I have often heard people say things like, oh, there's really only six stories out there. All stories are just variations on these six stories.
I decided to find out if it were true.
I decided to find out what those six stories are.
And I found out.
I read an article that said that there are only six stories out there.
And those six are: A rise from sad to happy
A fall from happy to sad
A fall and rise
A rise and fall
A rise, fall, and rise
And a fall, rise, and fall
Oh, I thought. So there Are more than just six stories after all.
For this is just one aspect of plot.
Which is whether the story is happy or sad at any one time.
There are two other elements of plot.
Which is what kind of action is happening
And what kind of person or group is it happening to.
Take, for example, a story about a girl who falls in love and finds happiness
A story about a bunch of kids in a baseball team who win a great underdog victory
And the story of the rise of an entire civilization.
I think we can agree than these are three very different stories.
The story of the rise of Chinese civilization is a very different story from the Bad News Bears.
And yet the three stories I described are all a rise from sad to happy.
They are all the same one of the six- they are all a simple rise.
There are many different stories. Not just six.
Whether the story is happy or sad is only one element of plot.
That said, do not be afraid of retelling classic stories in your own style!
Romeo and Juliet has been retold many times- as the opera Tristan and Isolde, as the movie Titanic, I'm sure as at least one classic Verdi opera
Cinderella has been retold even more times than Romeo and Juliet!
Don't be afraid to retell a classic plot in your own words!
They are not called classics for nothing!
But there are way more than just six plots out there!
Food for thought!
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson