In my blog on the seven story archetypes, I talked about two types of stories (the quest and the voyage and return). These both see the protagonist physically venture out of their world to defeat the antagonist. These two storylines lend themselves fantastically to the structure known as the Hero’s Journey.
What Is the Hero’s Journey?
The Hero’s Journey is an archetypal story that is common in ancient myths and in modern literature. These types of stories usually involve a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory and returns home transformed. This is how Joseph Campbell lays it out in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). He believed this is the way all mythological narratives follow this basic structure. He broke these down into 17 key beats. In 2007, screenwriter Christopher Vogler refined Campbell’s original structure in his book, The Writer’s Journey, where he listed 12 stages that make up the Hero’s Journey:
1. The ordinary world
2. The call to adventure
3. Refusal of the call
4. Meeting the mentor
5. Crossing the first threshold
6. Tests, allies, enemies
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
8. The ordeal
9. Reward
10. The road block
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the elixir
Act 1: Departure
The Ordinary World
We meet the hero in their normal world. Before the hero ventures into the great unknown, we need to see what their reality is, so we know what they want and what they have to lose. Readers need to be able to identify with the hero as a normal person. They should be likeable but not a hero yet. There are problems brewing in their world, but the hero is either completely unaware or has a limited awareness of it.
Call to Adventure
They are given a rude wake up call when they are forced out of their normal world. This doesn’t mean that they’ve left their physical world yet, but something has happened that is threatening their normal life. This comes in many forms, but it usually is caused by one of three things:
1. They do something that causes their world to change.
2. They stumble across something.
3. Someone or something else causes chaos in the hero’s normal world.
Whatever the cause, the hero now has a choice to make: will they rise to the challenge or bury their head in the sand?
Refusal of the Call
More often than not, they will refuse the call. They do this for any number of reasons: fear, denial, feelings of inadequacy, or unwillingness. Their reluctance is understandable: there will be dangers. Who would willingly put themselves in harm’s way if they had a choice?
Meeting the Mentor
Whether they’re admitting it or not, they are on this journey. They’re mudding through, but they’re nowhere near ready to take on the antagonist. If only they had someone to point them in the right direction. Then the mentor shows up. They help the hero get on their feet or provide a stark reality check. They’ll provide advice and information and keep the hero out of mortal danger.
Crossing the First Threshold
Now, the hero is ready to grab the bull by the horns. They are ready to journey into the outside world to save their home. This is where the adventure really begins. This beat is inevitable (or you won’t have a novel), but it should also feel like the hero is making a choice.
Act 2: Initiation
Test, Allies, Enemies
The hero is now firmly in their new world, and they might be feeling lost. They will have to navigate the obstacles this world will throw at them. You can expand your cast here, so your hero will have to figure out whether they can trust these people or not. Your character will be learning a lot about themselves too. This will be the longest part of your story.
Approach to the Inmost Cave
The ‘Inmost Cave’ is a bit of a misnomer because it’s not a physical cave. It refers to the most dangerous part of the special world. Perhaps, this is the villain’s lair or a looming confrontation. We haven’t entered the cave yet; we’re just laying the groundwork. There will probably be a setback, but it will teach the protagonist a valuable lesson. Failure is not an option.
The Ordeal
This is the inside of the ‘cave’, and it’s the biggest challenge they’ve faced yet. They hit a major obstacle that causes them to hit rock bottom. They’ll be forced to confront their deepest fear. If they survive, they will emerge a new person. This is a critical point in the story. Vogler explains this point will inform every decision that the Hero makes from this point forward. Your hero will step into the shoes of a hero.
Reward
Your hero has been through a lot, and they’re starting to reap the rewards. The reward could be a physical object or knowledge/skill that your hero has been fighting for the entire story. They are now ready to face off against the antagonist.
Act 3: Return
The Road Block
But the antagonist is not going to roll over and let them win. The hero still has to get home, and the antagonist will pursue them. The hero will have to battle more obstacles and enemies before they can return home safely.
Resurrection
This is the true climax of the novel. All the struggles come together when the hero and antagonist face off. This is the hero’s final test, and they’ll use everything they’ve ever learned to overcome their enemy. If they’re successful, they’ll have a happy ending. Near-deaths are common, as are literal deaths and resurrections. Usually, your hero will succeed, but they may fail (especially if this novel is a series).
Return with the Elixir
Your hero has defeated the evil antagonist, and now they can return home triumphant. Their prize is their growth. They are not the same person that left their normal world.
Conclusion
The Hero’s Journey is a 12-step process that helps writers structure their novels. This works best for novels where the character actually leaves their normal world and ventures into another one, like in the quest or voyage and return archetypes. These 12 steps do not all need to feature in the story, but they usually do in one form or another. The Hero’s Journey is a flexible story structure that you should consider if you are writing a novel.
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