SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I'm so glad Graystripe made this wiki! Its perfect for all us writers to get to write our hearts out and its a sister wiki to AJ Wiki! :D :D
Well I know writing is tough (I actually love to write. I finished a book--trying to get it published, writing another book, won a writing contest--okay im done now). So I decided to make this blog to help all you fellow writers out!
And I might update it because I've got a weird thing where I will get a bunch of ideas but the moment I try to put them in action meh mind goes blank so officially I have only a few out of the hundred ideas i had earlier so i might update k?
I once took a writer's class that helped us learn the basic formatting of writing, how to do it efficientally, etc.
And I will do it in multiple blogs so I don't have one big ole super long chunk that'll make everyone's eyes fall out.
So call this:
PUPPYGIRL1244'S OFFICIAL WRITERS' TIPS AND HELP GUIDE SAGA!
Session One: Types of Stories[]
Okay! So for our first session, I am going to talk mainly about the different types of stories.
No no, not like fan fics and creepypastas and romances n' stuff. I'm sure you all know about THOSE. I am talking about the BASICS. Confused? Well what determines the type of the stories is the PLOT mainly.
Okay so during my summer camp (where the writers' class took place) we learned about something called Booker's Seven Basic Plots.
Christopher Booker discovered and came up with these seven basic plots. This is basically the UNDERLINE of most stories; in other words, stories usually follow these types of plots.
Well its kinda ironic. Booker's Seven Basic Plots only contains FIVE plots; the last two aren't exactly PLOTS pur-say, but more of the resolution. So that kinda varies in opinion on whether you wanna call 'em plots or not.
Well basically, these are Booker's Plots:
1) Overcoming the Monster
2) Rags to Riches
3) The Quest
4) The Voyage+Return
5) Rebirth
6) Comedy
7) Tragedy
Now let's look deeper into these plots.
1. Overcoming the monster[]
This should be pretty much self-explanatory. In this story, the hero (main character) must defeat some kind of horrible fiend. It doesn't neccessarily mean an actual furry, ten-eyed, yellow horns, 12 tenticled-monster. Basically, the main character must overcome something that is pushing him/her or someone else down. Like it could be an actual monster, or maybe an evil boss, or a dog who has been biting kids for too long.
2. Rags to Riches[]
Might have heard this term before, and this should be extremely self explanatory. The main character undergoes a certain transitional change, usually from a peasant to a wealthy folk. But this does NOT just mean money. It could mean knowledge, a husband/wife, etc.
3. The Quest[]
This is the case in which the main character undergoes some sort of quest. It could be a quest for anything: knowledge, revenge, some acient tasiliman, to see the Great Canyon, etc. Its a quite popular plot; most stories have this. Rescue stories are often listed under The Quest.
4. The Voyage+Return[]
Pretty self explanatory, and often this is paired up with The Quest, although not always. In this plot, the Main Character ventures out to some place other than the homeland then usually returns with nothing if its just the Voyage+Return and nothing more added with it.
5. Rebirth[]
So this might not be so self-explanatory. NO it does not mean the character is literally born again, although if that DOES happen in your story I guess it'd be listed under here. It's usually an inner change, a personal journey without actually the physical venturing out. For instance, one basic plot of A Christmas Carol is Rebirth, because at first Scrooge is a really mean guy who hates Christmas but in the end he's nicer, grateful, and actually fine with Christmas.
6. Comedy[]
Not self explanatory at all. Probably, as soon as you saw this you thought it was the comedy like what certain TV shows have, or like jokes or other things funny. In this case, COMEDY DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN FUNNY. AT ALL.
It's sometimes sentimental even. So what does comedy mean in this case?
Well it usually means the main character is successful in its goal. The MAIN goal of the story is acheived, and this is usually a happy ending. For example, if a man was trying to find a rare jewel, in a comedy he would find and receive it. Comedy=success in this case.
This is one of the two non-plots. Why? Because this and tragedy are the RESULTS of the above five. It's pretty hard to have just these alone, like it is to have those alone as well. Kinda impossible if you think about it.
7. Tragedy[]
Like comedy, this does not hold the traditional meaning, although its closer to the regular meaning than comedy. In a tragedy, the main character fails in achieving the main goal. It's basically the opposite of comedy. For example, taking the man with the jewel case, in a tragedy he would not find the jewel, or would die while trying to get the jewel, or find there was no jewel in the first place. Like comedy it's not actually a plot but more of an ending that can go with one of the plots.
So there you have it: Booker's Seven Basic Plots. Keep these in mind the next time you write a story. Which plot will you pick? Remember, it doesn't have to be strictly one of these. In fact, you can combine multiple plots together if you want. Heck, you can combine ALL of them. Or ignore these plots altogether (idk how that's possible cause these are like automatic but k). Its YOUR story. And the great thing about writing: its your very own imagination adventure, and YOU decide what happens next.
These are just some tips so if you wanna keep these in mind while writing and possibly write based off these.
Well session one of PuppyGirl1244's Writer's Tips and Help Guides Saga is over. Thanks for reading and WRITE ON JAMMERS!