There are common story types that most people have seen countless times. These types of stories have been told for generations, some dating back millenia at this point. The heroic tales and tragedies that have been told for ages have been around this long because they connect with us on a deeper level than just entertainment. There is a truth that they’re reflecting through their plot. Even the most basic storyline, if done well, will create a narrative that truly speaks to the reader.

     These common storylines, such as the hero’s journey, overcoming the monster, wolf and cub, etc., work so well because they hold a truth or virtue at a basic level. Hero’s journey, as an example, deals with perseverance and self discipline where the hero must learn, train, and overcome the obstacles within themselves before overcoming the villain or exterior obstacle. We understand the truth in this because we can see it in our everyday life where we must overcome whatever vices we fall prey to and better ourselves daily to complete our goals. Whether that be furthering a faith life, finding a spouse, becoming financially stable, perfecting a hobby, or any long term goal, really.

     Since we connect with this type of story at a base level, there is an inherent attachment to the main character built in to the story. It’s a great place to start for a writer. But when a piece is removed or changed without proper care it can be like removing a support pillar from a building. It will weaken or destroy the attachment to the character and create a dissonance in the story that feels grating to the reader. For instance, imagine if Frodo was able to overcome the Ringwraiths on Weathertop. This would lower the stakes, since the Wraiths are no longer a large threat, and also make Frodo look far more powerful than he should be from his life experiences. The consequence to the reader would be a disconnect from the character. This normal person (Hobbit) is shown to be able to do great deeds without any sort of training or difficulty. He would clearly not be a normal person like we view ourselves to be and our connection to him would be weakened. This error in writing is one of the more prevalent in media lately. Many main characters are written to be already superb without having to overcome any obstacle within. It’s only the exterior obstacle they are concerned with. This type of short circuit of a storyline leaves holes in the plot or leaves the story feeling incomplete, as if we’ve missed something as the reader or viewer.

     There is a trend over the last decade or so to flip or “subvert” (I’ve heard that term going around entertainment media so much lately that I now despise it) some of these classic stories to try and update or refresh them with the goal of creating new stories that don’t seem “stale”. This works well once in a while but it must be done extremely well and with great understanding of what parts of the story are being flipped or changed. If done wrong, it just leads to an overcomplicated or pretentious mess with a storyline that just feels disjointed. Just because a story is different from it’s predecessors doesn’t make it good or ingenious. Taking the pistons out of a car engine would definitely make it different than other models, but now the car doesn’t work. A narrative doesn’t always need to do something radically different to stand above others.

     Star Wars Episode 8 is probably one of the most well-known examples of this type of plot change that went awry. We are shown that Luke, the character who has already completed his hero’s arc in previous tales, has reverted and is now bitter and cynical. This could have been done as a late in life plot that revolves around Luke overcoming his bitterness and realizing that there are still good things in the universe. It would end up being somewhat similar in tone to Gran Torino. However, Luke is not the main character of this movie. So his storyline clashes with the main plot of Rey searching for her parents and trying to become a hero for the rebellion. Because Luke is not the main character, this narrative seems broken. His storyline, which we are already invested in from previous movies, is fighting for time against Rey’s story. Due to this constraint, there is no setup for Luke’s current arc. So his transformation in the end is jarring, which leads to the resolution feeling confusing. Many in the audience are led to think “how did we get here?” From Rey’s side of the plot, Luke was needed to be the mentor that guides her on her path to becoming a hero. But since he is preoccupied with his own issues, Rey doesn’t have a true mentor. She is missing a crucial piece on her journey and we are left wondering “why did these characters even interact with each other?” This plot was missing pieces that were needed for this type of story.

     Outstanding stories can be written by following the blueprints already available. Written well, a standard story progression already covers many plot issues. A good writer can add a flourish or twist, but plots don’t even need to be overly complicated. The Chronicles of Prydain books are some of the most straightforward hero stories, but they’re beloved because the characters are written with personality and traits that we can identify with. The hero, Taran, begins as a simple pig keeper’s assistant and slowly learns how to be the hero he always dreamed of being through many trials and failures. In the back of our mind, we know that he will succeed because it’s that kind of story. But this doesn’t detract from the tension in the narrative. We still get nervous and wonder “will he win this time?” We are rooting for the protagonist because we can connect with him. He is working toward a virtue that we ourselves strive to attain in our own lives (though not generally through fighting dark lords in melee combat).

     The failure of many stories in current media is due to the misunderstanding of which pieces are needed for a great narrative. In this article, I don’t mean to say that trying new methods or story structure should be suppressed. We want new types of story. Experimenting with the pieces and structure should be encouraged since this is how we get something new and innovative, but a thorough understanding of the pieces being changed or flipped is necessary. Even the most basic story structure can be made into something truly great in the hands of a passionate and skilled author who understands each component of their characters and created world.

     Once a writer understands the bones of a basic storyline, they can start making changes that enhance rather than destroy the theme. The original Rocky story is a great example of replacing a piece of the hero’s journey with great care. We join Rocky on this journey starting from a lowly nobody in the boxing world. He is given a chance to attain greatness, but he has to work hard and train with his mentor. One of the great themes in the story is perseverance and overcoming the internal obstacles standing in our way. Apollo Creed is presented as the antagonist since he is the opponent in the championship bout. The end is where the change in the classic tale takes place. Rocky (spoilers for a 50 year old movie) loses in the end and it’s then that we realize that the actual opponent was Rocky himself. Even though our hero loses in the end, it still feels like a victory because Rocky has overcome his internal obstacles and proves that he has what it takes to grasp greatness. His training has paid off and he has overcome his self doubt with the help of his friends and love interest. This plot works incredibly well because it is still founded on a truth that we all understand: perseverance and hard work lead to self respect, which is a different type of victory.

     The stories that have stood the test of time are the ones that speak to us on a basic level. The plots may take many twists and turns or be straightforward, but they are built on a fundamental truth or virtue to which we connect. The classic story progressions that we often see are roadmaps to understanding these truths. Pieces of these stories can be moved or changed, but they must be replaced by something that serves the same purpose of reflecting a principle or truth that the reader or viewer can connect to. The only way to be able to effectively break the rules of writing plot is to completely understand each piece and its purpose.

-Patrick Jones