The Hero's Journey

Last week some of you asked me to write a blog on the hero's journey-what it is and why and how to use it.
From wikipedia: Joseph Campbell's...the hero's journey, refers to a basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world. Campbell held that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures and stages, which he summarized in the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces:

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A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

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Basically Campbell and other scholars detected a pattern in story telling that crossed cultures, times and regions. Writer's can make use of this pattern when plotting their novels no matter what the genre. It is, in fact, a great plot device and a way of looking at the overall character arc for your book. Campbell lists 17 steps. My goal is to show you those steps and to break them down into writing plot points and ways of looking at your overall story arc. (Next week we'll use the steps to look at your overall emotional arc-something that works well for romance authors.)
All 17 steps can be found at maricopa.edu.
I am not going to list them here because it would make the blog to long. So click on the link and take a look.
In the hero's journey, a story is broken down into three acts. The first act has five stages, the second act has six stages and the third act has six stages. Think of each stage as turning points in your book. If you like to outline, you'll love the hero's journey. If you don't like to outline, you can use this information to revise your book and write your synopsis or help you through a sagging point. I am going to paraphrase from here on out.
Act one is the first third of your book. As I said last week every good story begins with the ordinary world, but at a point where hints of the need for changes to come appear. Think of Harry Potter and how it opens with the morning of his cousin's birthday. Harry is roused from his tiny closet under the steps to cook breakfast and then it's off to the zoo where Harry reacts to his cousin's teasing a snake by making the glass disappear and reappear. (Hints of magic to come.) We see not only Harry's ordinary world, but why change has to happen in the way he is treated and hints of things to come in his uncontrolled magic and being able to understand the snake. The next step is the call to adventure. This is clear in the letters that appear for Harry from Hogwarts. The refusal of the call brings tension to the story and the letters remain unopened. So a magical helper appears and Harry chooses his adventure and is whisked off to school. The next step is Diagon Alley where Harry clearly leaves his ordinary world and discovers a whole new world. The first act ends in a low point or a point of terrible transformation which holds the potential for what will come next. Remember you want the reader to keep turning pages.
Act two has more stages and should be the next third or perhaps a full half of the book depending on your personal structure. This is where the main action happens. If you are plotting an outline these stages will keep you from the dreaded sagging middle. In this portion of the book are tests and trials (Plan them in sets of three) for your hero/heroine-often the hero fails these tests creating tension. The next step is when your hero experiences or encounters an unconditional love-it could be love of self or love of friend or true love depending on your story. It gives the hero a reason to continue and a reason to change themselves. (Think about Harry's new friends.) Next are temptations that may lead your hero off his chosen path. These can come right after the failure of a test creating tension and making the reader wonder if the path will change or be given up all together. Next your hero must confront whatever holds the ultimate power in their life. George Lucas did this quite literally in the scene in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker faces Darth Vader and discovers the villain is his father. This is a necessary step and the lowest point in your book. It is the heart of the character's transformation. Follow this monumental moment with a period of rest of the character and a time for the reader to catch their breath. The second act ends with our hero achieving the ultimate goal of his quest. The hard work pays off but the story is not over yet.
Act three can be the last third of the book but should move very quickly. It begins with the refusal to return to the ordinary world. Why go back? Sometimes there is a compelling reason to return- our hero must bring his new achievement back to save his baby brother from death. Sometimes our hero is compelled to return by guides because the hero himself doesn't understand the need to return to ordinary world. But the return must be made to complete the circle. The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom you have learned on the journey. Remember when Harry returns to his aunt's house he is no longer living in the cupboard under the stairs. He is too powerful now and things have changed. The final steps show our hero now comfortable with his new self and living his happy ever after...until the next call to action. The end.
Many speakers will give examples from classic movies, i.e., The Wizard of Oz and the original Star Wars. I used bits from Harry Potter. If you really want to understand the hero's journey, print out the steps and watch these movies and try to identify the steps in the acts. Then return to your work in progress and see where your plot and character development fit the pattern or fall short.
Remember: this is only a useful tool for plotting NOT a rule that must be followed. Steps can be skipped and/or rearranged to suit your individual story. Cheers~

Setting and season

Someone sent a note around one of my loops saying that they usually write a story in the season they are in--a common trick so that all you have to do is look out the window to get a strong feel for what the weather is like. But then she went on to say that this time she is writing a story set in the dead of winter. Her question is how do you keep the setting true to the season when you are not living it?
I think that is a very valid question. Seasons can play an important role in a story and the weather can be a character as well. A character that has a direct effect on the conflict and the outcome of the story. Trying to find a killer in a blazing sun with 110 degree temps is a lot different than following clues in Spring when the wind whips around you and the ground is muddy mush. Falling in love in a sleigh ride during a soft snow storm is a lot different than a subtropical jungle where your bodies are coated in sweat.
So, how do you keep the setting true to the season when you are not living it?
Step one: research. I listened to a presentation at Seton Hill University by the wonderful Meg Mims on setting the scene. She sets her books where she lives. She keeps the seasons true by taking the time to go outside once a month and walk the highways, byways, streets and fields and take notes. She keeps a notebook full of observations on angle of sunlight, temperature, wind against her skin, what type of bird song she hears, what animals and insects she sees. This notebook is her guide when setting her stories in a season.
What if you are setting your books in a place where you don't live? Some authors will visit that place in each season and take notes such a Meg suggested. But if you don't have the time or money to invest in that kind of travel-improvise. You can Google where ever you have set your story. There is weather, animal, and plant information available. Go to a zoo and visit the bird buildings to get a real feel for what birds look like and sound like from your list. The same with native creatures like raccoons, or opossums. If it's summer and you are writing about the dead of winter-go into the penguin exhibit, look at the arctic foxes.
Step two: You've done your research but you are having trouble bringing that data to life in your work. Trick yourself. Set the scene where you write. For example: When I lived on the south pacific island of Guam the weather on Christmas day was the same as the weather on the 25th of July. (75 for a low 90 for a high with soft tropical breezes.) Many military families improvised. They used spray snow on their windows. Turned their air-conditioners way up (for only one day). They covered the windows to bring in the feel of darkness you get in December in the northern latitudes. Some even went so far as to bring in electric fireplaces. Or you can have a picture of a fireplace burning on your television set. They strung lights on tropical fir trees and for a few hours created the Christmas from home. Including the smells of popcorn and gingerbread. Physically set your scene. Play bird sound or Christmas music. Light a tropical candle or an evergreen scented candle. Use your imagination and create a season in your room. Remember all five senses. Then sit down and use what you did physically to help you richly translate the season onto the page.
Good luck, and remember-have fun. Writing is not worth all the trouble if you don't have fun with it. Cheers~