So, it’s the beginning of a new year and you’ve decided to try your hand at writing your own heroic adventure story. Perhaps a kingdom needs saving. Maybe a priceless treasure is lost. Whatever the crisis, a hero must rise to accept the challenge!
Alright. Sounds exciting. So now what?
Well, if you want help crafting an outline for such a story, a good place to start is the time-tested model known as the Hero’s Journey, a term made popular by writer and mythologist, Joseph Campbell, in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and later simplified into this 12-step model by Christopher Vogler, a Hollywood screenwriter and executive developer.
I’ll be going over each phase in greater detail in the next few weeks, but the steps for the Hero’s Journey are:
- The Ordinary World
- The Call to Adventure
- The Refusal of the Call
- Meeting the Mentor
- Crossing the First Threshold
- Tests, Allies, & Enemies
- Approaching the Innermost Cave
- The Ordeal
- The Reward
- The Road Back
- The Resurrection
- The Return with the Elixir
Naturally, there are variations and exceptions to these story beats. We are writers after all! What are we doing if we’re not throwing in twists and turns to keep our readers on their toes? Still, with most hero-centric stories you’ll find yourself touching on these key points in some fashion, so brushing up on the formula before plotting your story is always good idea.
First of all, don’t feel pressured to start your story at the beginning. You might decide to drop your readers into the middle of the action and work your way backwards. Regardless of when you do it, it’s a good idea to show what your hero’s life was like before their life flips upside-down so that your readers get a sense of what your hero is fighting for and why. From there, you’ll reach a turning point in the character’s life known as, ‘The Call to Adventure.’ This is the moment your protagonist learns they have a chance to leave their Ordinary World and experience an extraordinary one.
When adventure comes calling, most heroes start stalling. Saving the world can be scary and usually there is a moment when the hero Refuses the Call. Either they don’t feel capable or outside forces try to prevent them from taking on the task. Your little baby bird may need someone to come along to kick them out of the nest, so along comes a Mentor or guide who helps them gain valuable knowledge, skills, or items they’ll need for their quest. Once they realize they have no other options, your hero leaves their normal life and Crosses the First Threshold into the “Special World.”
This all sounds very fantastical, but I want to point out that the “Special World” is simply a new space the hero has to learn how to navigate. This could be a new school, the first day on a job, or possibly another character entering their life and upending the natural order. Your hero will navigate this change by overcoming obstacles that Test them, meet Allies who aid them, and face Enemies who challenge their ability to continue. Each of these encounters and experiences helps them grow and evolve, until soon they Approach the Innermost Cave. Literal or metaphorical, the cave is the point when the hero looks inside themselves and gathers all the supplies, knowledge, and experience they’ve gained so far to put them to the test in the Ordeal.
As the name implies, in the Ordeal, your hero faces a life-altering personal crisis. Perhaps they are bested by the villain or their plan falls apart. Whatever happens, they are devastated and changed by the experience. And while they may be beaten down, they ultimately receive some form of a Reward for not giving up and coming through to the other side. This can be an actual object or something more intangible like an epiphany. The Reward gives them what they need to pick their quest back up again.
Congratulations, you are on the Road Back. Here is when the hero starts closing in on their antagonist, gathering everything they’ve learned and acquired for the big showdown known as the Resurrection.
If the Ordeal is the midterm, then the Resurrection is the final exam. Your hero must prove whether they really learned all the lessons they were supposed to learn along the way.
If they are successful, then they return to their Ordinary World with the Elixir or the prize they have been fighting for this entire story–whether that be peace for their people, treasure, or some great inner truth. Whatever it is brings change to their Ordinary World.
Whew! If that all sounds like a lot to take in, don’t worry. I’ll be taking a closer look at each of these steps and breaking them down in greater detail in my upcoming posts.
What are your favorite and least favorite stories that have followed the Hero’s Journey?
Alicia Gaile 