7 Plots Theory
Tyler and Alex discuss the possibility of Pirates of the Caribbean 7, 8 and 9 and what their titles and plots would be, as well as have a special announcemen.
There are only 7 original stories in the world. Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch named them as these. Man against man; man against nature; man against himself; man against God; man against society; man caught in the middle; man and woman; Christopher Booker made them a bit easier to understand. Overcoming the Monster. A new conspiracy theory called “The Storm” has taken the grimiest parts of the internet by, well, storm. Credible plot,” according to a statement from the. The first three Indiana Jones movies take place in the 1930s when America entered World War II and before Steve Rogers became Captain America.Hydra had already existed as an organization at that time, and the theory posits that Jones was employed by them and was an early experiment for the super-soldier program before it was perfected on Steve Rogers. People love a good conspiracy theory. The JFK assassination plot, aliens crash landing at Roswell, the 9/11 truth movement and charges of government surveillance are all an indelible part of our pop.
Yeah, like you’re going to see a list of plot types that doesn’t include the Quest. The Quest is a search for a place, item, or person that requires the hero to leave home in order to find it. Sometimes the item is just a MacGuffin to drive the plot along; other times the thing driving the quest is specific to the story’s circumstances. Either way, the hero is leaving home to find whatever the heck the story demands, and we get to come along for the ride.
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The Quest is the plot type most likely to have a group of main characters rather than one protagonist in the main eye of the story. The rest of the party generally takes one of four appearances:
- A close friend who is loyal to our hero, but doesn’t have much else going for him or her;
- A sidekick who is the polar opposite of the hero mentally, physically, and emotionally;
- A generic mass of identity-less bros who don’t get names because they’re not alive long enough to matter; or
- A balanced party of brains, heart, and strength who support the hero, or who count the hero as one of their own.
The Call
If you’ve read either of the other two entries in this series, you’ve probably got an idea of what this entails. Kickstarts the plot and gives the hero and the rest of the party a mission to accomplish.
The Journey
Obviously our heroes are not going to get to their end goal that easily. Most of the journey is over enemy territory or hostile land, and obstacles pop up left and right, like dandelions in the spring. Obstacles come in several flavors, like monsters (kill/escape, rinse, repeat), temptations (see a good portion of the Odyssey for examples), a rock and a hard place (Scylla and Charybdis being the classic example), or a journey to the underworld. Amid these tests come periods of rest where the party can regain their strength (or count the bodies, if the party is the third type).
Arrival and Frustration
They’re so close! Our heroes can see the Emerald City! They’re almost there! Oh, wait, the Wizard won’t actually help them until they kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Damn. Well, that’s annoying. Our heroes still have some work to do before they actually complete their Quest.
The Final Ordeals
Now come the final tests of our heroes. Often these come in sets of three, like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Usually our main hero is the only one who can complete the final test. Success! And then our intrepid band of heroes (or just one hero, in case everyone else is dead) makes an amazing escape from death, either by running away or by killing whatever bad guys are left.
The Goal
Huzzah! Our hero(es) have completed their quest, and get their treasure/kingdom/princess/trip home.
Most stories involving the Holy Grail are Quests, as is the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Princess Bride, andFinding Nemo. If information is considered to be the sought-after item in the Quest, most police/legal procedurals could be considered miniature quests. By varying the elements of the Quest story, the plot type can still stay fresh.
7 Plots Theory Definition
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PRACTICE
Pick one of the stages of the Quest and write a scene from that stage for fifteen minutes. Post your practice in the comments section, and check out the work of your fellow writers.