Adventure stories...

I asked myself a question today:

If I could write any type of story I want what would it be?

I answered - an adventure story where an MC discovers something amazing/exciting.

I'm leaning more toward sci-fi/weird science -ish

but I read the Adventure plot in 20 Master Plots book and it talks about having it big where you travel to another location, etc.. but I'm wanting something more short story and more local/intimate. Along the lines of I hear a strange sound/humming coming from my shed or under the ground or near the lake nearby,etc.

is this an adventure or something else?

Something like the mc and his two beer-drinking friends get together over the weekend and they discover this sound to then end up discovering something really BIG.

any good books to read?

 

While I'm not sure about any books you could read about this specifically, I would ask why this couldn't be an adventure? Not every adventure has to be some big epic trek across some country or something. I mean, it's an adventure for your characters, yeah? I think having a more condensed, down to earth adventure is nice once in a while.

 

I think you'll need to ask readers of the Adventure genre what they would expect. I'm not sure. There are people here who list Adventure as the kind of book they like, so maybe somebody here will chip in.

I do think you need to maybe consider beyond the word itself, though. I've heard people describe a shopping trip to a mall as an 'adventure.' And it's certainly a mystery where I put my back door keys. But I don't think either of these scenarios would please an Adventure story fan, or a Mystery fan.

I do think for an adventure to be an Adventure, there has to be an element of danger in it ...but again, you'll need to ask readers of that genre.

 

Hm...I would call what you're describing a "thriller."

Adventure to me...well, I guess it feels like it involves the journey. Then again, I've seen / read some stories labeled adventure where the protag(s) journey to a nearby place wherein they discover something big, like you said. But adventures to me have always been more about the nuances of the journey itself and less about the discoveries.

For instance, White Fang, Watership Down, The Journey Home, Milo and Otis, Spirited Away, Huckleberry Finn, The Alchemist, or Treasure Island, the stories follow the journeys of the protags from event to event, facing unknowns and figuring out how to survive / manage, with the characters making small goals along the way and meeting lots of new faces / challenges. Even The Hobbit is a lot like this, albeit with a more clearly defined end goal.

A thriller seems to be more about surprise discoveries and how that influences the people, with a lot more focus on a singular find and plenty of action and excitement involved. So it seems to be more "results" focused than rambling, if that makes sense.

I don't know, that's how I think of it.

 

So long as there's an element of risk/danger, then yes. At least it is in my book. I'm reminded of The Sandlot, where much of the film's plot revolves around retrieving a Babe Ruth signed baseball out of a backyard that's guarded by an infamous mastiff. It's a neighborhood adventure story, among other things.

 

Indiana Jones is a really good example of the adventure genre. Going to unique, often undiscovered places. If the story is about discovering a local network of caves, I dunno, maybe it would still fall under that genre. I'd say adventure is about discovering something new and mystery is about finding the answers to questions.