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The Hero’s Journey Part 1 – The Ordinary World

07 May
This entry is part 1 of 12 in the series The Hero's Journey

In keeping with my fascination with the story template originating with Joseph Campbell’s The Hero Has a Thousand faces, I’ve decided to do a multiple post series focusing on each of the steps in the Hero’s Journey.

The steps are;

Today I will be focusing on the first step in the journey, the Ordinary World.

Of all the steps, this one should be the straightest forward.

The Ordinary world is our hero’s starting point.  Since the point of the Hero’s Journey is to show growth and development, we need a point of reference.  Who is your hero?  What is his life like before the journey begins?

In Star Wars, we meet Luke Skywalker as a whiny farm boy who dreams of bigger things.

In Harry Potter, we meet a mistreated boy who is awkward and has no apparent powers.

In How to Train Your Dragon, the main character Hiccup is introduced as the village joke who just wants to fit in.

While this may be the straightest ahead, it is fraught with disaster.

  1. This is the introduction to your hero.  The reader needs to learn who he is.  It is especially important to show those qualities that will change over the course of the story so your reader will see his growth.   On top of all that, you need to make him interesting and worthy of your readers’ sympathy.
  2. You need the opening to be engaging enough that it captures the reader and carries them forward.  How do you make the hero’s ordinary world interesting?  It’s easy to focus on what amazing adventures await, but your reader will never get there if the ordinary world is too boring.
  3. If you intend for your hero to return, it means you need to know how the hero’s journey will ultimately affect the ordinary world.  Will things improve?  Will it cause the world’s destruction, or just destroy the world’s way of life?

In short, the ordinary world is the foundation of your story. Everything that comes after is dependent upon the ground rules established there.

The next step in the Hero’s Journey is The Call to Adventure.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2010 in Plot, The Hero's Journey

 

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The Hero’s Journey Part 2 – Call to Adventure

12 May
This entry is part 2 of 12 in the series The Hero's Journey

In my previous post, I discussed the Hero’s Ordinary World.  Since I’ve defined the Hero’s foundation, I now need to shake him loose from it.  Welcome to the Call to Adventure.

The Call to Adventure can literally be a call, but is in general the thing that draws the hero away from their ordinary world.  In fantasy, it could be the day the dragon attacks and kills the hero’s parents. In Romance stories, it could be the first time two lover’s meet.  In short, it doesn’t matter what it is that happens, it is the singular event that ensures the hero will be drawn away from the ordinary.

In Twilight, the call occurs when Bella first sees Edward.  From that point on, her growing obsession with him informs and alters her world, finally culminating in the revelation that he is not human.

In the recent movie, How to Train Your Dragon, it is when Hiccup realises he can’t kill the dragon.  From the start of the movie, he has informed the viewer that all social life within his village revolves around prowess at killing dragons.  When he has the opportunity, he can’t bring himself to do it and his world is forever changed.

In Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone, it’s debatable whether the call to action is Harry’s literal invitation to go to Hogwarts, or maybe it’s when he inadvertently releases the snake.  In both instances it is clear that he is being drawn away from his ordinary world.

The Call to Adventure can be grandiose or it can be subtle.  Both ways work, depending on the context of your story.  Remember too that the call doesn’t have to be something that happens directly to the hero.  In most revenge tales, it is usually an event that happens to a loved one of the hero that stirs him into action.

In the end, the call is the one event you can trace the events of the story back to.  It is also key in setting up the stakes of the game and can often lead to singular questions such as, Will Bella and Edward get together?  Will Hiccup befriend the dragon?  Will Harry become a great wizard?  In case you aren’t guessing, this is the hook.  This is the initial point where you make your reader wonder what will happen.  The key to a great story is keeping them interested until that question is finally answered.

Next, our hero gets all reluctant and Refuses the Call.

 
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Posted by on May 12, 2010 in Plot, The Hero's Journey

 

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The Hero’s Journey Part 3 – Refusing the Call

14 May
This entry is part 3 of 12 in the series The Hero's Journey

In the last of these series, I talked about The Call to Adventure.  We had established our Hero’s Ordinary World and the call was going to start shaking him loose from it.  Before our hero commits entirely to his quest, he gets reluctant and often refuses the call.

