ACT I:
1. SET-UP: Who's the Hero? Initial development. Where are
we? What's the story about? THE HERO IS INTRODUCED IN HIS
ORDINARY WORLD (before the adventure begins.)
2. POINT OF ATTACK: What's their Problem? The Hero finds
or defines The Problem; this completes the First Act. Introduction
to all the major issues and elements of the story. THE CALL
TO ADVENTURE; THE HERO IS RELUCTANT AT FIRST; THE HERO IS
ENCOURAGED BY A WISE OLDER ENTITY (the MENTOR.)
ACT II:
3. THE INITIAL STRUGGLE: The Hero Begins to Deal With His
Problem(s). The Journey/Adventure begins. THE HERO PASSES
THE FIRST THRESHOLD. Point of no return.
4. COMPLICATIONS: The Hero Faces His First Real Enemy or
Challange. He wobbles, but comes through. It's "Early
Act II Jeopardy," his first real test, and he passes,
perhaps barely, perhaps with help. THE HERO ENCOUNTERS TESTS,
ENEMIES, ALLIES.
5. VALIANT ATTEMPTS: The Hero Stumbles. Maybe the Bad Guys
win one; the Final Outcome is in doubt. "Late Act II
Jeopardy." A Bigger Enemy, maybe Fate, or his Fatal Flaw.
Big enough to be really scary. THE HERO APPROACHES THE HEART
OF THE ENEMY'S FORTRESS; THE HERO ENDURES THE SUPREME ORDEAL.
He struggles, suffers, loses, touches bottom.
ACT III:
6. MAJOR CRISIS: The Hero Proves Himself Again. "Early
Resolution." The Hero fights back, and starts to win
again. Some things are resolved (love, family, etc.) Bonds
are made or admitted to. THE HERO SEIZES THE SWORD, THE REWARD;
THE HERO BEGINS ON THE ROAD BACK, often CHASED by the Bad
Guys.
7. CLIMAX/CONCLUSION/RESOLUTION: Tension, Release,
Wisdom. "Late Resolution." Whatever's gonna work
out, works out. And what isn't, doesn't. THE HERO HAS A MOMENT
OF RESURRECTION; THE HERO RETURNS WITH THE ELIXIR -- the Treasure,
the Truth, Whatever. But this story is over -- and the next
one is about to begin.
"All stories consist of a few common structural elements
found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams and movies.
They are known collectively as The Hero's Journey."
~Vogler, The Writer's Journey
Stage 1: The Ordinary World. The ordinary world is the mundane
everyday realm your hero/heroine inhabits. Your hero/heroine
may be jaded, lonely, cynical, suffering or simply resigned
to a life of monotony. By first immersing your reader in the
hero/heroine's Ordinary World, when the Call to Adventure
comes, it is that much more exciting, as is the subsequent
Special World your hero/heroine enters. In a historical romance,
the ordinary world might be the opening pages spent with the
heroine who is resigned to being a spinster because her parents
can't sponsor her Season, or she is on the shelf, a bluestocking,
of dubious lineage, etc.
Stage 2: The Call to Adventure. When the call comes, the
hero/heroine is presented with a challenge, a temptation,
a problem that lures him/her out of the comfort of everyday
life. The Call to Adventure establishes the stakes of the
story, and makes clear the hero/heroine's goal. The Call may
be the first sighting of that significant other who lives
on the fringes of the hero/heroine's Ordinary World. In a
historical romance, the jaded rakehell may have a brief, tantalizing
encounter with a "mystery woman" at a masquerade.
Conversely, the call to adventure for the merry-begotten heroine
may be her first encounter with the dangerous, most desirable
bachelor in the ton, to whose station in life she dare not
aspire.
Stage 3: Refusal of the Call. Who likes to face the unknown?
