We’ve covered Consumer Genres and Content Genres, and now I want to look at Story Genres. This is the last helpful list of genre types I’ve found, and it was created by Blake Snyder in his Cave The Save! books. I am presenting Jessica Brody’s version of it, which is focused on novel writing. There are ten genres, and each focuses on a different plot type.
Story Genres
The Save the Cat! story genres were created to make book categories that weren’t focused on tone or what primary emotion the reader expected to feel during the story. Instead, the goal was to make categories that helped writers create a successful story. After studying thousands of movies, Blake discovered all stories fell into one of ten categories. In Jessica’s book, she gives three key elements for each genre.
1. Whydunit
We usually think of this genre as mysteries, but Blake calls is Whydunit because often the mystery the reader wants solved is not who did the crime, but why. In this genre, the protagonist must solve a mystery and reveal something shocking about human nature. Some examples of this genre include the Nancy Drew series, They Do It with Mirrors, and The Da Vinci Code.
The three key elements of a Whydunit are: a detective, a secret, and a dark turn. The detective can be a professional like Sherlock or an amateur like Miss Marple. The secret is the last part of the truth that is discovered and reveals something shocking about the dark side of humanity. The dark turn refers to the protagonist. She must be so deep in the case that she loses sight of her own morals, maybe making compromises to solve the case. This shows the moral dilemma that even those trying to enforce the law can bend under the pressure of darkness.
2. Rites Of Passage
This genre includes all the stories that center on a universal experience. They are about emotional growing pains that everyone goes through in their life. Puberty. Loss. Addiction. Heartbreak. The protagonist basically has to endure the pain of change through life’s daily challenges. Examples of Rites of Passage stories are Anne of Green Gables, The Last Song, and Emma.
The Rites of Passage stories have three main elements: a life problem, a wrong way to attack the problem, and an acceptance of the hard truth. The life problem is the universal challenge that can happen to anyone. When confronted with the problem, the protagonist will try to handle it the wrong way. Usually, she will avoid it to minimize the pain of the event. Then, in the end, she will come to the hard truth: she will have to be the one to change, not her life. She must accept the challenge is not going anywhere and learn to deal with it in a healthy manner.
3. Institutionalized
At the heart of every Institutionalized story is one question: to join or not to join? The protagonist either enters or is already part of a group and must choose to stay, leave, or destroy the group. These stories are full of the “us versus them” mentality. Some examples are Fight Club, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
The three essential elements for Institutionalized stories are: a group, a choice, and a sacrifice. The group can be a family, organization, or business. The choice refers to a conflict between the protagonist and an avid supporter of the group. Whether your protagonist is a newbie or a veteran of the group, she will have second thoughts and wonder if she should stay or not. The sacrifice happens in the end when the protagonist must give up something for the choice she has made. Whether she stays, leaves, or destroys the group from within, the protagonist must lose something important due to the decision.
4. Superhero
The Superhero genre is for those stories about the “chosen one.” The protagonist is an extraordinary person in a mundane world, and she is destined for greatness (usually saving the world from a great evil). Superhero genre examples include Eragon, Shadow and Bone, and The Bourne Identity.
Three main story elements for the Superhero genre are: a power, a nemesis, and a curse. Your protagonist must have a power or special skill that sets her apart from everyone else. Then the nemesis is the antagonist who is equal to or better than the protagonist but lacks the confidence that comes with being “the one.” Finally, there must be a curse or price that the protagonist pays for being special. This is what makes the protagonist relatable to readers because she has a struggle as well, even if it’s just the difficulty of not fitting in with others.
5. Dude With A Problem
This genre is the opposite of the last one. An ordinary protagonist gets hit with some extraordinary challenges and must rise to the occasion. Often these stories have strong external conflicts where the protagonist just keeps getting new problems thrown at her. Examples of Dude with a Problem stories are Hunger Games, Holes, and The Martian.
The Dude with a Problem genre has three key elements: an innocent hero, a sudden event, and a life-or-death battle. The innocent hero is your protagonist who never asked to be involved but somehow got dragged into it and has the skills to succeed. The sudden event is the inciting incident that pushed the protagonist into the problem. Then there must be a battle that threatens the life of someone or a group of people.
