This document provides an overview and summary of key points from an EWRT 30 class. It discusses strategies for eliminating "to be" verbs in writing, covers Christopher Booker's seven basic story plots (Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, Rebirth), and provides plot outlines and examples for each. It also discusses the idea of a universal plot structure that underlies all storytelling. Students are assigned a guided writing exercise to analyze their own stories using these plot concepts.

1. EWRT 30 Class 14

2. • Review: Eliminating “to be” verbs
• Lecture: Fiction Seven plots
• Guided Writing:

3. The Review: Strategies to
Eliminate the “to be” verb
1. Substitute a new word.
2. Rearrange the sentence.
3. Change another word in the
sentence into a verb.
4. Combine sentences.

4. Lecture: Basic Plots
According to the British journalist and
author Christopher Booker, there are only
seven „storylines‟ in the world.

5. Booker’s Seven Basic Plots
1.Overcoming the Monster
2.Rags to Riches
3.The Quest
4.Voyage and Return
5.Comedy
6.Tragedy
7.Rebirth

6. The basic premise:
Christopher Booker argues that all
storytelling is woven around basic plots and
archetypes that are inescapable and help to
define the human condition. We are
psychologically programmed to tell stories
in a way that reflects our most basic
physiological needs.

7. #1: Overcoming the Monster

8. Overcoming the Monster
Epic of Gilgamesh
James Bond novels and
films
Many tales in Greek
mythology
(Perseus, Theseus)
Dragon slayer stories
Gothic novels:
Frankenstein, Dracula

9. Overcoming the Monster: plot
outline
The Call: The monster is introduced as a threat to
a community, country, kingdom, or mankind in
general. The hero is called to confront it.
Dream Stage: The hero makes preparations for
battle; he and the monster are brought closer
together. Things are going reasonably well, and
there is a comfortable remoteness from danger.

10. Overcoming the Monster: plot
outline
Frustration Stage: Hero comes face to face with
the monster in all its awesome power. The hero
seems inferior by comparison and may even fall
into the monster‟s clutches.
Nightmare Stage: final ordeal begins, a nightmare
battle in which the odds seem stacked against the
hero. But, just when all seems lost…

11. Overcoming the Monster: plot
outline
Thrilling Escape from Death/ Death of the
Monster: in a miraculous reversal, the hero
gains the upper hand and delivers a final
fatal blow to the monster. Its dark power is
overthrown. The community under its
shadow is liberated. The hero wins his
prize, his princess, and/or his kingdom.

12. #2: Rags to Riches

13. Rags to Riches
Legend of King Arthur
Pygmalion/My Fair Lady
The Ugly Duckling
Aladdin
This plot is one of the earliest
we come to know as
children.

14. Rags to Riches: plot outline
Initial wretchedness at home & “the call”: we are
introduced to the hero in his lowly and unhappy
state. The dark figures are the source of his
misery. This phase ends when something happens
to call them out into a wider world.
Out into the world, initial success: early efforts are
rewarded, and the hero may have some glimpse of
the greater glory he will someday achieve.

15. Rags to Riches: plot outline
The central crisis: reduced to a new
powerlessness, this is the worst part of the story
for the hero or heroine.
Independence and the final ordeal: the hero is
discovering in himself a new independent
strength. The hero is put to a final test, in which a
dark rival may stand between the hero and
ultimate fulfillment.

16. Rags to Riches: plot outline
Final union, completion and fulfillment: the
reward is usually a state of complete, loving
union with the “Prince” or “Princess”. They
may also succeed to some kind of kingdom.
The implied ending is that “they lived
happily ever after”.

17. #3: The Quest

18. The Quest
Arthurian/Grail
legends
Dante‟s Divine
Comedy
Homer‟s Odyssey
The Lord of the Rings
Indiana Jones movies

19. Essence of the plot
Far away, there is a priceless goal, worth
any effort to achieve: a treasure, a promised
land, 30 sliders from White
Castle, something of infinite value. The
hero sets out on a hazardous journey to
attain the goal and overcomes any number
of perilous hindrances in order to achieve
the objective.

20. The Quest: plot outline
The Call: life in some “City of Destruction” has
become oppressive and intolerable, and the hero
recognizes that the only way to rectify the
situation is to take a long and perilous journey to
achieve some related goal.
The Journey: a series of ordeals.

21. The Quest: plot outline
Arrival and frustration: the hero arrives within
sight of his goal, but a singular or series of
terrifying obstacles looms before him.
The final ordeal: time to face and defeat obstacles.
The goal: after a last “thrilling escape from death.”
the life-renewing goal is achieved.

22. #4: Voyage and Return

23. Voyage and Return
Goldilocks and the
Three Bears
Alice in Wonderland
The Time Machine
Robinson Crusoe
Prodigal Son parable
from the Bible
Gone with the Wind

24. Voyage and Return: essence of
the plot
The hero or heroine travels out of their
familiar, everyday “normal” surroundings
into another world completely cut off from
the first, where everything seems abnormal.
The early experience might feel
exhilarating, but eventually a shadow
intrudes. By a “thrilling escape” the hero is
returned to his normal world.

