7 Ways to Put Your Own Spin on a Story Idea

You don’t need a completely original idea to write a great novel

Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash

Christopher Booker spent 34 years researching and writing a book called The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. He argues that all stories boil down to seven basic plot structures:

1. Overcoming the Monster
2. Rags to Riches
3. The Quest
4. Voyage and Return
5. Rebirth
6. Comedy
7. Tragedy

When I first heard this theory, I felt a little panicky. Did this mean that we’d eventually run out of new stories? Has everything worth reading already been written?

And most importantly: Is there any room for my story?

Fortunately, I’ve come around to a new way of thinking: You don’t need a profound idea to write a good novel.

Even if there are only a handful of story plots, and the same ideas are at the center of every book, there’s still room to make the story your own. In fact, you are the only person who can write your story.

There is always more than one way to tell a story