Hero’s JourneyA Story Outline

Ordinary World We meet the hero in his ordinary world to

create a vivid contrast with a strange new world he is about to enter.

Describe the ORDINARY WORLD of our hero and the circumstances within which he lives.

Call to Adventure The Hero is presented with a problem,

challenge, or adventure to take which will remove him from his ordinary world.

Call to Adventure Something is taken from us, our family, or

our society. The journey is to reclaim it. We think there is something missing in our

life and we journey to find what is missing.

Call to Adventure We want to save or restore honor to

ourselves, family, or country. We notice injustices (people are denied

rights they should have) and we work to gain these rights for these people.

We may realize that we have “outgrown the roles we are playing” where we live.

Refusal of the Call The hero may refuse the call or be reluctant

at first. If the hero is RELUCTANT, under what circumstances does he decide to undertake the journey? (not all stories will have this part.)

Crossing the Threshold The hero commits to the journey and fully

enters the unknown by crossing the first threshold (the moment when the story takes off and the journey starts). When, where, and how does the hero CROSS THE THRESHOLD?

Allies and Enemies a) What alliances (friends) does the hero

make? What do we learn about these ALLIES?

b) Who are the hero’s ENEMIES (antagonists) ? What do we know about them?

Challenges What trials or obstacles does the hero

face? Describe each one, what is the challenge and how it is overcome?

The Abyss The fortune of the hero hits bottom in a

confrontation with his greatest fear and may face possibility of death. He has entered THE ABYSS. Describe the hero’s greatest challenge and/or fear.

Transformation With the crisis of the ABYSS passed, the

hero now experiences the consequences of surviving it. What is gained as a result of the hero’s win over the abyss? How has the hero TRANSFORMED or changed?

Revelation Now the hero has gained something

valuable and has conquered his greatest challenge, what is his new view of life or REVELATION?

Atonement How does the story show the hero at peace

with the transformation? At this stage, whatever sent the hero on the journey has been achieved.

What has the hero learned from his experience?

The Return a) The hero now returns to everyday life

and will decide how to use what he has gained during the journey. Describe how he will use his gift.

b) The people the hero returns to will react to his gift and transformation. How do they react? How does the hero respond to their reactions?