Further Resources on the Hero’s Journey I hope you’ve found my summary of hero’s journey plot lines useful, but there is really no substitute for reading the experts. I’ve mentioned a few story theorists in these posts and thought I would provide a run-down of their work so you can learn more if you are … More Further Reading & Feminist Alternatives to the Hero’s Journey
Happy New Year to all! We have reached the 10th and final stage of a hero’s journey plot line and a fitting stage it is for January 1st because this is the Resolution. Over the course of the hero’s journey, the character has been thrust out of their Ordinary World with a Call to Adventure … More The Hero’s Journey – Resolution
Huzzah! We have reached the Climax, the grand hurrah, the big shebang, a moment so exciting that only funny-sounding words can express it! All the same, I’ll do my best in this post to articulate what goes on in the climax of a novel or film. To see how we got to this culminating moment, … More The Hero’s Journey – Climax!
The Hero’s Journey – Reward Well that last post on the Ordeal was so frightening, I almost couldn’t go on! But after a bit of a break, the blog is now back as we surge toward the final stages of the Hero’s Journey. So far, we have seen how a character in their Ordinary World … More The Hero’s Journey – Reward
The end of the beginning is nigh! We move on to the third stage of a Hero’s Journey plot line, “Crossing the First Threshold.” This stage gives us some of the most iconic images in the history of children’s literature. It marks the moment when the plot of a story transitions from the Beginning (Act … More The Hero’s Journey – Crossing the Threshold
Listen up, you! Yes—you! On we go to the 2nd stage of a Hero’s Journey plot line: the “Call to Adventure.” This is where the fun begins. It’s the event that really kick-starts the story! To review, here’s the key stages of the Beginning Phase (ACT 1) of a Hero’s Journey story: The Ordinary World … More The Hero’s Journey – Call to Adventure
Let’s begin! Authors and screenwriters often refer to the Beginning, Middle, and End of stories as Acts 1, 2 & 3. Over the next few days, using the ideas of the Hero’s Journey, we will look in more detail at Beginnings or ‘First Acts.’ The list at the end of the last post introduced the … More The Hero’s Journey–Ordinary Worlds
I’ve encountered a lot of storytelling and screenwriting tips that say something like: “Coincidences are great for getting your character into trouble, but not for getting them out of it.” For example, let’s say we have a chase scene: our hero is pursued through a large construction zone by the bad guys. There’s a storm … More The “Well that was convenient… oh, wait!” Technique
Storythreads 