Types of novel plot structure

sunandshadow · Jun 30, 2005

What sorts of plot forms are there, and what is the difference between them? What kind of story question does each ask and answer?

Some general categories:

Adventure :Headbang:

- "Will character X be able to overcome obstacle Y?"

Mystery :idea:

- "Who did it?" or "What method caused this effect?"

Romance :kiss:

is NOT a plot form - you see love stories with all kinds of different plot structures - with and without antagonists, with and without multiple protagonists, with and without a quest/heroic journey, with and without a revelation at the end, with and without high suspense, etc.

Speaking of kinds of plot structures, let's get more specific.

I think a major division between plot forms is whether they have a subjectively weighted conflict between a hero and a villain, or they have an objectively weighted conflict between multiple protagonists who are neither heros nor villains.

Not all plot structures have names, unfortunately, but here's one example of a type of plot with an 'objectively weighted conflict between multiple protagonists who are neither heros nor villains'. This is the type of plot common in historicals, some fantasy, and space opera which involves the interactions between several political factions and usually climaxes in some sort of global cultural change (e.g. establishment of a new dynasty or species, revolution destroying the current government, wave of cultural change which results in a transformation of all the people such that they are alien to who they used to be, etc.)

So, what other general and specific types of plot structure can you think of? What plot elements differ between these types of structure? In other words, what basic shapes of novels are there which a novelist might want to create one of? What type of plot structure do(es) your novel(s) have?

zornhau · Jun 30, 2005

I'll just drop in to say that though this is a fun excercise in lit crit, I'm not sure that it's very useful in composition. really, IMHO, you just have to know your story question and plot accordingly.

sunandshadow · Jun 30, 2005

But knowing what possible kinds of story questions there are will help you figure out what yours is, right? And being able to specify the plot type you are aiming for could be very helpful in discussing your plot with critters, or decide whether adding some element you have doubts about will help your plot or derail it because it doesn't fit in the pattern.

Mistook · Jun 30, 2005

Just so we're all clear...

From Meriam Webster Unabridged:

plot
Pronunciation:

plät, usu -äd+V
Function: noun
...

4 a : the plan or pattern of events or the main story of a literary work (as a novel, play, short story, or poem) comprising the gradual unfolding of a causally connected series of motivated incidents : narrative structure <complications of the plot> <a detective story with an ingenious plot> <a novel almost without plot>

and as a verb...

5 : to invent or devise the plot of (a literary work) <plotted his play carefully>
intransitive verb

Mistook · Jun 30, 2005

As a writer, I think of the plot as kind of a Rube-Goldberg contraption. It's a series of weirdly related events that results in an outcome. Observe below, the "Simplified Pencil Sharpener"

Open window (A) and fly kite (B). String (C) lifts small door (D) allowing moths (E) to escape and eat red flannel shirt (F). As weight of shirt becomes less, shoe (G) steps on switch (H) which heats electric iron (I) and burns hole in pants (J). Smoke (K) enters hole in tree (L), smoking out opossum (M) which jumps into basket (N), pulling rope (O) and lifting cage (P), allowing woodpecker (Q) to chew wood from pencil (R), exposing lead. Emergency knife (S) is always handy in case opossum or the woodpecker gets sick and can't work.

scribbler1382 · Jun 30, 2005

I was going to use this in the "storyteller vs. writer" thread, but I think it fits here better:

"The King died and then the Queen died" is a story. "The King died and then the Queen died of grief" is a plot. (from E.M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel)

maestrowork · Jun 30, 2005

Yup. Or if I may: story is "what happened." Plot is "first what happens, then what next?"

SRHowen · Jun 30, 2005

and I'll add that I think people get that mixed up--what ray said.

azbikergirl · Jun 30, 2005

Some plot structures I can think of off the top of my head: quest/chase, kidnap & rescue, puzzle, capture & escape, adventure, coming of age, revenge.

I'm not sure if my finished novel follows the typical "quest" structure because my hero doesn't actually want the thing he's after. His plan is to give it to someone else, but then he learns the bad guy is after it, so it becomes a sort of capture-the-flag story.

The next novel will probably be more a puzzle than anything else.

hpoppink · Jun 30, 2005

azbikergirl said:
Some plot structures I can think of off the top of my head: quest/chase, kidnap & rescue, puzzle, capture & escape, adventure, coming of age, revenge.

I'm close to finishing the first draft of my first novel. From this list, I would say I have a quest/chase/kidnap/rescue/capture/escape/adventure/coming of age story.

I think my tale may be a bit too complicated.

Mistook · Jun 30, 2005

hpoppink said:
I'm close to finishing the first draft of my first novel. From this list, I would say I have a quest/chase/kidnap/rescue/capture/escape/adventure/coming of age story.

I think my tale may be a bit too complicated.

Mine is a little different. It's the quest/intrigue/capture/rescue/revenge/puzzle/warfare/romance/zen/coming of age story... with a twist of lime.

sunandshadow · Jul 1, 2005

Damn, compared to that my buddy story/stormy romance/political blackmail/true love/Ds romance/social progress story seems simple, lol!

