One Christmas, I received a book many writers may have in their library of writing resources. Between the covers of Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, Christopher Booker pours a wealth of knowledge into 700 pages about crafting the perfect plot and creating satisfying storytelling. A plot is a sequence in which a story develops, unfolds, and moves. In fiction, there are several basic plots.
A Variety of Basic Plots
Do you like to read for pleasure, for work, or a combination of both? What do you enjoy reading? As a fiction writer, I constantly work to improve my ability to develop strong plots. Theories vary on whether there are four basic plots, seven, nine, or some other number. From fairy tales to classic literature to plays and movies, stories generally fall into a handful of plot lines that we come to recognize and sometimes prefer.
Here is a simplified description of seven plots in storytelling:
- Overcoming the Monster – The hero or heroine struggles against a malignant force and ultimately overcomes it through superhuman effort. Often, this superhuman feat saves a large group or population of people.
- Rags to Riches – The hero or heroine rises from poverty to wealth.
- The Quest – Before achieving the desired prize, one must embark on a mission to capture or recover something of value and return or give it to the one who sent the hero or heroine on the quest.
- Voyage and Return – The hero or heroine travels from familiar surroundings to a strange world cut off from their everyday life. The protagonist feels trapped as the initial novelty wears off and becomes threatening or dark. Eventually, he or she is able to return to their own world safely.
- Comedy – The hero and heroine are meant to be together, but circumstances keep them apart. In the end, the obstacles are removed, and they are united. Misinformation and confusion characterize this plot, often with a dose of hilarity. All’s well that ends well, right?
- Tragedy – The hero or heroine, often a person of position with much to lose, is destroyed by his or her own flaws.
- Rebirth – In plots of rebirth, the hero or heroine is awakened from a prolonged state of suspended consciousness.
Plots – An Ancient Concept
This list of plots makes me think of stories in the Bible, such as these examples:
- Tragedy – A man is selected and set apart at birth to live a life of service to God. However, his personal choices to follow his own desires leads to his tragic death.
- Voyage and Return – These special men journey to a far country to visit a King. Rather than giving a report to another king, they follow divinely advice to return to their homelands using a different route.
- Rebirth – A beloved son rejects the stability of his family home in favor of a foreign country and lifestyle. After he loses everything, he returns to his home, figuratively coming back from the dead. Indeed, his father exclaims, “My son was dead, now he lives.”
Of course, this is only a smattering of the stories found in the parables and lives of the people in biblical accounts. The Bible is full of wonderful stories. Stories about miracles and battles, of kings and shepherds. Most of us have a favorite story we read or heard when we were young. We heard stories of Daniel in the lion’s den or Joseph and his beautiful coat. As adults, we read them to our children or grandchildren while discovering the deeper themes of those stories. Jesus told stories to teach others about God’s character.
Biographies of biblical figures are stretch across the pages of His word for examples and inspiration in our daily lives. These accounts leave lasting impressions on our hearts as we view them through eyes of our personal experiences. We gain a deeper understanding of God and our relationship with Him grows.
The Basic Plot of the Story
Not only does the Bible contain stories that demonstrate these familiar plots, but it also shows the length and depth that God is willing to go to redeem us. I can see these plots in the story of love and redemption. God’s love is at the center of each story:
- Rebirth – All things become new when we are born again. We become new creations.
- Overcoming a Monster – We can overcome the Enemy with the power of our Savior.
- Tragedy – There will be those who do not choose God’s precious, free gift of salvation.
- Voyage and Return – Jesus ascended to heaven and will return as King of kings to take His people home.
- Comedy – Using a traditional definition of the word, many Bible verses refer to laughter, including when Sarah laughed incredulously and then joyfully.
- Quest – Jesus fulfilled His redemptive mission.
- Rags to Riches – Jesus walked the earth as a humble man but will return as victorious King.
The Bible also records the most incredible plot twist in history:
A child born in a manger grew up to live an itinerant life of servanthood. He claimed to be the Son of God, and in an unmatched plot twist, the humble preacher from Nazareth fulfilled every prophecy written about the Messiah. “When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54)
His victory makes me love His story even more.
What is your favorite Bible story, and what does it mean to you? Does the story fall into a specific type of plot? Go back to the three examples listed above. Can you identify the “heroes“ in these stories?
