Agent 99 - Online story telling

The land of the Hero falls under the shadow of a preternatural Monster. The hero receives a special weapon and goes to battle the monster. After a long hazourdous journey he reaches the monster and engagaes it in battle. Almost killed himself, with a last effort he finally defeats the monster with the aid of his special weapon, frees the kingdom and gets a partner.

Here are some highly compressed notes I made while reading ‘The Seven Basic Plots’ by Christopher Booker. I will write a review of this book as there is much that is useful and much that is pointless. But his seven types are pretty good.

Examples: Gilgamesh, Perseus, ST George, Jaws, Dr No, Beowulf, Aliens, War of the Worlds

Genres: The gothic Horror, Melodrama, War stories, Western, the Thrilller, the disaster movie

The monster

The monster is animal, but possesses almost human skill and cunning. The monster is egocentric in the extreme.

Invariably the monster is one of three types:

• Is active, a predator casting a shadow of death
• Is a Holdfast, guaring a liar or a treasure it was gotten through ill means
• Is an Avenger, wreacking havor and despair if it is challenged

The monster will always have a weak point, something that it doesn’t see but the hero will uncover. Aka the Fatal Flaw.

The 5 stage monster model

1: The call

The threat is revealed, the hero summoned and gifted his special weapons. The prize may be revealed (The Princess, The Treasure)

2. Initial Success

Or, the Dream stage’ where everything goes right - the monsters henchmen may be defeated easily or a skirmish with the monster goes well.

3. Confrontation

Or, Frustration stage. The hero is near the monster but cannot act for some reason (maybe he has been trapped himself). Being close to the lair also means he can see what is being hidden (the treature, the girl)

4. Final Ordeal

Or, the Nightmare stage. The monster gives the hero some terrible ordeal to go through.

5. Escape

And death of the monster. Through a last second twist, the hero exploits a weakness and with his special tool defeats the monster, sets free (and enjoys) the treasure. Often the hero gets a bonus as well, The Kingdom, the outward sign that they are now mature enough to rule over others and be a ‘leader of men’.