Understanding "Storyotypes"

I tend to read authors in batches. When I picked up The DaVinci Code and blew through it in about two days, I then proceeded to read just about every other Dan Brown book available in print (I’m sure I’m not alone).

But what’s most interesting about reading this way is that I start recognizing the author’s formulas. Dan Brown stands out because he’s got a fairly rigid structure and he doesn’t deviate. I was amazed to pick up the fourth book and read the exact same story with a few different characters and a new setting.

I did the same thing with Agatha Christie, too. At one time I managed to pick the murderer not based on the facts available (and I had no idea how), but based on the book’s formula. Crichton’s got his own thriller formula too, and it unfortunately doesn’t involve endings.

The only author I’ve read (a lot of) who doesn’t seem to have an identifiable structure is Terry Pratchett. I’ve just finished Mort, which is probably the fifteenth Pratchett book I’ve read. For some reason his meandering and humorous rules of writing escape me. Maybe it’s because he has none.