
Here, Card says that something in the universe is out of balance and the protagonist must right-the-wrong, restore-the-rightful-king, restore justice, defeat evil, etc. This story begins and ends with pure character. This explains why Tolkein didn’t stop The Lord of the Rings when the battle against Mordor was won instead, because the focus is on the milieu, he continues on, following the hobbits home, the leaving of the elves and so on, until the Age of Men is established. The setting, culture, world created is the focus of the story. When the setting is in the forefront, as it is in many sff stories, you have a milieu story. Taking a completely different tack, Orson Scott Card in his book, Characters and Viewpoint, asks what aspect of the story are you most interested in? One strength of this approach is that it tells you where to start and end your story.The main thing here is that two characters act upon each other.

This could be a sort of Rivalry story from above, a Love story, a Forbidden Love story, or even one of Pursuit, Rescue, or Escape. The Emotional Structure details how the characters interact.


It’s Dracula, Beauty and the Beast, or the one I remember best is The Fly. If you recently watched the movie, “District 9”, you’ll recognize this plot form. This is a physical transformation of some kind. This is the plot where the under-privileged (handicapped, poor, etc) triumphs despite overwhelming odds. Everyone is the US roots for the Underdog. Character oriented, this story follows two main characters, one on a downward track and one on an upward track and their interactions. Love a good mystery? This is the plot for you. Someone is wronged and vows to take revenge.

Ah, character comes back in with this one. A variation on the Rescue is when the protagonist escapes on his/her own. Another easy to recognize action-oriented plot.
#STAGE PLOT TEMPLATE FOR MAC FREE SERIES#
Plot oriented, this features a goal-oriented series of events. Character oriented story, the protagonist searches for something and winds up changing him/herself.
