Keeping it fresh

There's an old bit of writing wisdom that says there are only seven story plots. It's easy to say it's all been done. Or rather, it's easy to design a set of classifications general enough that any story can be made to fit into one of the classes. In truth, there are enough different ways to tackle even the most stereotypical of inflation scenarios there are still plenty of interesting stories to be written.

How about this scenario: A woman uses magic to inflate herself in order to gain an advantage over her rival, but things get out of hand and her plan backfires. It's the plot for The Pageant. It's also the plot for Donna's New Look. And I'm currently working on another story that's based on the same plot. The point I'm trying to make here is twofold: (1) It's easy to define a category such that in encompasses a number of stories. (2) Two stories that have the same basic premise can be very different and enjoyable.

Another example: The Stargazer and Storms are basically the same story. In both stories, the main character takes revenge on his/her spouse using magically tainted booze. In both, the motive for revenge is infidelity. In both the victim is taken to an isolated place for a "special evening." The main differences:

Male inflator and female victim vs female inflator and male victim.
Victim is blissfully unaware of the danger vs victim is aware of the impending boom and frightened.
Victim bursts "on screen" vs victim is left floating and inflating while eventual bursting is implied.

As a result the stories have a very different feel to them, although they're identical in their basic premise. It's all about the execution. Even the most cliched inflation scenarios can be made interesting. Is the inflation accidental, or intentional? Is it self-inflicted, or is somebody else behind it? Is inflating a pleasant, happy thing, or is it a dangerous, terrifying thing? How you play the situation determines how the readers feel about your characters, and this is what really differentiates stories.

In parting, consider the following two scenes. The only thing that changes between the two is the character's reactions.

Scene 1:
Sarah's eyes grew wide as her belly swelled. "Oh my god, what's happening to me?" She stared at her rapidly inflating gut as it pushed out from under her shirt, showing more and more of her straining skin. "I can't breathe!" she wheezed. Panicked, she reached for her belt. Racing against her burgeoning flesh, she desperately struggled to get some breathing room. Finally, she met with succes. Sarah gasped in a deep breath as she unbuckled her belt. She breathed a sigh of relief at her newfound freedom to breathe, but her relief was short-lived; she was still swelling up. "Oh no, how big am I gonna get?"

Scene 2:
Sarah gasped as her belly swelled. "Mmmm, it's working," she murmured. The growing bulge lifted her shirt, exposing her growing midriff. But her growth was constrained by her tightening clothes, making it difficult to breathe. She fumbled with her belt buckle, a task made difficult by her huge stomach. Finally, after some struggle, she undid her belt. Her belly surged forth, popping the button off of her pants, but she was now free to breathe and expand further. "I wonder how big I'll get?" she mused, stroking her taut skin.