Hero Stories

Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth Campbell realized most heroes in literature follow the same pattern: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-hero-matthew-winkler http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-host-of-heroes-april-gudenrath Check out The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Hero’s Journey Ordinary world (status quo): life before the inciting incident Call to action/adventure: inciting incident that starts the hero on his/her path Refusal of the call: hero is unsure of him/herself and scared of what’s to come Mentor: hero meets an experienced mentor to train/guide him/her

Hero’s Journey Crossing the threshold: hero commits to leaving the normal world and embarks on his/her adventure Test/allies/nemesis: hero is tested and discovers who to trust The Approach: hero and allies get ready for the main confrontation/challenge The Ordeal: hero has to confront mortality

Hero’s Journey The Reward: hero is rewarded for confronting death The Return: hero tries to return to the normal world with his/her reward The Resurrection: hero has to make a great sacrifice, usually giving his/her life but is resurrected Return part 2: hero finally returns home and goes back to normal life

Choose a hero Retrace the hero’s journey Follow the structure in Campbell’s monomyth structure