You can have a sci-fi love story, a historical thriller, a fantasy performance story, a mystery romance story, or even a young adult adventure story. The Hobbit , at its core, is an adventure story, and that means that a majority of the scenes move on the Life vs. Death Scale. While there are certainly scenes that fall on the Good vs. Evil and Maturity vs. Death scale that most of the scenes move on.
For more on this, check out our respective guides on inciting incidents and climaxes. These ideas are not new, and I also have to acknowledge a huge debt to the story theorists who have gone before me, especially Blake Snyder, author of Save the Cat ; Robert McKee, author of Story ; and Shawn Coyne, author of Story Grid.
A MacGuffin is an object, place, or sometimes person of great importance to the characters of the story, and the thing that drives the plot. For example, the ring in Lord of the Rings , the horcruxes in Harry Potter, or the ark of the covenant in Indiana Jones.
Most adventure plot types revolve around a MacGuffin, and the inciting incident involves introducing the MacGuffin and its importance.
Main Event: Final showdown with the bad guys while trying to get the MacGuffin. The thriller plot type is closely related to the Action and Mystery plot types. Both begin with some kind of crime, contain investigative elements, and climax with the hero at the mercy of the villain.
However, what makes it unique is there is always a horror element, a sense that this is somehow worse, more monstrous, than your average crime.
However, with thriller, the crime has a horror feel to it, the crime being particularly monstrous, brutal, etc. Main Event: Hero at the Mercy of the Villain.
In the climactic scene, the main character is caught by the antagonist and at their mercy, showing their temporary dominance. Depending on the story arc, the protagonist may reverse their situation or succumb to the antagonist. Value : Life vs. Fate Worse than Death in the sense of a restoration of Justice. Main Event: The Confession. The antagonist confesses to the crime and justice, the power of life over death, is restored. Main Event: Proof of Love.
After some kind of separation, the protagonist must overcome obstacles to prove their love to the other. The core value of the performance story type is esteem, which is all about looking good in front of your community, usually after accomplishing a great feat or winning a widely recognized competition.
Performance stories—whether the performance medium is sports, music, art, or some other avenue—all contain an inciting incident where the characters enter a major tournament, performance, or competition. This competition is usually an actual event e. Main Event: The Big Tournament. After preparing for the big event by overcoming smaller obstacles throughout the story, the protagonist faces their challenger in the final competition.
Main Event: The Revelation. In a moment of crisis, the protagonist has a major worldview revelation, leading them to see the world in a new, more sophisticated way. The value of good vs. Instead, the evil is within the character, and they must choose whether to do the good, self-sacrificial thing or the selfish, evil thing. Main Event: Judgement Day. Facing the consequences of their actions, the main character must either embrace their consequences and change or continue to attempt to escape them and face damnation.
Often this approach works best with either longer works, epics that combine many arcs into one story, or shorter works, like short stories, which may not contain all the elements of longer, more established plot types. However, combining or rearranging plot types is considered advanced. Consider before you attempt to come up with your own completely unique plot type, especially if you are a new writer, as you risk the story not working or getting lost in the plot and failing to finish. Remember: working with an established plot type requires just as much creativity and flair for coming up with dramatic situations as invention your own.
Want to know more? Learn more about how to write a great short story here. Our first batch of plot ideas are for any kind of story, whether a spy thriller or a memoir of your personal life. Here are the best story ideas:. By the way, for more story writing tips for each these plot types, check out our full guide to the 10 types of stories here. Thrillers come in all shapes and forms, dipping freely into other genres.
In other words, expect the unexpected! Click for thriller short story ideas. Brave and clever, Tomoe follows clues until she learns who ordered the murder: Emperor Antoku himself. But why would the emperor of Japan want to kill a lowly soldier? Click for the mystery short story ideas. Hint: When it comes to romance, a sense of humor is always a good idea.
Have fun! A sudden rash of break-ins brings her to his store over and over and over again, until it becomes obvious that he might be tripping the alarm on purpose—just to see her. Write the moment she realizes she has to do something about this crazy illicit courtship. Click for the romance short story ideas. From the minimum-wage-earning, ancient-artifact-hunting time traveller to the space-exploring, sentient dinosaurs, these sci-fi writing prompts will get you set loose your inner nerd.
Click for the short story ideas. Uncomfortable wedding preparation between magic wielding family members and those more on the Muggle side of things. Click for the fantasy short story ideas.
Stories, more than any other artistic expression, have the power to make people care. What is my personal connection to this story?
No matter how good your idea, writing a story or a book can be a long difficult process. How do you create an outline, come up with a great plot, and then actually finish it? My new book The Write Structure will help. You can learn more about The Write Structure and get your copy here. Publish a religious study or devotional workbook Share the divine wisdom and traditions that you know best, including classic teachings and lessons for personal growth.
Write a religious memoir Create a memoir based on personal events, learning, or transformations that led you to your current religious beliefs. Inspire someone with 10 life lessons in food Maybe you lost 50 pounds, or you discovered how the food on your plate affects your mood, sleep, or overall health. Summarize your experience of 30 days on a specific diet Ketogenic. Intermittent fasting.
Low sugar. Gluten free. Compile a research summary of what to eat and why Use your scientist-meets-foodie skills to create a guidebook with nutritional tips, health facts, and dietary inspiration. Explore public policy, ideologies, or politics The debate lover in you already has plenty to say about these big topics, so you bring your persuasive book to life with data and insights.
Forecast political and cultural trends This kind of book takes a knack for research—so use your authority as a demonstrated expert or passionate professional to tell it like it is or like it soon will be. Just make sure to get the a-ok from the original chef! Print a guide to local wineries with photos and reviews Malbec or Shiraz?
Moscato or Chenin Blanc? Explain 10 things you learned about cooking What do you know about baking the perfect cake? Got tips and tricks for southern barbecue? Write what you know. Tell your story of getting out of debt Did you learn financial lessons the hard way? People of all ages are eager to know how you did it. Write about securing investments for a project You organized a first-of-its-kind fundraiser or wrote a grant that save the day.
Offer your best money advice to project leaders everywhere. Offer tips on how to earn a living from creative work Think of it as your gift to the next generation of artists, writers, filmmakers, and photographers. Share advice on running a large business Money makes the world go round. Show what you learned from the failure of a startup Big dreams, harsh reality.
If you had to do it all over again, what would you want to know? Publish a classroom curriculum you designed Did you create lesson units that your students absolutely loved? What kind of project materials were successful, and how could other people use them?
Make a workbook, ebook , or even a magazine that details your process. Tell them what to aim for. Make an instructional knitting or sewing guide If you can stitch like a pro, share your project tips and expertise in a practical craft book. Create an interior design guide book Put your creative instincts in print by sharing your style advice and favorite trends, from Boho chic to French country to modern minimalist.
Encourage people to learn a new hobby Beginner projects in woodworking. One room, twelve ways. Introduction to jewelry making. Your creative skills and talents are invaluable to others who are just starting out, so lead the way! Print on demand makes it easier than ever to create one copy or a thousand. Whatever your next project idea, think of it as just that: your next project, not your only one.
This is just your first book.
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