It yanks us out of our comfort zone; however, it is when we
are most uncomfortable that true growth occurs, for us as
writers, as well as for our characters. It takes courage to
heed the call to adventure, to initiate change, thus we as
readers like to see our hero/heroine struggle with reluctance
and a bit of fear. It makes the subsequent plunge into adventure
so much more thrilling. Will the jaded rake risk all and pursue
the mystery woman? Will the heroine be ruined, her heart broken
by the dangerous rake? Dare they try?
Stage 4: The Mentor (or wise old woman/man). The Mentor symbolizes
a parent/child, teacher/student relationship. The purpose
of the Mentor is to help the hero/heroine face the unknown.
The mentor may be the kindly nanny who urges the heroine to
follow her heart, counseling that nothing worth having can
be gained without risk. Or the mentor may be an older married
friend of the hero who wants the hero to experience the joys
of marital bliss and counsels him to pursue the heroine despite
the risks.
Stage 5: Crossing the First Threshold. Now the hero/heroine
has fully committed to the adventure and enters the Special
World of the story. This is when the story truly takes off.
Many novels open at such a point and the author fills in the
backstory later, which is a wonderful technique to suck the
reader in from page one. In a historical romance, this might
be when the heroine agrees to take the job as governess for
the children of the mysterious, dark and brooding lord. Or
when the hero decides--no matter that the heroine maybe a
spy--he wants her, and by God, will have her.
Stage 6: Tests, Allies & Enemies. Here the hero/heroine
explores the Special World they've entered. The hero/heroine
makes new friends--frequently with people they had not previously
considered potential friends. Here the hero/heroine is threatened
by villains and his/her character develops through tests of
courage, honor, strength and endurance.
Stage 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave. The hero/heroine approaches
extreme danger. Tension builds. In a contemporary romantic
suspense, this might be where the heroine receives a message
to meet a close friend at a secluded place, when it is actually
the villain who awaits her there.
Stage 8: The Ordeal. Here the fortunes of the hero/heroine
sink to a hopeless state. He/she faces the possibility of
death, the loss of everything he/she values. The audience
suffers uncertainty as to how the hero/heroine could possibly
salvage the situation, or even survive it. In a romance, this
might be the moment it seems as if the love between the hero
and heroine is doomed. In a romantic suspense, this might
be where it seems inevitable the hero/heroine will be killed.
Stage 9: Reward: Seizing the Sword. Now that the hero/heroine
has survived the ordeal, he/she is rewarded. Often in a romance
this is where a highly charged love scene takes place. Love
is professed, the primary villain is defeated and all seems
to be well.
Stage 10: The Road Back. Although the hero/heroine has evolved
and nearly completed his/her journey, it isn't over yet. In
a time-travel, perhaps the hero and heroine have fully committed
to their love when, abruptly, the heroine is returned to her
own time. In a historical, this may be where, despite love
declared openly, there are secrets yet to be revealed, fears
yet to be confessed that may jeopardize the possibility of
a happily-ever-after.
Stage 11: Resurrection. This is frequently a second "Ordeal"
or life and death episode. Darkness and futility might get
one final chance to threaten the hero/heroine. (Think of all
the scary movies where the hero turns his back on the monster
and begins walking away, but the monster isn't really dead
yet.) In a time-travel, the heroine might be unable to accept
that her lover died five centuries ago and all seems hopeless
to the reader. In a historical, a dark secret finally revealed
might undermine the couple's potential for future happiness.
Stage 12: Return With the Elixir. The Happily Ever After!
Good triumphs, love saves the day, and often babies recently
conceived are announced.
This is a brief interpretation of the hero/heroine's journey.
You may wish to incorporate some elements, or all, but I guarantee
you no story uses none. These are the timeless, ancient, enduring
tools of the great bards of yore and they provoke us on an
elemental level. In The Writer's Journey, Vogler says: "Used
wisely, these ancient tools of the storyteller's craft still
have tremendous power to heal our people and make the world
a better place."
~The Writer's Journey, Second Edition, Christopher Vogler,
Michael Wiese Productions
~The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell, Princeton
University Press
~Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit & Revise,
Theodore A. Rees Cheney, Writer's Digest Books
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