Which Category do Your Novels Fall Into?

Based on Narrative Structure, Which Category do Your Novels Fall Into?

  • Mainstream Plots

    Votes: 5 27.8%
  • Contains Hidden Morals

    Votes: 3 16.7%
  • Moral Premises

    Votes: 10 55.6%

  • Total voters
    18

Eldoria

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 14, 2025
Messages
1,624
Points
113
Based on Narrative Structure, Which Category do Your Novels Fall Into?
Every fictional story is basically composed based on a narrative structure that forms the story structure. Based on the narrative structure, fictional stories can be grouped into 3 categories, including: (1) stories based on mainstream plots, (2) stories based on hidden morals, and (3) stories based on moral premises:

Categories
Main Features
Examples
Mainstream Plots
  • Written with a specific genre, twist, or market in mind (teen romance, OP isekai, etc).
  • There's no central moral question that ties the story together.
  • Focus on "what happens next," not "what's the meaning behind it all."
  • Many are produced quickly, aim for high volume, and follow keyword trends.
  • Dragon Ball Z
  • Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
  • The Rising of the Shield Hero
  • Re: Monster
Contains Hidden Morals
  • There are phrases like "about love and sacrifice" in the synopsis, but they don't integrate into the story's structure.
  • The moral is merely a byword, not the structural spirit.
  • The characters simply act, but don't develop ethically or existentially.
  • Naruto
  • Sword Art Online
  • 86 (Eighty Six)
  • Erased (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi)
Moral Premises
  • The story is built around a single question or moral wound that underpins the entire conflict.
  • The author doesn't just want to please, but to convey something that needs to be said, even at the risk of being unpopular.
  • The structure, symbols, and characters are arranged to explore the theme, not just the plot.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
  • A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi)
  • The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
  • Kino no Tabi (Kino’s Journey)

Note: You may write stories in all three categories; please use the "featured novel" as the novel to be judged based on the questions above. Thank you.

Best regards.
 
Last edited:

Lysander_Works

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 22, 2023
Messages
596
Points
103
My tired brain can't interpret this today, so I'm going to add the category: Blueberry Muffin!
  • Contains muff
  • Delicious!
  • There is always one theme or another... and I can smell the dinner!
  • Time to meditate inside the infinite void of the imagination ?
 

DaelyxLenAuphydas

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 8, 2024
Messages
94
Points
48
Those categories dont seem even close to all-inclusive. What about stories with multiple major morals? Or stories where morality is centrally important but there also plenty of content unrelated to it? I'd say I tend to verge between no. 02 and no. 03, but neither category actually matches since theres usually just a bit too much going on in my work to fit into either of those neat little boxes.
 

Zenftiy

Filthy member
Joined
Dec 5, 2020
Messages
72
Points
73
Mainstream Plots.

I don't really think too much when writing. I just want to have fun and write genres I enjoy (don't bully me emoji:blob_no:)
 

Zagaroth

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2023
Messages
378
Points
103
None of the above/mix of the above?

I started with a scene in my head. I added layers to the world as I went. I developed the character's backgrounds as they talked with each other. I discovered the antagonists through those background. Defeating the final antagonists was then set as my final climatic arc, and I was then able to lay out a few places that the story should probably go along the way.

So I kept writing, and paid attention to the passage of time to figure out when it felt appropriate pacing for the world (not the characters) to have the antagonist's response to the MCs' existence and actions to be felt.

It's a slice of life that turns out to also have a villain that must be defeated.
 

Bartun

Friendly Saurian Neighbor
Joined
Dec 9, 2020
Messages
1,179
Points
153
I'm writing the story I want. It doesn't really fit into any category.
 

ElijahRyne

A Hermit that’s NOT that Lazy, currentlycomplainen
Joined
Aug 12, 2021
Messages
1,815
Points
153
Based on Narrative Structure, Which Category do Your Novels Fall Into?
Every fictional story is basically composed based on a narrative structure that forms the story structure. Based on the narrative structure, fictional stories can be grouped into 3 categories, including: (1) stories based on mainstream plots, (2) stories based on hidden morals, and (3) stories based on moral premises:

Categories
Main Features
Examples
Mainstream Plots
  • Written with a specific genre, twist, or market in mind (teen romance, OP isekai, etc).
  • There's no central moral question that ties the story together.
  • Focus on "what happens next," not "what's the meaning behind it all."
  • Many are produced quickly, aim for high volume, and follow keyword trends.
  • Dragon Ball Z
  • Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
  • The Rising of the Shield Hero
  • Re: Monster
Contains Hidden Morals
  • There are phrases like "about love and sacrifice" in the synopsis, but they don't integrate into the story's structure.
  • The moral is merely a byword, not the structural spirit.
  • The characters simply act, but don't develop ethically or existentially.
  • Naruto
  • Sword Art Online
  • 86 (Eighty Six)
  • Erased (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi)
Moral Premises
  • The story is built around a single question or moral wound that underpins the entire conflict.
  • The author doesn't just want to please, but to convey something that needs to be said, even at the risk of being unpopular.
  • The structure, symbols, and characters are arranged to explore the theme, not just the plot.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
  • A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi)
  • The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
  • Kino no Tabi (Kino’s Journey)

Note: You may write stories in all three categories; please use the "featured novel" as the novel to be judged based on the questions above. Thank you.

Best regards.
Stories exploring the human condition by injecting fantastic elements to mundane lifes, so I guess none of the above. My older ones are more mainstream I guess…
 

MarquisDeBrave

New member
Joined
Jul 10, 2025
Messages
4
Points
3
I'm surprised 86 isn't in the "Moral Premises" category. While the war plot is a huge focus, I'd say it's highly apparent that most (if not all) of the story's major elements are there in service to the story's themes. Especially Vladilena's character arc.

My current story falls into that third category. Everything from the MC to the LitRPG systems and different worlds are there to explore the central question of: "If people are uprooted from their everyday limitations and responsibilities, what would drive them to devote themselves to others?" I'm planning to make future story developments explore how different people in that sort of situation cope with and handle it differently, and how that changes them over time.
 

Quillofluna

New member
Joined
Jul 18, 2025
Messages
5
Points
3
Mainstream Plot but- I'm trying to experiment. A bit different from the main features you mentioned however, I'm not sure. Since it's a repetitive and overly used plot. I'm a newbie so I'll try my best to make it as good as possible.
 
Top