What if all stories followed just a few basic shapes? Kurt Vonnegut believed they did, and he mapped them out to prove it.
Vonnegut, best known for novels like Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle, argued that stories are not as unique as we think. Instead, they follow predictable patterns that can be plotted on a simple graph.
“There is no reason why the simple shapes of stories can’t be fed into computers. They are beautiful shapes.”
On the horizontal axis is time. On the vertical axis is fortune, ranging from good to bad. He believed that every story, no matter how complex, could be reduced to one of these fundamental shapes.
His idea was so straightforward that he tried to submit it as his master’s thesis at the University of Chicago. They rejected it. Decades later, his idea has become a fundamental truth of storytelling—one that writers, marketers, and business leaders use to create narratives that stick.
Once you understand these patterns, you start seeing them everywhere—from classic literature to Hollywood blockbusters to viral brand stories.
Here’s how Vonnegut visualized some of the most common story structures—with illustrations by Maya Eilam, and graphs by Mo Shehu.
1. Man in Hole – Trouble, Then Triumph
This shape starts with stability. Then, things take a turn for the worse. The protagonist falls into a problem, struggles, and eventually claws their way back up, stronger than before. It’s one of the most universal and emotionally satisfying story structures because it’s rooted in struggle and resilience.
Finding Nemo follows this arc, with Marlin losing his son and facing impossible odds before learning to trust and let go. The Martian does the same, throwing Mark Watney onto Mars with no resources before he fights his way back to survival.
In business, this is the perfect shape for customer success stories and case studies. No one cares about a product that “just works.” They care about a product that rescues them.
Every effective SaaS marketing story, from Salesforce to HubSpot, follows this arc: “Our customers were drowning in inefficiencies. They tried everything. Nothing worked. Then they found us. Now, they’re thriving.”
If you sell a solution, this is your story shape.
2. Boy Meets Girl – Love, Loss, and Redemption
Something wonderful appears—a person, a dream job, a revolutionary product. The protagonist gets it, loses it, and fights to win it back. This is a high-stakes emotional rollercoaster that keeps audiences hooked.
Pride and Prejudice embodies this arc as Elizabeth and Darcy misunderstand, connect, lose each other, and finally reunite. The Lion King follows a similar trajectory, with Simba enjoying his royal life, losing it all, and then reclaiming it.
Businesses use this structure when they want to reignite interest in a product or brand. Apple’s near-collapse in the ’90s, followed by its comeback under Steve Jobs, is a textbook Boy Meets Girl story.
Brands that disappear and return—whether it’s Polaroid, 80’s rock bands, or vinyl records—thrive by playing on nostalgia and second chances.
3. From Bad to Worse – A Downward Spiral
Some stories are designed to hurt. They start bad and get worse. There is no comeback, no redemption—just inevitable decline. This structure works because it taps into fear, regret, and the consequences of bad choices.
1984 crushes Winston Smith’s hopes of rebellion. Breaking Bad turns Walter White from an everyman into a monster. Requiem for a Dream tracks addiction’s relentless destruction.
Most businesses avoid this structure unless they’re telling a cautionary tale. Anti-smoking campaigns, cybersecurity warnings about hacking victims, and financial services showing what happens when people don’t plan for retirement all follow this arc. If you want to make people anxious enough to act, this is the shape to use.
4. Which Way is Up? – Unpredictable Chaos
Some stories don’t follow a predictable rise or fall. Instead, they swing wildly between success and disaster, keeping both the protagonist and audience off-balance.
The Great Gatsby moves between glamour and heartbreak before crashing into tragedy. The Wolf of Wall Street keeps Jordan Belfort soaring and stumbling, never letting the audience settle.
For businesses, this is the ideal shape for startups, innovators, and disruptors. If your brand has pivoted multiple times, faced setbacks, and found new ways to thrive, don’t hide that. Lean into it. People don’t follow companies because they’re perfect—they follow them because they’re relatable, real, and resilient.
5. Creation Story – A Steady Rise
This is the simplest and most aspirational story shape: growth without setbacks. The protagonist starts small and, through effort, vision, or luck, rises steadily toward success.
The Book of Genesis is the most famous creation story, but modern examples include Forrest Gump, where the protagonist keeps moving forward despite obstacles.
For brands, this is a thought leadership story. It works for industry pioneers like Amazon, Tesla, and Netflix—companies that keep growing, keep evolving, and never collapse. If your business has a consistent, upward trajectory, this is how you should frame your story.
6. Old Testament – Rise, Then Fall
Everything goes right—until it doesn’t. This arc is a warning. It shows how arrogance, greed, or complacency can destroy success.
Macbeth rises to power before being consumed by his ambition. The Social Network charts Mark Zuckerberg’s ascent, followed by lawsuits and betrayal.
This shape is used in business to tell cautionary industry tales. Kodak ignored digital photography. Blockbuster laughed at Netflix. Yahoo passed on buying Google. If your business teaches others how to avoid failure, this is your story.
7. New Testament – Rise, Fall, and Redemption
This follows the same arc as the Old Testament, but with one key difference—the protagonist comes back from failure.
A Christmas Carol turns Scrooge from a selfish miser into a redeemed man. The Dark Knight Rises brings Bruce Wayne back from rock bottom to reclaim Gotham.
This is the story of turnarounds and reinventions. Brands like IBM, which transformed from hardware to cloud computing, follow this arc. Executives who were fired, only to return stronger—like Steve Jobs and Bob Iger—embody this shape.
If you’ve made mistakes but found a way to recover, this is your story.
8. Cinderella – The Classic Underdog Story
A character starts at the bottom. Through external help or internal strength, they rise to success. There is a setback, but ultimately, they win.
Cinderella is the obvious example, but Harry Potter follows the same arc, turning an unwanted orphan into the most powerful wizard.
Every great startup story follows this structure. Airbnb, Uber, and Spanx all started with nothing, faced rejection, and became massive. If you’re an underdog taking on an industry, this is the story you should be telling.
Having No Story Is The Biggest Mistake
Most businesses struggle with storytelling. They list features, talk about their “mission,” and wonder why no one remembers them. The problem? No clear narrative structure. But when you use Vonnegut’s story shapes, everything clicks.
Pick the right shape and apply it across your website, LinkedIn, ads, emails, and sales pitches. Because people don’t just buy what you sell. They buy the story behind it.
Bring Your Story to Life
Great storytelling isn’t just for books and movies—it’s the foundation of personal brands, business growth, and thought leadership. Whether you’re building your presence on LinkedIn, writing a memoir, or crafting a compelling brand narrative, the shape of your story matters.
At Column, we help founders, executives, and industry leaders shape their stories into something memorable, engaging, and impossible to ignore.
If you want to turn your experiences into a powerful LinkedIn strategy, a memoir that actually gets read, or a business narrative that attracts the right audience, we can help.
Let’s craft a story that not only resonates but drives real opportunities. Get in touch with us today.
Mo is the founder and CEO of Column Content, a thought leadership content agency that helps leaders get seen. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
