Christopher Booker argues that all stories fall into 7 categories in his book:

The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories

And as much as these plots are great frameworks

They are NOT something that is fully needed.

The things we have discussed above + the combination of excessive knowledge on your category, you have what you need to write great stories

With that said

The reason I am choosing to cover these is because they can be GREAT for iterations on angles of winning ads and identify what specific "plots" might be resonating with your avatar.

ps. In typical Spencer fashion I have added 2 more for ads specifically.

Overcoming the Monster
Problem → fight → win

The enemy is the focus. The win is the removal of pain, not chasing a dream.
Mini story:
“For years, my energy would crash by 2 p.m.
I tried caffeine, powders, even prescriptions.
Nothing worked for long.
This was the first thing that actually stopped the crash.”
Extended:
Another example of "problem, fight, win" can be seen as "PAS" (problem, agitate, solution) or even more escalated is fichtean curve where the problems compile.
Problem → New Problem → Bigger problem → Even Bigger problem → Solution to all
Fichtean curve stories are escalating and relentless, but it can work great as there is no downtime which means no boredom. Attention stays locked in & the solution becomes that much greater & more powerful.
Rags to Riches (Hero's journey)
Low point → Struggle → Breakthrough → Success

This isn’t about beating one problem — it’s about becoming a new person.

Mini story:
“I used to wake up exhausted no matter how much I slept.
I planned my day around naps and coffee.
Now I wake up clear-headed and focused.
I honestly don’t recognize the old version of me.”
Extended:
People love heroes, but they love heroes even more who are relatable.

If you can create a hero that was just like them, that went through and did the thing and now has the better life as a result using your process, it can help show them what they want is possible. But again, it needs to be relatable. The other person needs to see themselves as the "same person" as the hero to actually be effective.

Spider-Man doesn't start out as this stud who has everything.

He starts out with a family member passing away, with his life going to shit, and then all of a sudden he becomes this hero.

That relatability is what makes it such a powerful superhero int he movies.
It's what also makes them powerful in ads.
In Media Res
Important moment/action → Discovery → Reinforcing Win

Start in the middle of the action to capture attention immediately.
Provide the additional context and fill in the points after

Mini story:
“It's 3pm and I just crushed my biggest task of the day with no brain fog, no caffeine crash, nothing.
I used to be useless by this time.
That's when I realized: this energy thing actually works.
I'd been chasing the wrong solutions for years.
Now every afternoon feels like a win."
The Quest
Goal → Obstacles → Discovery → Win

The hook is aspirational, not desperate.
The product helps reach a desired state, not escape a monster.

Mini story:
“I’ve always wanted steady energy all day — no crashes, no burnout.
I didn’t want stimulants or shortcuts.
After digging into how energy actually works, I found this.
This is the first time my days feel the way I always wanted them to.”
Voyage & Return
Normal → Chaos → Realization → Better normal

This story says: "I tried the extreme path so you don’t have to."
Very powerful for skeptical buyers.

Mini story:
“I went all-in trying to fix my energy.
Biohacks, extreme routines, supplements stacked on supplements.
It actually made things worse.
Once I stripped it back to this one simple change, everything stabilized.”
Rebirth
Stuck → wake-up → transformation

No enemy. No grind.
Just a moment of awareness that unlocks change.

Mini story:
“I thought feeling tired all the time was just part of adulthood.
Then I made one small change.
Suddenly my mornings felt easier.
That’s when I realized how long I’d been running on empty.”
Confusion (aka Comedy)
Misunderstanding → Insight → Clarity

Along the lines of: “I misunderstood the problem or made the wrong conclusion and now I fixed it”

Mini story:
“I kept buying products for energy.
Turns out energy wasn’t the problem.
Once I fixed this one thing, everything else worked better.
Wish I knew this sooner.”
#2:
“I thought I needed more energy.
So I kept buying energy products.
Turns out that wasn’t the issue at all.
Once I fixed this, everything else started working.”
Tragedy
Downward spiral. Also know as a decline without redemption

This one specifically is not for DTC as it actually ends in a tragedy, and all of our ads are to be more positive, not negative

this is previously used in companies like: Anti-smoking campaigns, Anti-drunk driving ads, Environmental campaigns (“If we don’t act, this is the future.”), Some charity / nonprofit ads (starving, abuse, addiction)

The goal isn’t conversion
The goal is fear, awareness, or behavior prevention

So instead we create our own called:
The Two Paths
Shows consequences and a way forward.
Great for explainer-style ads, voiceovers, and “talking head” creatives where the goal is to shift direction, not dramatize pain.

Mini story:

“Most people keep pushing through fatigue the same way every day.
Over time, that just leads to more crashes and burnout.
You don’t have to keep going down that path.
When you support energy the right way, days start to feel steady again.”
#2 (higher intensity)
“If you keep pushing through fatigue with caffeine, here’s what usually happens.
The crashes get harder.
Focus gets worse.
And energy never really stabilizes.
There is another path.
When you support energy the right way, days stop swinging up and down.”

This strategy is also known as the "Pixar Framework" but the idea is to future paced the ad.

It talks about what happens and shows how things progress.

If you want to see a masterclass on this + experience what it feels like to tap into the emotions of your customers & have them experience EVERYTHING we have discussed above.

I'll leave this for you to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7e6g11BJc0