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So far, in this blog, we have looked at settings and characters. But what is going to happen? Something must otherwise your readers will not be your readers anymore.

It is up to you what sort of story you want to write. In this post, we are going to look at the basic types of plot you can use to help your story along and how to think about what sort of dilemma your main character will face.

It is likely you will already know a few, if not all the basic plot types because with reading, watching the TV, a film, or a play you have seen them before, and they pervade all the genres.

Do not feel these plot types are cliched. Specific things in a story can feel like this, for example, it was all a dream, but these plot types have served writers, playwrights and so on for thousands of years. In other words, they are hardy, durable plots which have lasted the tests of time.

But before we move on to look at them, I want to talk to you about planning your story.

Plots

According to Christopher Booker there are 7 basic plots to all stories. These are:

·      Overcoming the monster: This is the most common of all plot types. The main character defeats an antagonist (the baddie) who has threatened them or their family / home or something else. If the antagonist is rich, strong, and powerful then this could be a David and Goliath story. The monster could be a person; a government; a company or, indeed, a monster.

·   Rags to riches: The main character, from being honest and good, gains a new life. At the start they are usually poor or have just become poor. There is usually some form of monster to overcome but by maintaining their honesty, and sometimes with a good dose of hard work, they succeed either by themselves or with the help of others.

·  The Quest: The main character sets out to win an important object, find the truth, understand something, or arrive at a location facing many obstacles on the way. Alternatively, the quest could be something undertaken at home.

·  Voyage and Return: The main character goes to a strange land and after overcoming problems, returns with experience.

·    Comedy: A funny main character and a story with a happy and cheerful ending (though sometimes with a battle over a baddie too).

· Tragedy: The main character is the villain who falls from grace. A tragedy can also be when the hero does not heed what they have learnt or when they simply cannot overcome or resolve their dilemma.

·    Rebirth: An important event or events forces the main character (at the start, a sort of anti-hero) to change their ways making them a better person. This usually means interaction with other people.

A story can contain just one of these plot types but some will have a few.

Dilemmas

The most common dilemmas or problems in stories are:

1.   Our main character against another (see overcoming the monster).

2.   Our character against themselves.

3.   Our character against nature.

In some stories there can be many overlapping problems. Some authors think about extraordinary dilemmas to give their characters to deal with. Perhaps their characters are extraordinary themselves such as superheroes or real heroes such as doctors or the police. Sometimes normal, everyday characters can be put into extraordinary situations and sometimes an everyday character can face everyday problems. Whatever your story always remember you want to get a connection between the character and your readers.

Once you have decided on the dilemma, you need to think about how it will be resolved (or not). Can the main character do this by themselves or with the help of others.

Some dilemmas and how they are overcome are not as simple as good v evil. Sometimes your character can face a moral dilemma where they must choose between two courses of action which can transgress a moral principle.

Sometimes the only options open to characters are not exactly enticing. But some readers love these scenarios, they want to know what the character will do, will they side with or empathise with their decision? That is up to you and your story writing.

In larger stories, characters can face a barrage of dilemmas. Such is life!  Can they overcome them all? Do some get ignored?

What sort of dilemmas do you like reading about? Is there a special plot that you like as well?