The Place For My Writers Notes

Original Posting: Jan. 30, 1995

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters by Christopher Vogler (ISBN 0-941188-13-2) 1992

paperback $22.95 (try The Write Stuff Catalog--$20.20! phone 1-800-989-8833 for details)

Chris Vogler has abstracted and organized an approach to storytelling based on Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with A Thousand Faces." Here is the worksheet he includes as Appendix 3 of his book:

The Hero's Journey

1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal of the Call
4. Mentor
5. First Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
8. Supreme Ordeal
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the Elixir

Archetypes

1. Hero
2. Mentor
3. Shapeshifter
4. Trickster
5. Herald
6. Allies
7. Shadow
8. Threshold Guardians

Another version of the steps is given in the first chapter of the book titled "A Practical Guide." (p. 13 to 31--the core of the book)

1. Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2. they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3. They are reluctant at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
4. are encouraged by their MENTOR to
5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World.
6. Here they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
7. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
8. where they endure the SUPREME ORDEAL.
9. They take possession of the REWARD (Seizing the Sword)
10. and are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed.
12. They then RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World.

Frankly, I'm still reading the book, but thought it was interesting enough to summarize at this point. One of the critical parts of the book is that even though he has this skeletal plot and set of characters, he also provides discussion and consideration of alternative ways of dealing with each step and archetype.

I'm also planning on using it for critiques, and thought it only fair to mention which background theory I'll be referring to.

Keep Writing!

Posted: Feb. 6, 2008

Whoosh! Now that's a brave man - he grabs his nine-month-old nephew from his sister's arms, and while she and her husband yell "DON'T" he drops the baby four floors to a policeman? And at least according to the news story, had a plan to jump if there hadn't been someone there to catch the baby?

See the article at http://us.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/06/germany.babysaved/index.html

So, let's see. How about an exercise that focuses on catastrophic circumstances, and heroics like this? I.e., take a character and bring them face-to-face with a catastrophe, and let them make that decision - to drop or not, to lift that truck, or whatever? (What do I mean, lift the truck? Well, my favorite story along those lines was a farmer that we knew in Ohio who had found his son under an overturned tractor - and carried the boy back to the farm in his arms, having lifted the tractor off him. And you have to understand that farm tractors are a bit too heavy for any man to lift - but somehow that day he did.) Anyway, let's see. Pick a number from one to six?

1. Fire
2. Flood
3. Storm
4. Car accident (or other - trucks are good!)
5. Airplane
6. Mechanical (go ahead, dream a bit - factory, drill, whatever?)

So that's the problem. Take a few minutes and elaborate it, imagine what is going on. And then put one character and one relative or friend (ye baby!) in the middle of that scene, with the threat that the relative or friend will die. Soon! Feel free to sprinkle with other people.

And then play it out. Can our favorite hero escape by themselves? Will they drop the baby out the window, swim against the tide, brave the lightning and wind, turn the car so that their side takes the impact, or . . . yeah, put them at the crux, able to see how to save the other, but will they? Will they ignore the parent screaming as they perform an emergency tracheotomy with a borrowed Bic pen? Will they take the chance that the policeman way down there will catch the baby?

Go ahead, tell us about the hero - and what happens later?

(as the Boy Scouts say, Be Prepared!)

When we write, we learn about ourselves.