25. Voyage and Return
While this plot is as old as storytelling
itself, it became much more fashionable in
Western literature after the
Renaissance, when voyagers were traveling
to every corner of the globe.
These stories generally fall into two types: a)
the hero is marooned on a deserted island, or
b) the hero visits a land of some strange
people or civilization

26. Voyage and Return: variations
As fewer areas of the world were left to be
explored, more authors sent their heroes into
different parts of time or space
A “social” voyage and return features a hero who
finds himself in a different group of people with
whom he would not normally associate. Think of
The Devil Wears Prada.

27. #5: Comedy

28. Comedy
The “New Comedy” plot:
There are two ways that the lovers are kept
apart until the end…
1. Two lovers passionately desire to get
married, but a selfish and unrelenting father (the
dark figure) prevents them from doing so.
2. There is quarrel and confusion between the
lovers themselves, based on a misunderstanding

29. Comedy: conventions
Always present in comedy is the device of
mistaken identity. Identities can be confused
through:
Mysterious births and origins
Characters in disguise or deliberately assuming new
identities
Cross-dressing
Characters concealed in exile, or eavesdropping in
closets or nearby rooms

30. Comedy: steps of recognition
1. The dark figures imprisoned in an unloving
state must be softened and liberated by some
act of self-recognition and change of heart.
2. The identity of one or more characters must be
revealed in a more literal sense.
3. Characters must discover who they are meant
to pair off with.
4. Wherever there is division, separation or
loss, it must be repaired.

31. …so where do the laughs come
from?
Almost uniformly, the aspect of comedy that
elicits laughter from the audience is a character‟s
egocentricity, his tunnel-vision, his inability to see
the world as it is.

32. #6: Tragedy

33. Tragedy: Five Stages
1. Anticipation Stage: hero is in some way
incomplete or unfulfilled. Some object of desire
or course of action presents itself to the hero.
When the hero succumbs to this desire or
thought, he has found his “focus”: Macbeth
decides to assassinate King Duncan, Icarus yields
to his desire to fly close to the sun; Dr. Jekyll
drinks his potion.

34. Tragedy: Five Stages
2. Dream Stage: hero commits to his focus, and
for awhile everything is peachy. He feels gratified
and seems to be getting away with his crime or
error.
3. Frustration Stage: Things begin to go wrong.
Hero feels restless and insecure, commits further
dark acts to secure or retain his position and
feelings from the Dream Stage.

35. Tragedy (1): Five Stages
4. Nightmare Stage: Things are now slipping
completely out of the hero‟s control. Forces of
opposition and fate are closing in on him; hero
falls into rage or despair.
5. Destruction or Death Wish: either by the forces
he has aroused against him, or by some final act of
violence which precipitates his own death, the
hero is destroyed.

36. #7: Rebirth

37. Rebirth: synopsis
A hero or heroine falls under a dark spell which
eventually traps them in some wintry state, akin to
living death: physical or spiritual
imprisonment, sleep, sickness or some other form
of enchantment. For a long time they languish in
this frozen condition Then a miraculous act of
redemption takes place, focused on a particular
figure who helps liberate the hero or heroine from
imprisonment.

38. Rebirth: Plot points
1. Hero falls under the shadow of a dark power.
2. Poison takes some time to work up to its full
effect.
3. Total isolation: the darkness emerges in full
force
4. Nightmare stage: odds seem stacked against a
rescue of the hero
5. Reversal/ awakening: imprisoned figure is freed
by the power of love

39. The Universal Plot

40. The Universal Plot
The overlap and interrelationships between the
plots are immediately recognizable.
What is really to be gained from this exploration
of seven plots is NOT the compartmentalizing of
stories, but rather the joining together of all stories
into basic universal elements.

41. The Universal Plot
The Beginning: a hero is
undeveloped, frustrated, or incomplete. This state
sets up the tensio that drives the plot.
The Middle: The hero falls under the shadow of a
dark power. This power may exist outside the hero
or within the characters themselves.
The End: Through a reversal or unknotting, the
dark power is overthrown.

42. The Universal Plot
Fundamental movements:
Dark to light
Isolated to integrated, or vice versa
Incomplete to whole
Juvenile to mature
Constriction/release
Ignorance to self-realization

43. Discussion
What kind of story are you writing?

44. Guided
Writing
1. Have you included the basic plot points in your story?
2. Outline your story to see which you have included:
Note what you are missing—these are places where
you might be able to improve your story.
3. Write a scene to include in your story.

45. More Story Starters
1. The harder she scratch away at her forearm the quicker the flesh fell away. From outside the
containment unit, Dr. Elena Miles and Dr. Mark Rustenburg watched on dismay as the...
2. Marcus could hear the horn sound in the distance, a sign he was getting closer to the island.
Soon he would be face to face with the father he left behind ten years ago. Every day since he
left …
3. 45 minutes ago my cover was blown. I'd been under for...
4. I sat in the taxi fidgeting the tulle under my gown and thinking I'd rather be at home in my
flannel pajamas instead of going to...
5. I really wanted to see you again," said Rebecca. She repeatedly twirled a strand of her long
auburn hair tightly around her right forefinger until the tip blushed then released it. "I was afraid
you didn't want to see me because of…
6. He was lying face down on the raft. At first we thought he was sleeping with his head using the
inflated side as a pillow and one hand hanging over grazing the water's edge but then the...
7. It‟s hard to describe the sound of ripping fleshing. Even more difficult is the sound the flesh
makes when a vampire makes first bite.

46. Homework
• Post #14 Post a good scene from your
story.
• Work on your fiction project.