The Hero's Journey - The Ordeal

We have now reached the eighth step of the Hero's Journey. At this point in your plot, your heroine has reached the deepest point of the inmost cave. It is here that she will face her greatest crisis.

The point to remember about the Ordeal is that your heroine must die to herself in order to live. Sound familiar? :) She must face the death of a fear, of a relationship, of a career. In facing this thing in her life, she overcomes the ordeal.

When you analyze the concept of story, you realize that all great storytelling is based on the Greatest Story Ever Told. Amazing!

The Hero's Journey-Approach to the Inmost Cave

Well, we've reached Step Seven in the Hero's Journey: the Approach to the Inmost Cave. Having grown somewhat accustomed to his new world, your hero now wants to seek its heart, known as the inmost cave. As he continues his journey, he encounters new obstacles and dangers and maybe even a new threshold guardian or two.

As your hero approaches the inmost cave, he may prepare himself for what he will find. For example, in a Christian novel, he may go on a fast or spend time in prayer to prepare for the battle ahead. Or he may spend time gathering information he will need once he reaches the cave.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself in this phase of your story:

1) How does your hero prepare for his approach to the inmost cave?
2) What obstacles does he face?
3) How does he respond to those obstacles?
4) Does your hero encounter a seemingly impossible test along the way?
5) If so, what is this test and how does he handle it?

You are now getting closer to the crisis of your story. The stakes are increasing for your hero.

In our next segment, we will discuss this crisis, called The Ordeal.

The Hero's Journey-Tests, Allies, & Enemies

We have reached the halfway mark on our hero's journey. Step Six is called "Tests, Allies, and Enemies." If you are following the Three-Act Structure, this step initiates Act Two.

It is at this point that your heroine enters her new, exciting, and possibly scary new world. Your reader should know instantly that this new world is different from your heroine's Ordinary World. Ask yourself what those differences are and how you will illustrate them. If you've chosen to have your heroine remain in the same physical location, then ask how her situation in this same physical location has changed.

During this step of the journey, your hero will also develop allies. An ally could be a new person the hero meets or someone the hero already knows but sees in a new light. Ask yourself also who are your hero's enemies and how will he handle them.

Your heroine will have to learn the rules of this new world she has entered. What are those rules? How will you show them in your story? How will your heroine adapt to the new rules?

You are now getting into the meat of your story. If you're like me, you will discover that not only is your main character on a journey, so are you as a writer. Make the most of it and enjoy the trip. Although it may be bumpy at times, it is so worth it! :)

Our next post will cover "Approaching the Inmost Cave."

The Hero's Journey - The First Threshold

I am praising God for the good news I have received that my novel, Sicilian Sunrise, is a finalist in the Inspirational Category of the East Texas RWA Southern Heat Contest. Winners will be announced in December. Glory to God!

Today, we will be talking about the First Threshold in the Hero's Journey. The First Threshold occurs when your heroine embraces the quest and sets out on her journey. It is the point of no return.

The crossing of the first threshold puts physical action to the previous step in the journey, the Acceptance of the Call. This proves that the heroine has what it takes to follow through. The crossing of the first threshold is also symbolic, a sort of rite of passage. It indicates commitment and acceptance of change. It is a leaving behind of the old and an acceptance of the new.

Often the crossing of the first threshold is frightening and serves as the heroine's first step toward independence. It represents moving from a world of safety to a world of danger.

The threshold often has some sort of guard or person or challenge that the heroine must overcome.

Have you found that applying these steps to your story is making a difference for you?

The Hero's Journey - The Mentor

Usually right at the point that the heroine of your story is deciding whether or not to accept the call, the Mentor comes into the picture. The mentor can be an old man or an old woman, although this has become rather cliche. I would suggest you make your mentor someone least likely to be a mentor. This will add a nice twist to your plot.

The Mentor's role is to prepare your heroine for her Call to Adventure. The Mentor usually gives advice or even an item for the heroine to use on her journey. This item is symbolic and has a metaphorical meaning in your story.

While your heroine is on her journey, the Mentor's advice will inspire her at times when things are going badly. You can even reintroduce your Mentor at a critical point in the story.

Remember that although you may use a Mentor in your story, the heroine must solve her own problems. The Mentor serves simply as a counselor, but the final decisions are left to the heroine.

The Hero's Journey-The Refusal of the Call

Today we'll talk about the Refusal of the Call. Often, when the protagonist receives the Call to Adventure, he will refuse to heed the call. He may refuse out of fear, a sense of inadequacy or duty, or from a number of other reasons that will keep him in his Ordinary World.

Joseph Campbell makes an interesting statement about refusing the call:

"Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its negative. Walled in boredom, hard work, or 'culture,' the subject loses the power of significant affirmative action and becomes a victim to be saved. His flowering world becomes a wasteland of dry stones and his life feels meaningless. . . . All he can do is create new problems for himself and await the gradual approach of his disintegration."

The character who refuses the call or does not take it seriously pays dire consequences. In Scripture, Lot's wife refused the call when, after being called out of her city by God, she turned back in longing to her old life. In so doing, she lost her opportunity to be a hero.

Refusing the call can have serious consequences both in fiction and in real life. Hear the Word of the Lord:

Because I have called, and ye refused ... I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. ... For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. (Proverbs 1:24-27 and 32)

Be sure that your main character does not refuse the call. Most of all, make sure that you do not refuse the call in real life.

The Hero's Journey-The Call to Adventure

Once you have established your protagonist's Ordinary World, you then move to the Call to Adventure. This is the first turning point, so to speak, in your story because it is the point at which your heroine encounters a problem. The problem puts your heroine at a point of decision. Will she accept the Call to Adventure or will she choose to remain in her Ordinary World?

If she chooses to remain in her Ordinary World, you won't have a story. :) In order to have a story, your heroine must accept the Call to Adventure, although she may hesitate at first or do so reluctantly.

The Call to Adventure reveals the heroine's goal and sets up the stakes she will face in meeting that goal. The Call to Adventure is also referred to as the inciting incident.

Think about your protagonist's Call to Adventure. What is it? What forces her to make a choice to leave her Ordinary World? Why should she leave her Ordinary World? What is at stake for her if she does not? What are the gains for her if she does? What dangers will she have to face along the way?

Here is a useful link that structures the Hero's Journey into acts:

http://www.dramatica.com/theory/articles/vogler-plot.html