Plot Types Part Two

The Monster Tale

A cruel, inconsiderate, nearly unstoppable monster threatens the hero or his community. In the end, the reader (and possibly the hero) learns the monster’s blind spot or vulnerability.

Examples: Beowulf, Labyrinth

Stages

1. Anticipation & The Call

The hero glimpses the monster’s destructive power, learn of its fearsome reputation and the threat it poses to the community. Hero experiences call to confront it.

2. Dream

As the hero prepares for battle, all seems to go reasonably well for a while. The danger is still comfortably remote.

3. Frustration

Hero comes face to face with monster. Hero seems tiny and alone, seems to be slipping into the monster’s power.

4. Nightmare

The nightmare battle/ordeal arrives in which all the odds seem loaded on the monster’s side. Nevertheless, at the climax the character's newfound knowledge of the monster causes the reversal.

5. Thrilling Escape from Death, and Death of the Monster

The monster is miraculously dealt a lethal blow just in time. The community is liberated. The hero emerges to enjoy the prize he has won from the monster’s grasp.