Too Many Plots Spoil the Soup

DAY 60

Word Count: 38,179

Sentence of the Day: She stiffened, hating the uncanny way he always made her feel like a half-wit.

One of my readers brought up a great point the other day, one that's worthy of an entire entry. The question is:

What if my plot is just like a story that's already out on the market, but it's set in a different era? Is that kosher or not?

Short answer: don't worry about it.

Long answer: don't worry about it and here's why...

There are only so many basic plots to choose from. In fact, people smarter than me argue all the time over what that magic number is. Some scholars say there's only 1 basic plot. Set-up / Conflict / Resolution. Strip away the glitz from any story and yeah, that's what you're left with.

Then there's the 3 plot school of thought (taken from The Basic Patterns of Plot).

Plot 1: happy ending, results when the central character makes a sacrifice for the sake of another.

Plot 2: unhappy ending, when the central character fails to make the needed sacrifice.

Plot 3: literary plot, one that doesn't hinge on decision but upon fate, the critical event takes place at the beginning of the story rather than the end and what follows is inevitable and often tragic.

And let's not forget the 7 Basic Plots we all learned in second grade:

1. man vs. nature

2. man vs. man

3. man vs. the environment

4. man vs. machines/technology

5. man vs. the supernatural

6. man vs. self

7. man vs. god/religion

I've got a book on my shelf that says there are 20 basic plots. In fact, sometimes I look at it for inspiration before I begin a new piece. Check out 20 Master Plots, which goes more in-depth on the following:

1. Quest

2. Adventure

3. Pursuit

4. Rescue

5. Escape

6. Revenge

7. The Riddle

8. Rivalry

9. Underdog

10. Temptation

11. Metamorphosis

12. Transformation

13. Maturation

14. Love

15. Forbidden Love

16. Sacrifice

17. Discovery

18. Wretched Excess

19. Ascension

20. Descension

And for those of you who are really list crazy, check out The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations, wherein you'll find...wait for it...yes...36 different plots.

So, what's my point with all this? I'm going to side with King Solomon. There's nothing new under the sun. Your story may very well be 'just like' another one on the market. Notice, however, that I didn't say identical. Even if I gave 10 writers the exact same plot line with the exact same characters (which I do in my creative writing class), I'll end up reading 10 very different stories. What makes the difference?

VOICE!

God created each of us uniquely. No matter what story you're writing, it's going to sound like you. So go ahead and write with wild abandon the story that's on your heart. Even if one like it has been published before, yours hasn't.

And if God wants it out there, believe me, it will be.