The Hero's Journey Story Structure

There are several types of story structures. In this blog post, we will focus on “The Hero’s Journey”, also known as “The Monomyth”. The study of the hero myth narratives can be traced back to 1871. It was made popular in 1949 by literature professor Joseph Campbell, in his famous book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” Later screenwriter Christopher Vogler reshaped this narrative structure in his book, “The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers,” into 12 stages.

According to Joseph Campbell‘s book, all stories are universal. The common pattern of the “monomyth” suggests that it is always the same story over and over, and I find this very intriguing. I’m a discovery writer and I never plan a story according to any of the known story structures before writing it, imagine my surprise when I discovered, during my revisions, that my MC Leo’s arc is closely connected to what we know as “The Hero’s Journey” story structure.

The Hero’s Journey is basically the stories where the heroes walk a circular path that starts with peace and stability, they go through hardships and life-altering challenges and return once again to the starting point, but the heroes are no longer the same; they have undergone a transformation and their characters have changed.

The 12 stages of The Hero’s Journey + Three Acts Story Structure:

The stages of the journey may be organized in several ways, one of them, is to be divided into three acts. The “Three Acts Story Structure” is how stories have been told for centuries. The story is divided into Act 1- setup Act 2- confrontation Act 3-resolution with Act 2 being where the majority of the story takes place. Here, the three acts have different names but act two is still where we find the biggest portion of the narrative, regardless of the number of stages.

+ Act one: Separation or Departure (The setup).

1- The ordinary world: The protagonist lives in the normal world. It’s the world they’re accustomed to and know very well.

2- Call to adventure: It’s the initial incident that sets the story into motion.

3- Refusal of the call: The hero is reluctant to go on the adventure.

4- Meeting with the Mentor: The hero receives help from a mentor figure. They get the boost needed to start the journey.

5- Crossing the Threshold: The hero steps into the unknown world (the adventure starts).

+ Act two: Initiation (Rising action + Climax).

6- Test, allies, and enemies: The hero explores the unknown world. Faces trials and challenges. Makes friends and enemies.

7- Approach the innermost cave: The hero prepares for the big ordeal. This is right before the middle of the story. Usually, the hero seeks help from the mentor.

8- The Ordeal: The hero faces and overcomes the main obstacle or enemy and finds enlightenment.

9- Reward: It is the outcome of the main challenge. The hero gets his reward (elixir).

+ Act three: Return (falling action).

10- Resurrection: The story is not over yet. The hero faces a final challenge, one that is deeper/ more personal than the big external conflict.

11- The road back: The hero must return to the ordinary world with the reward. It can be a literal retune or a symbolic one.

12- Return with the elixir: The hero traverses back through the threshold with his newly gained wisdom/ power/ treasure. The hero is a changed person and is ready to change his ordinary world for the better.