Why would your hero do that?  The most simple answer is it’s because it is the human thing to do.  The refusal of the call is mainly about fear.  Not only fear of change and the unknown, but also fear of failure.  By showing fear, the hero becomes more relatable to your reader.  Why they refuse the call, and also what will lead them back to it, can tell the reader so much about your character.

Harry Potter initially is in disbelief that he would be a wizard.  It tells us about his character that he doesn’t immediately accept his fate and instead doubts himself.

Hiccup, in How To Train Your Dragon, folds under the pressure of his father and joins the training course to kill dragons.  It tells us that he wants to please his father, even at the risk of his own life.

Luke Skywalker initially turns down Obi-Wan’s invitation to fight the empire, believing himself nothing but a simple farm boy.  This gives us a true vision of Luke.  Initially, he complains to his uncle that he wants to get away, join the academy, etc.  When the opportunity comes to flee, he refuses because of all the obligations he has previously complained about.  It is a character trait we all recognise and it shows that despite complaint, Luke is reliable and trustworthy.

The simple fact is, a hero who can do no wrong, never shows fear or doubt and overcomes all odds with ease, is boring.  A hero like this only belongs in the realm of caricature.  Your audience is made of real people.  By allowing your hero some weakness, you bring him closer to your audience and increase their sympathy to his plight.

This refusal, while integral to the development of a believable and sympathetic hero, creates a problem; how do you get your hero to accept their quest?  There can be a number of ways, but one of the most common is due to the intervention of the next step I’ll discuss, The Mentor.

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2010 in Plot, The Hero's Journey

 

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The Hero’s Journey Part 4 – The Mentor Appears

19 May
This entry is part 4 of 12 in the series The Hero's Journey

Our hero has received a call to action.  In his human frailty and inexperience, he has refused the call.  Our hero needs the tools for success.  While these could be literal tools or skills, perhaps what our hero needs most is someone to give them confidence.  The archetype of the mentor fills this need.

At its essence, the mentor is often wrapped in the guise of the wise man or woman.  Their classic function is to provide the hero with vital tools or clues that will aid him on his quest.  Through their intervention, the hero builds the needed confidence to continue on.

The mentor’s role is temporary.  At some point in the tale, mentor and hero will part ways, allowing the hero to face his destiny alone.

Varied Uses for the Mentor

Sources of Wisdom

The mentor provides the character with knowledge.  This can also occur without a physical mentor, such as the hero finding a book, or a website.

Sources of Conflict

People rarely want to be told what to do.  The dynamic between the mentor and a reluctant hero can add to the conflict, and therefor, character development of your story.

The mentor may eventually become a villain.  This form of misdirection is used often in cautionary fairy tales where a mentor appears to save the day, only to exact an evil price for his services.  This is also a way of avoiding the mentor as too much of a cliche.

Sources of Tragedy

Hero’s suffer.  As a writer, what better way to make your hero suffer than to deprive him of his beloved mentor?  I did say earlier that the mentor and the hero would part ways.  You can use this to add more dimension to your hero and story.

In the end, the mentor can be a very rich and vivid character, or can take the stage for the briefest of moments.  The mentor doesn’t even have to be a person.  In the end, the mentor role is to aid the hero in conquering his fear and moving forward with the quest.  The next challenge for our hero will be to cross the first threshold.

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2010 in Plot, The Hero's Journey

 

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The Hero’s Journey Part 5 – Crossing The First Threshold

20 May
This entry is part 5 of 12 in the series The Hero's Journey

To recap: Our hero started in his ordinary world.  He received a call to adventure.  Initially, he refused the call.  Then, a mentor approached and provided the hero with tools and insight he needed.  It is time for the hero to fully commit to the other realm.  In order to do so, the hero must cross the first threshold.

Approaching the Threshold

Our hero has had much of his fear and doubt alleviated by the intervention of his mentor.  This doesn’t mean he is going to readily accept all of it and plunge head first into action.  The adventure might not be personal enough for the hero to journey forth.  This is the final precipice.  What will finally push the hero onward?  That’s up to you, but it could be the kidnapping of a loved one, or a force of nature might force the hero forward.  In the end, at this point the hero needs a shove.

