STORY TYPES

derived from the ideas of Phil Parker

PHIL PARKERS STORY TYPES

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

THE ROMANCE
THE UNRECOGNISED VIRTUE
THE FATAL FLAW
THE DEBT THAT MUST BE REPAID
THE SPIDER AND THE FLY
THE GIFT TAKEN AWAY
THE QUEST
THE RITES OF PASSAGE
THE WANDERER
THE CHARACTER WHO CANNOT BE PUT DOWN

THE ROMANCE
A character which is seen to be emotionally
missing something/someone that is the
object of desire and seen as a potential
solution.
The character struggles to overcome
barriers between himself and the object of
desire and succeeds in overcoming some,
if not all, of them. The resolution comes
when the character unites with the object
of desire.

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF

CHARLIE ST. CLOUD
follows the years after the death of Charlies
brother as he meets him to play catch
everyday at the cannons, he feels that he
cannot let down his dead brother. However
one day he meets a sailor which then makes
him challenge himself as to whether to meet
his brother or look for Tess who is lost at sea.
He eventually finds Tess and saves her life,
but by doing so he has to leave his brother,
who then moves onto the afterlife.

THE UNRECOGNISED
VIRTUE

A virtuous person enters another world

and falls in love with a powerful person
in that world. The person seeks love but
the power gets in the way. The person
tries to help the powerful person and
their virtue is eventually
50 SHADES OF GREY follows the
story of how a college senior
interviews a rich and powerful
businessman, Christian Grey who
then finds himself drawn to her.
Though sexually inexperienced, Ana
learns that Christian's true sexual
proclivities push the boundaries of
pain and pleasure.

THE FATAL FLAW

A successful person who uses
opportunities for personal gain, often
at the expense of others. Then, seeing
the damage, the person seeks to
repair it, but the quality that led to
success eventually leads to failure.
MACBETH follows his journey of
being tricked by the witches into
thinking he can gain more power,
by killing people. Seeing the
danger he has created , he ends
up dead.

THE DEBT THAT MUST

BE PAID

A person wants something or someone,

for which there is a high price. The
person accepts the price but seeks to
put off paying the debt. Eventually,
though, they have to pay it.
SHES THE MAN follows the story
of how Viola is neglected of
playing football in her college so
disguises herself as her brother in
order to play in his school team,
but accepts the challenges she
faces in order to play football.
However she eventually has to
come clean that she in fact female
playing in the boys football team.

THE SPIDER AND

THE FLY

A person wants another person to do

something. Lacking the influence or
power to demand it, they seek to
ensnare the other person, tricking
them into compliance. They are
successful and a new future is faced.
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU
presents the character of
Cameron to be unable to attain
Biancas love (2). This makes him
trick Joey (1) into paying Patrick (4)
to go out with Biancas sister Cat
(5) in order to allow Bianca to date
(3). However this then allows
Cameron to then ask Bianca to
the ball.

THE QUEST
A person is set a task to find
someone or something. The
challenge is accepted and the
quest is eventually won. There
may or may not be a prize.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

presents Tiana and Prince
Naveens journey to find Mamma
Ottie in order to turn back into
humans again.

THE GIFT TAKEN

AWAY

A person has a gift which is lost.

Seeking to regain the gift leads them
into a new situation, to which the
person eventually becomes
reconciled.

BEASTLY
follows the story of how Kyles gift of his good looks are
taken away from him as he is transformed into a hideous
creature in order find true love and stop him from his

THE RITES OF
PASSAGE

THE WANDERER

A person knows they have reached a new

A person arrives somewhere new
stage in life and seeks to find what must
and finds a problem there. In facing
be done to complete the transition. They
the problem they show why they left
pretend that they already know, then
the last place. They then seek to
meet a challenge that shows they do not,
move on, repeating the pattern.
yet also provides the route by which they
achieve the full transition.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL
follows Minnie as she believes she has reached the
stage in her life to be within the adult sphere where
she must have sexual experiences. When her mum
finds out these experiences were between her
daughter and her boyfriend, they get into an
argument and Minnie realises that she is the they
type of adult she originally viewed herself to be.

follows the journey to

return home as Dorothy
finds herself in the land of
Oz, as she wishes she could
be away from her home. On her way she
meets a scarecrow, a tin-man and a lion, and
they journey to the wizard to gain something
they are missing.

THE CHARACTER WHO CANNOT BE PUT DOWN

A person demonstrates prowess, but then faces a bigger challenge that
tests that prowess. They succeed.
DIE HARD follows the story of a New
York City policeman John McClane
who is visiting his estranged wife and
two daughters on Christmas Eve. He
joins her at a holiday party in the
headquarters of the Japanese-owned
business she works for. But the
festivities are interrupted by a group
of terrorists who take over the
exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it.
Very soon McClane realizes that
there's no one to save the hostages -but him.