Alec Peche's Blog - Posts Tagged "characters"
Literary experts say that there are only seven plots in fiction. Hmmm
The seven plots are: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. The plots can be used for any genre - romance, mysteries, fantasy, children’s stories, and science fiction. Despite just seven plots, over a million new books are published each year worldwide.
At the beginning of my writing journey, I came across this comment about limited plots. I worried about my works being unique. I googled character names so that even my choice of characters could not be compared to another author’s works. Now occasionally a reader will ask who my works compare to and I am often at a loss. Kathy Reichs comes to mind, but my forensic pathologist is different from her forensic anthropologist and vastly different from Patricia Cornwell’s. In the end, I describe my books as soft-boiled mysteries. When I look at my book on Amazon and see what Amazon’s recommendations are, Kathy Reichs name comes up and do a host of what appears to be Cozy mystery authors. My present series is not considered a cozy as the stories are not set in small towns and my main protagonist is not an amateur sleuth.
Who you compare to in the world of fiction is both important yet irrelevant. My four favorite mystery authors have vastly different styles. Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch is nothing like Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, or Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, nor JD Robb’s Eve Dallas. Yet with these authors, I’ll buy their latest release without reading the back cover as I know I’ll enjoy the story. I like the series characters, but they are nothing alike.
How do writers continue to create new stories despite having just the choice of seven plots? The uniqueness of any book is created by the endless combinations of characters, settings, outcomes, and the author’s voice. Added to that, the writer can create a story that is a combination of two plot themes - a Tragic Comedy, or say Overcoming the Monster and Rebirth.
Looking back on my own books, I often use the plot of Overcoming the Monster. It’s hard to create a murder mystery story without the murderer having some sort of monster within. However, I’ve added Humor where appropriate and hints of The Quest as a motive for murder. As an author, I see the characters acting out in my head and so getting their thoughts, behaviors, and actions down on paper is easier. With the exception of my murderers, nearly all of my characters are modeled after someone I know in real life. So when you get right down to it, that variation in the human race is often what makes each story unique.
At the beginning of my writing journey, I came across this comment about limited plots. I worried about my works being unique. I googled character names so that even my choice of characters could not be compared to another author’s works. Now occasionally a reader will ask who my works compare to and I am often at a loss. Kathy Reichs comes to mind, but my forensic pathologist is different from her forensic anthropologist and vastly different from Patricia Cornwell’s. In the end, I describe my books as soft-boiled mysteries. When I look at my book on Amazon and see what Amazon’s recommendations are, Kathy Reichs name comes up and do a host of what appears to be Cozy mystery authors. My present series is not considered a cozy as the stories are not set in small towns and my main protagonist is not an amateur sleuth.
Who you compare to in the world of fiction is both important yet irrelevant. My four favorite mystery authors have vastly different styles. Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch is nothing like Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, or Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, nor JD Robb’s Eve Dallas. Yet with these authors, I’ll buy their latest release without reading the back cover as I know I’ll enjoy the story. I like the series characters, but they are nothing alike.
How do writers continue to create new stories despite having just the choice of seven plots? The uniqueness of any book is created by the endless combinations of characters, settings, outcomes, and the author’s voice. Added to that, the writer can create a story that is a combination of two plot themes - a Tragic Comedy, or say Overcoming the Monster and Rebirth.
Looking back on my own books, I often use the plot of Overcoming the Monster. It’s hard to create a murder mystery story without the murderer having some sort of monster within. However, I’ve added Humor where appropriate and hints of The Quest as a motive for murder. As an author, I see the characters acting out in my head and so getting their thoughts, behaviors, and actions down on paper is easier. With the exception of my murderers, nearly all of my characters are modeled after someone I know in real life. So when you get right down to it, that variation in the human race is often what makes each story unique.
