“Everything Is A Remix”: Using Narrative Patterns

How often have you gone to see a film, or read a book, and felt the plot was vaguely familiar? Sure, it might have been a different genre, or a different nationality, but something about it wasn’t new. Let’s be honest, we’re told often enough that there are no new stories, and that everything is a regurgitation of everything else. Some commentators believe there can only be seven essential narratives, while Russian scholar Vladimir Propp managed to boil folktales down to a single narrative. So if there are so few narratives, how do we keep writing without accusations of plagiarism?

Narrative vs Plot

Well the difference lies in the space between narrative and plot. The plot is the sum of what happens, while the narrative is the trajectory that accompanies this plot. You’d wind up being sued if you wrote a story about a teenage boy who discovered he was really a famous wizard with a cool scar, who went off to boarding school to learn magic and ultimately defeat the Big Bad plaguing the story’s universe. That plot has already been done. However, if you simply want to write about a boy who discovers he is far from simply ordinary, who has to battle the odds to restore balance and order to his world, then go nuts. Make of it what you will. The difference? One is the plot, which tells you what actually happens, and to whom. The other is the narrative pattern, composed of symbols and archetypes. You can’t copyright an archetype.

Let me show you an example using two films that seem wholly unrelated at first glance, yet demonstrate how you can use existing narrative patterns without risking a lawsuit.

Pirates in Space?

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a rollicking adventure romp set in the early eighteenth century, and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is a science fiction classic in a galaxy far, far away. So far, so different. But are they really? Let’s look at our heroes. On the one hand, you’ve got Luke Skywalker, an ordinary farm boy with big ambitions, and who is oblivious to the importance of his father. On the other, you’ve got Will Turner, a blacksmith’s apprentice with big ambitions, who is oblivious to the importance of his father. Both of them find themselves hauled out of the doldrums of their humdrum existences, and catapulted onto the true trajectory of their lives – it takes the murder of Luke’s family and the kidnap of Will’s true love to spur them to greatness.

Neither of them work alone, being sent “helpers” of dubious ethics and with questionable intentions. Han Solo is the scruffy smuggler, wanted across the galaxy for various misdemeanors, a man obsessed with his ship and happy to completely steal the film from the hero. Captain Jack Sparrow is the lovable rogue, wanted across the Seven Seas for a whole host of crime, a man obsessed with his ship and… you get the idea. Both characters are entirely out for themselves, but when the chips are down, they’ll finally come through for our heroes.

The triumvirate of “good” would be incomplete without the ladies. Princess Leia is the adoptive daughter of a king, working behind the scenes in the Imperial Senate to undermine the evil Empire, and whose knowledge sees her imprisoned by the villain. Elizabeth Swann is the daughter of an island governor, dreaming of adventure, and whose assumed identity sees her imprisoned by the villain. True, there are minor differences, but both ladies are feisty and far from damsels in distress.  We can’t forget the villains, either. Both Darth Vader and Captain Barbossa are bad men paying for their past mistakes – one tried to cheat death on behalf of his wife, and the other tried to cheat death in the name of treasure.

Granted there are some deviations, most notably the fact that Will is trying to rescue the woman he loves while Luke is rescuing his sister (although he doesn’t realise this at the time), and it is Jack who must battle Barbossa, not Will – that would be like Han having the final showdown with Vader instead of Luke. Yet beyond that, the narrative trajectory is essentially the same – a woman is kidnapped, and a seemingly ordinary boy must rescue her, and in so doing, face his ancestry and become who he is meant to be. Luke is destined to be a Jedi knight, and Will is destined to be a pirate. There are no two ways about it – they must learn to be who they really are in order to succeed. It’s a familiar narrative pattern that overlays countless other stories (comparisons are regularly drawn between Star Wars and the John Wayne Western, The Searchers). It’s familiar because it’s used so often, essentially because it works.

Writing Blueprint

When you’re trying to devise your plot, don’t be afraid to use existing narrative patterns. They exist because humans react to them on a fundamental level. Just be sure to switch things around. After all, the plot is your own creation, its the space in which you get to create a mythos, and build worlds. Use a narrative pattern as a blueprint but make sure your plot is as original and inventive as it can be. After all, that’s why we become writers – to make things up!

What other films and books have you noticed with the same narrative pattern? How have you used narratives to help your writing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Images courtesy of Free Essay Collection, Pirates Wiki, Wookieepedia and MPD Consult.

The title “Everything is a Remix” taken from Kirby Ferguson’s brilliant blog and video series.