6. Fool Triumphant
The Fool Triumphant genre is all about the underdog. The underestimated protagonist rises up against the powers that be and proves to everyone that she has worth. Everyone discounts her, except maybe one who tries to hide her worth, until the end when she succeeds against the antagonist. Some examples include Jane Eyre, The Princess Diaries, and Dumbo.
The three essential ingredients for a Fool Triumphant story are: a fool, an establishment, and a transmutation. The fool is the protagonist whose innocence and mild manner makes them easy to ignore. The establishment is the people who the protagonist comes up against and does not get along with at first. The transmutation is when the protagonist becomes something new, shedding the title of a fool.
7. Buddy Love
Buddy Love stories encompass all love stories. Romance, family, friendship, or even pet love. It’s when the protagonist is transformed by meeting someone and making a connection with him or her. Examples of Buddy Love stories are Marley and Me, Don Quixote, and Twilight.
The three main elements of Buddy Love stories are: an incomplete hero, a counterpart, and a complication. The incomplete hero is your protagonist who has a void in her life that needs to be filled. The counterpart is the being who has what the protagonist needs and can complete her. The complication is the main conflict in the story that keeps the protagonist and the counterpart separated. It can be an event, a person, a misunderstanding, or even society itself.
8. Out Of The Bottle
Out of the Bottle stories are about temporarily being touched by magic but then realizing that reality isn’t so bad. The magic can be a temporary change in reality like granting a wish, causing a curse, or getting zapped to another dimension. Examples of this genre are Freaky Friday, 13 Going on 30, and Mary Poppins.
Out of the Bottle has these three key elements in every story: a hero deserving of the magic, a spell or touch of magic, and a lesson. The protagonist must need this kind of magic and deserve to have it, whether as a reward or punishment for her actions. Your magic must come to the protagonist with rules on how it works. Don’t frustrate readers by changing the magic part way through the story. Lastly, the protagonist must learn the lesson on how to fix her own life the right way without magic.
9. Golden Fleece
A Golden Fleece genre story is about a journey or quest. The protagonist goes on a trip in search of something and learns about herself along the way. Often on the trip, the protagonist will meet new people and encounter roadblocks. Examples of Golden Fleece stories are Six of Crows, The Selection, and The Fellowship of the Ring.
The three main points in a Golden Fleece story are a road, a team or buddy, and a prize. The road is simply the setting that the protagonist must transverse in order to grow and complete her mission. It must be something measurable so the reader can track the character’s progress. The team or buddy is simply people on the journey with the protagonist. These people must have the skills or knowledge the protagonist lacks to finish the quest. There must also be a prize, something essential that the protagonist must get. It can be arriving at a destination, finding treasure, or accomplishing a task in a specific place.
10. Monster In The House
Monster in the House is your classic scary story. A protagonist (or group) is stuck in a confined space with a monster who wants to kill her, and typically she is the reason it exists. Monster in the House genre examples include Frankenstein, The Shining, and Jurassic Park.
The key ingredients for Monster in the House stories are: a monster, a house, and a sin. The monster can be a supernatural beast or a person who has unnatural power due to insanity, but the monster must be the embodiment of evil. The house simply refers to a confined setting where the protagonist and the monster are forced together. There also needs to be a sin, meaning someone has transgressed in a way that brought the monster into that place. The sin is usually connected to the theme and what the protagonist will learn by the end of the story.
Final Thoughts
Those are the ten Story Genres laid out in the Save the Cat! method for writing novels. They are completely different from Consumer Genres. No readers will know what you are talking about if you told them your novel is a Golden Fleece story, but these genres do make more sense for writers. It also simplifies the story categories, and makes it easier to analyze novels if you only need to know story ten methods. Granted, you will still need to know your Consumer Genre for marketing, but hopefully these will make it easier for you to write the books. If you are looking for more information on how to use these genres, check of Jessica Brody’s book.
Thanks for reading!
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