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16 September 2015

Storylines: Quest Transition

Today, I conclude this series with a highlight. As a storyline, “quest transition” needs no examples. In it, the protagonist simply embarks on a “voluntary” transition for the sake of some treasure; it ends when the protagonist returns home. As to what “voluntary” encompasses, I mean only that the protagonist has the opportunity and means to give up, even if returning home will then prove impossible.

This storyline requires continually renewed commitment on the protagonist’s part. There is not much more to the storyline. Its appeal is universal, and it may be found in most stories. Its ending may be both satisfying and realistic, since home is always waiting. In writing it, simply bear in mind that the protagonist’s real struggle is against their own desire to give up, and the challenges they face are merely secondary struggles. You almost can’t go wrong with this storyline.

And that concludes the series! I think I could subdivide some of these storylines into worthy categories, but the twelve categories I have created serve well enough:

Transition
Redemption
Beauty
Mystery
Deliverer
Rescue
Dark Redemption
Casual Redemption
Invading Transition
Intersecting planes
Casual Transition
Quest Transition

To clarify, these storylines are patterns in literature, not rules for writing. There are exceptions to all the patterns, and such exceptions may even prove to be exceptional stories. However, should you wish to include a particular storyline in your work, these categories serve to identify the strengths and weaknesses of that storyline, while warning you against certain pitfalls common to their less-than-stellar incarnations.

I hope that your writing may profit from them as mine has.

And now, on to bigger and better things! :-)