A Creator's Breakdown of The Hero's Journey

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If you want to • tell your story • grow your personal brand • be someone people want to follow • create a deep bond with your audience You need to write your own Hero's Journey Here's a breakdown of how you do it (writing prompts included) ⸺Thread⸺

Before writing... You need to know the story structure A Hero's Journey is broken down into: • acts • actors and • archetypal stages

⸺ACTS⸺ There are 3 acts Act I - Separation • you gather courage to go on an adventure Act II - Initiation • you face trials and a transformational fight Act III - Return • you take your lesson and share it back home

Every story in your life will fit into an act Acts reveal where you are along your journey to becoming a hero And audiences want to follow that story Act I - Beginning - How did it start? Act II - Middle - How is it going? Act III - End - How will it end?

⸺ACTORS⸺ There are many kinds of actors YOU are (obviously) the main character And in your story... You meet all kinds of actors along the way • Allies help you to face your fears • Rivals test you to see if you have any guts

All actors are "archetypal" in nature It means they are the purest form of a symbol They're in almost every story no matter the cultural context they're in Like the HERO for instance Let's break that down for you

You may not think you're a hero Maybe because of an overused trope You know... • the athletic jock • big and burly type • likes a challenge • slightly aggressive • good with weapons But YOU can be an unexpected hero With your own set of special abilities And courage 👇

I think of this quote often when it comes to being a hero: "Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. Courage is knowing you are beaten to begin with, but you begin anyway, and you see it through no matter what." ⸺Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird

Here are a few more archetypal actors • The Mentor • The Shadow • The Herald • The Father Figure • The Mother Figure • The Trickster • The Shapeshifter • The Ally • The Temptation • The Divine Source • The Dragon Can you see them play out in your modern story?

⸺ARCHETYPAL STAGES⸺ There are traditionally 18 stages. 6 stages per act And each stage has its own set of actors Each stage works like a herald or initiation They progress you down your path And show how you're developing as a hero Let's break them down...

The Ordinary World This is where you start out. In your safe, comfortable, even boring life OR your inner world You set the scene • Where were you before the adventure started? • What was it like to be there? • How did you feel? Bored? Stuck?

Call To Adventure Every hero feels the call It's either subtle inner calling Or a push from external circumstances Either way, you're called to ACT • Did you feel like something inside you said to do something? • Did something happen where it forced you to take action?

Refusal Of Call Every hero either resists answering the call Or are held back against their will It's never easy to start • Did you experience resistance to going towards the call? • Did someone else tell you that you couldn't go and do it? • What setbacks did you have?

Supernatural Aid This is also called "Meeting the Mentor" Every hero meets someone that guides them down their path They give you tools & work on your mindset • Who have been your mentors? • How did they help you? • What tools did they give you before you set out?

Crossing The Threshold Right before you embark on your path Allies & rivals will join you Both will motivate you, just differently • Who joined you along the journey? • Did you know your friends and enemies from the start? • How did they help you along your path?

Belly Of The Whale This is your first taste of ego death Your first embarrassment The point of no return You *thought* you were well-equipped Goes to show you were wrong And you can't go back to your old life after this • What was your first flub? Describe it

The Road Of Trials After you get initiated into this special world You experience a set of trials Each one raises the stakes And you get stronger and more adept • What trials did you overcome? • How did each get progressively harder and harder? • What did you learn?

Meeting With "The Divine Source" They course correct you towards a reward And like a mentor, they give you better tools & knowledge to attain it Can also be met through prayer • What did you have to do to meet "the source?" • How did they inspire you to keep going?

The Temptation Classically portrayed as a woman, can definitely be a man, or someone/something will ill-intent They represent your old self • Who or what tempted you to go back to your ordinary self? • How did they tempt you? • What did you do to overcome the temptation?

Atonement With The Father Also known as "The Provider" This is what was given to you in your old life Either goodness, harshness, or both But you have to make peace with it to move on Or you'll remain immature forever • Who/What did you have to forgive to move on?

Apotheosis This is where you actually transform into a hero You face a monster in the final battle It's your first taste of the powerful gift inside you that you were ignoring all along • What was the big conflict? • How did you bring balance? • What were your powers?

Retrieve The Ultimate Boon You finally retreived the reward and knowledge that "The Divine Source" sent you to find This is what you bring back to teach and share • What lessons did you learn? • What were your realizations? • What could you share from this adventure?

Refusal Of The Return Even despite how enlightened you are You're still human And you resist going back home You want to stay on an adventure • How did the adventure end? • How did you feel? • Who helped you reorient? • What did you need to do to reorient?

The Magic Flight Imagine trying to share your new found knowledge & gifts and getting attacked by trolls and haters It's never easy sharing or protecting this noble gift • What battles did you face sharing your knowledge? • How did people try to discredit you?

Rescue from Without You're not just human, you're flawed You still don't know how to do *everything* You need to balance out what you're good at, and let friends handle the rest • Who helped you share your knowledge? • How did they help protect or scale your gift?

The Crossing Of The Return Threshold Afer going back home, you have to integrate what you learned in the real world And there will be old monsters coming back to keep you in check • What new habits did you learn? • What systems did you create to stay on your toes?

Master Of Both Worlds This is what you've worked so hard for The climax of the journey All final tests are done You're a master But masters sacrifice all other lives for one with purpose • What moment did you reach the peak of the adventure? • What's your purpose?

Freedom To Live You've transcended You don't have the same fears, troubles, addictions, or pain You can live life without the shadow holding you back • How did you feel after the adventure? • What does your life look like compared to before? • What have you achieved?

We're all the heroes of our own story. It's just a matter if you acknowledge it Write it down And share it with others Take a deep dive on how to do that here 👇 twitter.com/i/spaces/1vOGwyyrYbqxB