The Hero's Journey in a nutshell

Ever wondered if there guide you could follow to make sure your plot works?

Well, there is. The hero's journey is a simple plot arc that is used by the vast majority of successful novels and films, to a greater or lesser degree. It sets out markers that can be followed to ensure a reader is drawn in, empathizes with the protagonist and is satisfied by the ending.

The basic hero's journey steps are as follows:

1. Introduction to the hero's world
2. Call to action
3. Crossing the Threshold
4. Meet the Mentor
5. First challenge
6. Temptation
7. Dark inner moment
8. Final battle
9. The return home

This is not set in stone, and there are a range of varieties (look up the monomyth) and of course each of these steps can be interpreted in different ways.

And don't think because it's called the 'hero's journey that it only applies to fantasy type stories. It's not about having a long haired youth wielding a ruby hilted sword - Crossing the Threshold could be flying to start a new English Teaching job in Greece, the First Challenge could be an ambitious actress's audition upon arriving in Hollywood and the Final Battle might be confronting an offensive boss at the office Christmas party.

More detail on each of these hero's journey steps coming soon... 

The Novel Factory Writing software uses the Hero's Journey to make writing a novel easier. Learn more about the principles of the Novel Factory novel writing method here.