Threshold Guardians

Making the cross to the world of adventure is not going to be easy.  Often the path is blocked by a Threshold Guardian.

Guardians are not always obstacles that need to be tackled.  Often, they are only emotional blockades to the hero that need to be acknowledged.  Defeating the challenge they represent can deliver important insight to the hero that will aid in later steps of his quest.  They can present physical, mental or morality types of challenges.  A threshold guardian could be as simple as the hero’s father telling them they are not allowed to go out.

The Leap of Faith

The hero has defeated the guardian.  Now, they stand with one foot in their ordinary world and the other dangles over the cliff into the next.  They must now make a leap of faith and plunge into the other world.  By finally crossing the threshold the hero commits himself entirely to the quest.  There is no turning back.

Charting the hero’s transition could be as simple as climbing out a window, or as treacherous as crossing a desert.  In either case, the hero has finally accepted his destiny and made his move into the realm of adventure.

Entering the Other World

The hero’s entrance to the other world does not have to be a smooth one.  Maybe he falls out the window, or perhaps his initial thoughts of the other world are shattered by its realities.  In either case, he is now here, and the adventure truly begins.

Next, our hero is put to the test, meets new allies and new enemies.

 
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Posted by on May 20, 2010 in Plot, The Hero's Journey

 

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The Hero’s Journey Part 6 – Tests, Allies, Enemies

22 May
This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series The Hero's Journey

Now that our hero has crossed the first threshold, he has fully entered the other world.

Set the Ground Rules

This is the other world.  We need to very quickly show the differences between the ordinary world our hero has left and the special world he has entered.  There will be new rules here, new emotional experiences.  How the hero interacts with the world, and how it interacts with him, will be different.  The tone and voice used might differ.  This place will be more difficult for the hero, failure will carry more dire consequences.

Trials and Tribulations

Stories in general are about conflict.  The myth structure usually revolves around a quest.  Quests are never easy.  The hero finds himself tested, often thwarted, until he learns new lessons and overcomes.  Just as in crossing the first threshold, in this stage there will be other tasks to complete, more threshold guardians to defeat.  These tests will contribute to the hero’s growth for the ultimate battle that will need to be waged at the climax of the story.

Allies

During the hero’s trials, he may find help in the form of allies.  It can be one of the hero’s tests to find out who can be trusted in this new world.  While allies could be those who travel with the hero, it could also be characters that the hero helps along the way who repay him later on.  If your goal is to build a team around the hero, this would be the place to do it.

A special subclass of ally is the sidekick.  The sidekick is usually far more devoted to the hero and will follow him through most, if not all, of the quest.  The sidekick can act as a foil for the hero, providing comic relief, a voice of conscience, they could even fill the role of mentor if your initial mentor character has parted ways with the hero.  The best sidekicks are the ones that are given a character as deep and meaningful as the hero’s.  Remember too, there needs to be a plausible reason that this person would choose to follow the hero.  After all, the hero does not walk an easy road.

Enemies

The hero has stormed a foreign domain.  Often these domains are controlled by a powerful person that is not going to welcome the hero’s meddling.  It is very easy at this stage for the hero to develop enemies.  These could be the main antagonist, the antagonist’s minions, or other types of threshold guardians.  Consider a situation where the hero must defend his life.  In order to survive, he slays his opponent.  What if that opponent has a brother, sister, mother, or father?  This person has now become the enemy of the hero.

The hero might also encounter rivals.  These are people that aren’t interested in destroying or killing the hero, they are merely in competition with the hero for a common goal.  For instance, Jacob and Edward in Twilight both have commendable qualities and though there is bitterness between them due to competition over Bella, they still unite for the common good.

This stage could form the bulk of your narrative.  This is the ground for numerous conflicts, the building of relationships, both good and bad, and for the hero to grow.  Soon the hero will need all the skills, allies and courage he can muster as he faces his greatest challenge ahead.

 
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Posted by on May 22, 2010 in Plot, The Hero's Journey

 

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