Mistook · Jul 1, 2005

sunandshadow said:
Damn, compared to that my buddy story/stormy romance/political blackmail/true love/Ds romance/social progress story seems simple, lol!

What you need to do is include a character who's allergic to peanuts. Trust me, it's in all the best plots.

zornhau · Jul 1, 2005

I used to like Orson Scott Card's MICE quotient:

Milieu
Idea
Character
Event

...but, e.g. a Quest structure could just be a way of exploring a Milieu, an Idea, a Character or the ramifications of an Event.

Diviner · Jul 1, 2005

hpoppink said:
I'm close to finishing the first draft of my first novel. From this list, I would say I have a quest/chase/kidnap/rescue/capture/escape/adventure/coming of age story.

I think my tale may be a bit too complicated.

Sounds like we are writing the same story. Is your main character allergic to beets, too?

Kiva Wolfe · Jul 1, 2005

Fascinating topic. I am writing suspense-adventure, which means I must be throwing in a whole hoard of Y for X to surmount. It's series based, almost like a saga, where one book leads to the next. I'm writing it like the hero's journey, a 12-step process where transformation is as important as the goal, and the goal changes as the character grows and faces new challenges.

Things seem a tad harder to define when you're writing cross-genre fiction. I suppose I'm not focusing as much on conforming to a specific plot structure as I am telling the story and pushing the envelope of formula fiction.

hpoppink · Jul 1, 2005

Mistook said:
Mine is a little different. It's the quest/intrigue/capture/rescue/revenge/puzzle/warfare/romance/zen/coming of age story... with a twist of lime.

Diviner said:
Sounds like we are writing the same story. Is your main character allergic to beets, too?

Wow, I haven't laughed out loud like this in months. Thanks everyone.

victoriastrauss · Jul 1, 2005

sunandshadow said:
What sorts of plot forms are there, and what is the difference between them? What kind of story question does each ask and answer?

Some general categories:

Adventure - "Will character X be able to overcome obstacle Y?"

Mystery - "Who did it?" or "What method caused this effect?"

I think you are confusing plot and genre. It's useful to know what genre you're writing in, as this will help you submit effectively to publishers and/or agents. Categorizing plot structure is more of an academic exercise; I don't see that it's a lot of help in writing.

- Victoria

Mistook · Jul 1, 2005

Let's raise the stakes...

We might learn more about plots if we look at the issue in terms of bad plots and good plots.

To me, the bad plot is where the writer starts to have all kinds of great ideas halfway through the book for where to take the story, but when it's over, he doesn't bother to check the first half of the book to see if there are contradictions and loopholes.

Occasionally somebody asks what the difference is between a liar and a fiction writer, and to me, the answer is that liars often accumulate plot contradictions as they add to their original lie. When such are pointed out, the liar must resort to ever more fanciful ways of explaining the contradictions, which lead to other contradictions, until the whole story disintegrates into a worthless mush.

If you reveal in chapter 38, that X is actually Y's long lost brother, and that Z is their mother, then please refer back to chapter 16, when you mentioned that Z is a transexual who was born male and later had a sex change.

It's not always that blatant, of course, but make sure that the line of cause and effect is in tact, and make sure that every bizarre element of the story has a point. Don't keep mentioning these secret government bee-keepers, and hinting that they have something to do with the aliens, without explaining HOW, and WHY that has anything to do with the rest of the story.

hpoppink · Jul 1, 2005

My general take on the quality of plots:

Good plots: Interesting point A leads to compelling point B leads to dynamite point C.

Mediocre plots: bland point A leads to trite point B leads to unexpected but logical point C.

Bad plots: Bizarre point A happens, then there's this crazy point B that has nothing to do with A. At least point C is cool, although beats me what it has to do with the other events of the book.

Horrible plots: Point A happens. At the end of the book.

Mistook · Jul 1, 2005

hpoppink said:
My general take on the quality of plots:

Good plots: Interesting point A leads to compelling point B leads to dynamite point C.

Mediocre plots: bland point A leads to trite point B leads to unexpected but logical point C.

Bad plots: Bizarre point A happens, then there's this crazy point B that has nothing to do with A. At least point C is cool, although beats me what it has to do with the other events of the book.

Horrible plots: Point A happens. At the end of the book.

Heheh

Good breakdown.

reph · Jul 1, 2005

Mistook said:
Don't keep mentioning these secret government bee-keepers, and hinting that they have something to do with the aliens, without explaining HOW, and WHY that has anything to do with the rest of the story.

Isn't it obvious? The main character is allergic to bee stings.

Mistook · Jul 1, 2005

reph said:
Isn't it obvious? The main character is allergic to bee stings.

HAHAHA!

sunandshadow · Jul 1, 2005

victoriastrauss said:
I think you are confusing plot and genre. It's useful to know what genre you're writing in, as this will help you submit effectively to publishers and/or agents. Categorizing plot structure is more of an academic exercise; I don't see that it's a lot of help in writing.

- Victoria

I believe genre is partially determined by plot type. And as the type of writer who writes an outline first, it would be greatly helpful to my writing if I knew what shape of plot I was trying to outline.

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