The Shape of Stories

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1100.0"] From http://mayaeilam.com/2012/01/01/the-shapes-of-stories-a-kurt-vonnegut-infographic/ [/caption]

I have to admit that I'm unfamiliar with Kurt Vonnegut's rejected master's thesis in anthropology regarding, in Vonnegut's own words, "that stories have shapes which can be drawn on graph paper."

This thesis was rejected, according to him, "because it was so simple, and looked like too much fun."

Kurt Vonnegut became a well-known, celebrated author and defended this theory until his death in 2007. 

I have never thought of stories this way before and will try and explore whether or not it works for me. 

Graphic designer Maya Eliam created this terrific infographic where she applied his theories to certain stories. If you want a hard-copy, you can buy it on her Etsy website.