A story formula is any pre-defined set of tropes that an author uses to create a novel. The concept is already familiar to anyone who reads so called “genre literature,” such as detective fiction or Medieval fantasy.
Not only genres are defined by their formulas. An author can turn himself into a genre if he creates a formula for his work and sticks to it, repeating a predefined set of tropes and structural choices throughout all the novels of his career.
There are many advantages in doing this.
First, repetition ensures to the audience that the book they’re buying is going to be good. At least, it ensures that the book contains the elements that they enjoy and are actively seeking.
Imagine being a reader in the bookstore, and all books don’t have any titles, and their covers are blank. Would you buy any book? Maybe once or twice, but eventually, after finding too many books that don’t please you, this activity would get dull. We need to have a clue of what the book we’re buying is going to be about. But, how can we know that without being completely spoiled of its contents?
Repetition of a formula ensures that we buy books that have exactly what we expect, but still surprise us. It’s like buying a detective book where we know there will be a detective, a Watson expy, a victim, an assassin, suspects, and the common beats of such a genre; but, we are still surprised by the end.
Repetition also helps the writer. By using a formula, he doesn’t need to worry about the plot structure and the elements of his story, since these are already pre-defined by the formula itself. He doesn’t need to keep wondering whether or not he will make a detective, but what the detective will be like. That way, part of the work is done for him. Writing becomes faster and easier, and more pleasant.
It’s undeniable that there are many advantages in using a formula as a writer. While every genre has its own formulaic structures, an author can build an entire career out of a formula of his own creation. For example, Agatha Christie’s entire career revolved around the strict formula of her mystery novels. Elmore Leonard also boasted a repetitive style of prose, themes, characters, and plot—elements that he listed on his ten rules of writing.
Any author who chooses this path must be aware that the process of writing his first novel is not simply “writing a story.” More than a story, his first novel is the template for all his future work. His first publication is the first and greatest display of his formula, and the thing that will define the rest of his career.
A successful first novel is, therefore, a repeatable, interesting, and unique formula for the following novels. It must be abstract enough to have room for originality and uniqueness, but strict enough to fully define the formula’s identity and structure. The readers must know what they’re getting, but also must be surprised after reading it.
This strategy is not only used in literature, but also cinema, music, visual arts, and many other artistic expression. For example, Quentin Tarantino defined his formula after Reservoir Dogs (1992), and repeated it over and over again through Pulp Fiction (1994), Django Unchained (2012), and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019). Nightwish has been using the same style of symphonic heavy metal since 1996, and its style influenced many other bands like Xandria and Lacuna Coil. Joan Cornellà’s drawing styles are as repetitive and predictable as possible, and yet, every new comic strip is a blast.
It is still possible to become an artist by making a unique, original work every time. But, the only way to ensure the audience fidelity is through repetition. Audiences will not buy books, album covers, or movies, with blank pages. They must know at least something of what they’re getting—and this something is usually more than it seems.
For my own work, for example, I created a formulaic style based on late 19th Century adventure novels, which are my favorite genre to read. Novels from authors like Jules Verne and Robert E. Howard are a great inspiration for me, and I updated their style to fit a more modern taste. As I publish my first novel, I hope that the audience discovers that my following novels will all fit the same style, and will all scratch that itch for dumb, amusing, interesting adventurous fun that is so rare in today’s literature.