Sunday, July 1, 2018

Use The Heros Journey To Plot Your Story

By Susan Wallace


Many study myths by studying the different methods used by each writer. Joseph Campbell, however, instead of contrasting the methods studies how they compare them as being the same. This method of study led to the system named the heros journey. Both authors use it to plan their plots and individuals use it to direct their lives.

This idea is not just about story structure. It is about much more than that. Though it is a valuable tool in plotting, it is also identified as a road map to self-improvement. Though it is recognized by psychologists, it is more identified as a writing tool for planning a story's plot. The same principles used for self-improvement are used to make a character come to life for a reader.

One step in this process is called departure. This is when the character, or the individual if that applies, is required to depart the world they know and enter a new situation, leaving the comfort of the familiar. They must venture forth to a new situation, which in the story is a new adventure, or in the case of the individual, an adventurous undertaking.

In a stage where the hero or individual faces the resulting trials and dangers, the initiation stage, the character faces dangers, monsters and other challenges. Their ability to handle catastrophes is challenged. They don't always succeed, but must still continue on in the endeavor, despite what they face.

During what is called the stage return, the hero comes back home. But, he has made major changes and is not at all the same. He has matured due to the trials he overcame, becoming a more mature person who achieved a goal. This is a path resulting in growth and maturity of the character.

This journey can be related to the drama of a story. The departure stage is the same as the thesis. This is the world as it currently is for the protagonist. The antithesis is when the character faces opposing forces, and the antagonist. The synthesis stage is when the hero has accomplished, or not, all he sets out to do, and goes home to try and combine the old world and the new one.

The stages in this process translates into ten steps as Campbell identified. The steps include the ordinary world, the adventure, crossing the first adventure (the point of no return), the trials and foes faced, rescue by a magical mentor, in the dragon's lair, the moment of despair when all seems lost, the ultimate treasure, homeward journey, and the maturity and home at last.

All of these steps make up the three stages. These can be seen in the character's growth as well as in a person's individual development. Sometimes the character remains static when they need to be the same throughout a series. They remain static in one step, not showing maturity. In a similar way, an individual's progress may get stuck also. Several authors have dealt with this whole process in books, but this outline form will help a writer guide their plot.




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