). Once they’ve begun their adventure, it’s up to them whether they complete it or not—and if so, how well they do so will determine which path is taken next: either toward homecoming or further adventures into darker terrain.
Rags to riches
A rags-to-riches plot is one in which the hero starts out in a disadvantaged position but overcomes obstacles to achieve success. The hero’s success isn’t permanent. However, it’s only temporary until they face another challenge or setback.
A character discovers a new side of themselves or rediscovers their true purpose in life. In this plot, the main character has to face their demons—the reason for their existence—and discover what it means to be alive. This can happen at any point in the story, but it’s most common for characters who were once dead inside.
Tragedy
The tragedy is a story of loss. It’s a story about suffering, death, and guilt. A character must suffer something that makes them feel bad or wronged in some way. Often this causes them to act out in anger or violence against those around them, sometimes with fatal consequences (think Hamlet).
Tragedy can also be seen as a redemption tale—a journey from darkness into light where there was once only darkness. This type of story often involves someone learning how to live again after experiencing great suffering. It may take them many years before they can do so entirely and fully again (think Othello).
Finally, there’s revenge: stories where good triumphs over evil by defeating it through force or trickery (think Casablanca).
Disaster/downfall plots
The plot is a series of events that lead to the downfall of a character. A disaster/downfall plot can be used in any genre and can take many forms. But most often, it involves a character making some poor decision or other choices that leads him or her into trouble. This can be something as simple as not paying attention while driving.
The most common downfall plots have something wrong happen at the end—for example: “John learns his wife cheated on him” or “Mary ends up getting raped.”
The mystery plot
The mystery plot is one of the most common in movies and television. It involves a crime or an investigation into a crime (and often has a central character who is searching for answers). The story revolves around this main character’s quest to solve their case and bring justice to those responsible for it.
The mystery plot can also take place within multiple timelines—for example, if you had two different stories going on at once. One where our main character was investigating something from her past, and then another one where she was investigating something that had happened recently in present-day society today. These two separate plots would all be connected by different characters with different motives!
The “fall from grace” plot
The “fall from grace” plot is one of the most overused movie plots. It can be found in any number of movies, and it’s not hard to see why: it works well on both a conceptual level and an emotional level.
The protagonist starts off with a lot of power and influence but loses it all. This happens because people around him (or her) don’t support him or her as they should; they don’t trust them anymore; they criticize their decisions, etc., until eventually there’s no choice left but for them to go down into disgrace and shame at the end of their journey through life—the ultimate downfall that all characters must face at some point in order to reach their ultimate goal (usually redemption).
Conclusion
Here’s the key takeaway: Don’t fall into the trap of falling back on these predictable plots. Instead, come up with your own story and find ways to tell it in a fresh way. Now that you know how they work and why they can be so popular, you can figure out what type of plot structure would fit your story best!
