The first story plot archetype from Christopher Booker’s Seven Basic Plots is Overcoming the Monster.
Story
In a small mountain town, the main character finds out about a scary monster that wakes up every hundred years to cause trouble. Weird things start happening, and the main character realizes the monster is back, putting their town in danger.
Write Now!
Write a storyline or plot about how the main character, who’s scared because of something from the past, gets the townspeople together to face the monster. They have to make tough choices, like deciding to give up something important, to save the town. Show how the main character deals with their own fears, makes friends, and what happens because of the choices they make.
You can use the above writing exercise as it is, but I would also like to challenge you to use the exercise for this plot archetype and make it the current time and reality. What kind of monsters are we facing in our current reality? Can you come up with a community that isn’t a small idyllic mountain village? What do the members of this community share that is so important to them they might not want to let it go, even if it will save them?
Tip!
This exercise is about writing a storyline, not a whole story! Don’t try to write the whole story at once, because it consists of many moments, many places and many personalities. Instead answer all the questions first. Who is your main character? Describe your community. What does it look like. Can you describe a few characters who live here or maybe some places, buildings, squares or fields that are important to the people in this community? Which strange things are happening? You can use the Classic Story Structure to help you define these moments more clearly.
