# Basic story patterns **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779 "2014-03-28T19:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/21 "2014-03-31T20:38:41Z")
It was a dark and stormy morning… ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/22 "2014-04-01T00:42:01Z")
Gradually, a shot rang out. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/23 "2014-04-03T03:44:30Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > [Kishotenketsu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu). > > Western stories tend to obey the Freytag Pyramid. After an introduction that establishes the situation, there’s an inciting incident that creates a conflict that sets the story in motion. This conflict builds until the climax is reached and the conflict is resolved. That wikipedia link doesn’t give any exaples of stories, so can you point us to a few examples of actual stories (not 4-panel comics) that adopt this structure? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/24 "2014-04-03T05:04:09Z")
Perhaps the movie Tokyo Story might be an example? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/25 "2014-04-03T08:44:55Z")
(Wrong thread—damnit) ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/26 "2014-04-03T11:35:19Z")
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Plot Mad Libs, from my Goodreads review of _Mistborn_: 😃 "The basic plot is about as stock as it gets. If you’re familiar with the _Star Wars_ films, the _Harry Potter_ or _Percy Jackson_ books, _Eragon_, the _Dragonriders of Pern_ trilogy, _Dune, Ender’s Game_, or any one of about a million other works, please play along: **Dear** _[kid with weird name]_ **, I know you are only a** _[farmer / orphan / urchin / child of a minor noble]_ **, and this will be hard for you to accept, but you** _[have Great Powers / are the Chosen One / insert name of funky power here]_ **. You are the only one who can** _[save the world / save the universe / defeat the Empire / restore order to the Force / kill the Big Boss]_ **. Luckily, even though you just learned your destiny fifteen minutes ago, you will make up for lost time by quickly becoming better than anyone in the history of ever at** _[Quidditch / dragon riding / sandworm riding / Allomancy]_ **. Any questions?"** ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/27 "2014-04-03T11:47:07Z")
Cecil has dealt with this: [What are the seven basic literary plots? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2366/what-are-the-seven-basic-literary-plots) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/28 "2014-04-03T12:43:25Z")
Um, Chronos, look at post #17. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/29 "2014-04-03T12:53:28Z")
1. Someone else is on the island (big game hunter, beautiful woman, jungle boy). 2. The castaways are threatened by a natural disaster (sinking island, tsunami, volcano). 3. Something odd is washed ashore (radioactive seeds, containers of ice cream, a robot). 4. The castaways are finally about to be rescued, but Gilligan fucks everything up. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/30 "2014-04-04T02:47:33Z")
The further down you pare the list of plots, the more general those plots are. The real question is, how few can you get while still having them detailed enough to be useful for analysis. I’d think that would have to be in the double digits. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779/31 "2014-04-04T10:14:26Z")
I saw something that apparently came from [Pixar](http://www.workingdifferently.org/4/post/2013/03/the-pixar-pitch-telling-your-story-crisply-and-with-clarity-in-order-to-compel-action.html): 1. Once upon a time there was … 2. Every day … 3. One day … 4. Because of that … 5. Because of that … 6. Until finally … This covers a lot but it’s more about structure than plot, if that makes sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-story-patterns/684779.md?page=1)