I've been reviewing story structure lately. Despite what the pundits say, there's more than one way to tell a story! You have your 3-17 step hero's journey, your 5 plot-point, your 3 act, your 2 step scene/sequel. Let's start on the far end and work our way in.
The hero's journey was famously started by Joseph Campbell. It's expressed alternately as 17, 12, 4, or 3 stages, and often pictured in a circle as the starting and ending point is exactly the same - the ordinary world. The story is in the journey, the hero's transformation between the start and the end. In other words, the start/end point is the same, it's the hero who's different.
In a nutshell (correlation of steps is mine):
| 3 step | 4 step | 8 step | 17 step |
| -- | -- | The ordinary world | -- |
| Departure | Separation | The call to adventure | The Call to Adventure |
| -- | -- | Refusal of the call | Refusal of the Call |
| -- | -- | Meeting the mentor | Supernatural Aid |
| -- | Descent | Crossing the threshold | Crossing of the First Threshold |
| -- | -- | Tests, allies, and enemies | Belly of the Whale |
| Initiation | -- | -- | The Road of Trials |
| -- | -- | Approaching the inner cave | Meeting with the Goddess |
| -- | -- | -- | Woman as the Temptress |
| -- | Ordeal | The ordeal | Atonement with the Father/Abyss |
| -- | -- | -- | Apotheosis |
| -- | -- | The reward | The Ultimate Boon |
| Return | Return | The road back | Refusal of the Return |
| -- | -- | -- | The Magic Flight |
| -- | -- | -- | Rescue from Without |
| -- | -- | The resurrection/final test | Crossing of the Return Threshold |
| -- | -- | Return with the elixir | Master of the Two Worlds |
| -- | -- | -- | Freedom to Live |
You can find explanations for these steps in many places on the web. Wikipedia supplied the 17 steps.
Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing
wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular
order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.
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