10 Story Models that Will Change the Way You Brainstorm

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms. She writes weird books for teens in lots of weird genres like, fantasy (Blood of Kings trilogy), science fiction (Replication), and dystopian (The Safe Lands trilogy). Find Jill on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or on her author website.

On Tuesday, I mentioned Blake Snyder's book Save the Cat.  I adore this book. The man speaks my language. And he gives me plenty of examples to follow. This is a book about writing screenplays, not fiction. But I think there is much to be learned from screenplay writers about telling an engaging story. 

Chapter two is called "Give Me the Same Thing . . . Only Different!" and it talks about how selling a movie idea is all about putting a fresh spin on a universal story line. Snyder explains that he and a friend talked about it and realized that there were really only ten basic movie types out there. Whether or not you agree with him, the concept is intriguing. In his book he suggests that if you can figure out which type of story you have, you'll be well on your way to figuring out what the plot structure might look like.

Here are the ten story models from Blake Snyder's Save the Cat:

1. Monster in the House: This is your basic horror flick. The monster is not always a monster, but this story type always includes a monster-type character(s) and a house or a location in which they are trapped. Some examples are: Jaws, The Host, The Ring, and Jurassic Park.

2.Golden Fleece: Here is your basic quest story in which your hero goes on the road in search of something but often discovers who he is along the way. Examples are: The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Back to the Future, and National Treasure.

3. Out of the Bottle: This is a fish-our-of-water story that often involves someone getting their greatest wish. Ex: Freaky Friday, Bruce Almighty, Ella Enchanted, and Big.

4. Dude with a Problem: An ordinary guy (or guys) finds himself in extraordinary circumstances and must step up and save the day. This story can be action: Die Hard, The Fugitive, Speed, or The Bourne Identity; it could be a scary story like: Misery, Sleeping with the Enemy, or Cape Fear; or a global problem like: Deep Impact, Outbreak, or The Day After Tomorrow.

5. Rites of Passage: Here are your coming-or-age stories, your mid-life crises, and various other life-changing problems. For example: Napoleon Dynamite, Sixteen Candles, When a Man Loves a Woman, and Kramer vs. Kramer.

6. Buddy Love: Believe it or not, this is where your romance stories fall, as well as your cop partner movies, and those stories about a boy and his dog. Pet love: The Yearling, Air Bud, Black Beauty. Professional love: Lethal Weapon, Dumb & Dummer, Rush Hour, Wayne's World. Romantic comedy: Sleepless in Seattle, Titanic, Gone with the Wind, The Notebook. Forbidden love: Twilight, Romeo & Juliet, Dirty Dancing, Beauty and the Beast.

7. Whydunit: This is your mystery plot that takes the audience through a story of discovery. These could be detective stories, science fiction, or stories of secrets in a person's life. Ex: JFK, The Sixth Sense, Minority Report, Fargo, Kiss the Girls.

8. The Fool Triumphant: Here you have a story of the dumb guy who succeeds. He doesn't have to be dumb, either. But he is in regard to his new-found situation like in the movie Dave. Here are some other examples: King Ralph, The Princess Diaries, Mrs. Doubtfire, She's the Man, Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, and Elf.

9. Institutionalized: These are stories about a group of people with a common cause. Ex: Top Gun, A Few Good Men, The Godfather, Office Space, Training Day, Mona Lisa Smile, The Devil Wears Prada, Dead Poet's Society.

10. Superhero: An extraordinary person finds himself in an ordinary world: how does he cope/deal with the story problem? Ex: Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Peter Pan, the Harry Potter movies, The Matrix, Eragon, Gladiator, The Three Musketeers, The Incredibles, X-men.

So, what do you think? Can you pinpoint which story model your story might fall into? I like this book so much, I'm going to buy a copy for one lucky winner. Enter on the Rafflecopter form below.  International entries are welcome!

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