The Heroes Journey.

The Ordinary World

The hero's journey consists of twelve steps divided by the "ordinary" "special" worlds. The ordinary world is where your protagonist spends all their time before the story. It's Katniss Everdeen's District 12, Luke's Tatooine, or Dorthey's Kansas. Here, the audience learns about your character and their world. 

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What "hero type" do they fall into?

• Gung-ho-This character type is open and ready for adventure. They are usually brave and have a strong sense of self-value. Mulan from Mulan and Luke Skywalker from Star Wars are great examples.

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• Reluctant- These heroes don't want to adventure but have been pushed into the hero role. Like Die Hard's John McClane, they are all unwilling, but they can also be inexperienced, a la Lord of the Rings' Frodo.

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• Catalyst- These heroes are almost always superheroes. They inspire others to change due to their overwhelming goodness. This isn't to say that all superheroes are catalyst heroes; after all, Marvel Comics' Deadpool is an...

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• Anti-Hero- This category is home to characters that don't believe in living a by-the-books life.

The Call to Adventure

The call to adventure is also known as the inciting incident. Something tells your hero that they need to leave. This could be a stirring, a dream, a vision, an annoyance for the mundane life, a temptation, or a person.

Meeting the Mentor

The mentor is an essential character in your story. They help your character develop their abilities or show the path they must take to defeat the antagonist. When implementing a mentor into your story, remember a few things:

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• Your mentor is a retired hero. Whatever your protagonist wishes to become or whatever gauntlet your hero must pass through, your mentor had gone through before or helped create.

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• Your mentor must be able to see themself within your protagonist. In the story, every character is presented with two options: join the antagonist or join the mentor in the story. However, the path your hero walks isn't either of these, as they possess a unique ability/trait that allows them to end this split. That is why it is critical that your hero could take the place of the mentor or the antagonist, they probably won't, but this temptation to familiarity with both sides helps develop the internal conflict within your character and within the reader. 

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• Your mentor must disappear. As mentioned earlier, your mentor is a retired hero. They have survived in this world longer than your hero, and they've earned a reputation for themself, which would allow them special privileges your hero doesn't possess. This head start makes them more likely to be the story's hero, which is why mentors have to disappear some time in the story. They could die like Obi-Wan Kenobi, disappear like Gandalf, or be completely unable to help, like Haymitch. 

The Refusal of the Call

Your protagonist can't leave just yet. After all, adventuring is dangerous and scary. 

If your character is a(n)

• Gung-ho hero- Then they might be really excited for this adventure. However, something needs to stop them. It could be a family member, mentor, or responsibility that prevents them from going, like in Mulan. Your gung-ho character could also be like Luke Skywalker. Although he says that he wants to leave his home, he refuses and makes excuses when the opportunity presents itself.

• Reluctant hero- Then your job is straightforward. Have your character be reluctant to go.

• Catalyst- You have a few different ways you could go about it. You could treat them like a gung-ho hero and make a familiar or societal pressure for them to refuse their new life, but your character could also just deny their new abilities.

• Anti-Hero- Then they probably have a problem with being told what to do. That or perhaps this quest is too noble for them. Maybe it's too evil. It all depends on your character.  

Allies, Tests and Enemies

This is where your hero learns what they can eat and what eats them. It's a majority of your story, and it's where most people find writer's block. To avoid this "soggy middle," have your character complete a "quest." For instance, in Harry Potter, the characters must go to school. 

Your character meets their allies, love interests, and enemies. You can find a list of character archetypes here.
 

Your character also meets or learns of their antagonist during this portion of the story. What is the difference between an antagonist and an enemy? An antagonist is who your hero could be. Enemies are who your character would befriend if they took that path. For example, Harry Potter's Voldemort is the villain; Draco is an enemy.

Crossing the Threshold

Once your character has accepted that they must travel to the "special world," they have to pass a test to enter. This could be a physical fight with a guardian, or it could be a leap of faith. It marks the end of your character's knowledge and establishes their commitment to the journey. It also marks the transition to the "special" world.

The Ordeal

This is the point of no return. After this step, your hero can not live an unaffected life again. This fight also must be fought and won alone. If you chose a physical approach, then your character must fight the antagonist during this step.  If you chose a mental approach, then your character must face and overcome their fears. However, in both instances, to win the battle your hero must lose something. This could be a friendship, an item, or a limb. Usually, though, it is the thing that your hero relied on as a crutch.  

The Approach to the Innermost Cave

The Approach to the Innermost Cave can take one of two forms:

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• Physical- This is when your hero must journey to the location where they will defeat the antagonist. It must be a long and challenging journey that tears your protagonist away from their allies. 

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• Mental- The Approach and subsequent Ordeal could entirely be a mental thing, where your character tries to do the thing they are destined to do, only to fail. It also must tear your protagonist away from their allies. 

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A majority of the time, you want your approach to be a mixture of the two, as the physical aspect could be a reflection of your characters doubt and worry.

TLDR; Your character is at their lowest.

The Resurrection

This step is where your hero fights the antagonist for the last time, and the result of the battle determines the world's fate. Why is it called "The Resurrection?" Since step 7, your character has been overcoming their internal struggle. At the end of this step, your hero has completed their change and has become a different person. This can be a full blown battle with your characters allies, or a solo endeavor. 

The Reward

After overcoming The Ordeal, your character reunites with their friends and gets their reward. This "reward" can be a physical item, but it is usually the love of a love interest, an acceptance, a reassurance of ability, or knowledge. No matter the item, its existence allows the hero to move onto the next step and exit the special world.

The Return with the Elixir

If your hero won the battle, then they now possess the item that saves the world. They can either return to the ordinary world a changed person and attempt to live a normal life again, or they can choose to stay in the special world. 

The Road Back

To fully explain this step, I'm going to have to jump around a little bit. Steps 7-11 tend to frustrate people, as, at first glance, they look remarkably similar. Here's a simple look at each.

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• The Approach to The Innermost Cave- Your hero must journey to the site of their battle with the antagonist.

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• The Ordeal- Your character fights the antagonist and wins, but only after losing something.

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• The Reward- Your character reunites with their friends and gets a reward for beating the antagonist. 

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• The Road Back- A reflection of "Crossing the Threshold," your character begins to travel back to the ordinary world.

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• The Resurrection- Your hero fights the antagonist, and the result of the battle determines the world's fate.

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• The Return with the Elixir- If your hero wins, they get the thing to save the world.

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The steps look as if they repeat, don't they? However, it is easier to look at it this way:

Steps 7-9 have to do with your character's internal struggle and overcoming that.

Only then can they move on to steps 10-12 (the external conflict) and save the world once and for all. 

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So, the road back is when your character travels to defeat the antagonist once and for all.