STORY ARCS – THE QUEST / THE HEROES JOURNEY

There is a setting. And aspect of ordinary life, whether it is a village in the Shire, a family home, a coffee-and-cake shop, a beach full of holidaymakers.

We get a little bit acclimatised to the scene. Hopefully enough to understand why it should be valued and preserved.

Then a problem arises. It might arise across the universe (and only we and the bad guys know about it) or it might immediately start biting the limbs of the bathers in Amity beach. A bequest might be made, or a bill might be overdue. Something might be stolen, or something might be found. A stranger might arrive in ton.

Whatever it is, it has the potential to impact on the original scene.

It will be decided – by whoever – that one person, or a group of people, need to do something about it, or respond in some way to it.

They might be reluctant. After all they are part of the happy scene. And, anyway, who wants a hero who thinks of themselves as a hero? Which is why Hobbits, in a world full of wizards and warriors, made such a good choice. We do like seeing an under-dog win out.

The hero will be identified in some way. But there will be an initial obstacle that needs to be overcome – a reluctant partner, a call in a different direction, thinking it isn’t their fight...

Overcoming the obstacle tells us something about the quality of the hero and something about the seriousness of the quest. Sometimes the obstacle indicates a flaw in the original scenario, that will later be fixed by the hero returning.

In Peter Pan, the initial obstacle for the Darling children is learning how to fly. But there is also the looming problem of Tinkerbell. Her trying to kill Wendy, tells us about her, about her relationship with Peter, and about the Lost Boys’ need for a Mother.

Then we have the journey. In your average James Bond Film, the journey is scene as following leads, gathering clues, moving ever closer to the confrontation with the bad guy. In Bond film it’s really just an excuse for a lot of explosions and showing us how cool James is. In more nuanced stories, the various confrontations or problems will either add wisdom, or bring out strengths the hero didn’t know they had.

In some stories – myths and legends – the confrontations along the way will allow the hero to collect weapons (or wisdom) that will be needed to defeat the enemy. Galadriel give the Hobbits actual gifts that they later depend on to get them to Mordor. In the case of wisdom, it might be something that a loved one says, back in the good days. If ever a child says something wise or insightful to an adult at the beginning of a book or a film, you can bet it will be useful later.

At some point on the journey, we might discover that the hero isn't really who people thought s/he was. This is where they crash and burn (which makes a very unsatisfactory ending) or, because of what they have been through they discover new strengths and rise to the challenge.

Character development should be on-going. We are six episodes into Netflix's Reacher series before we discover what motivates two of the main characters.

Then there comes the final confrontation, when the hero must risk their life or their happiness to put things right. And, through various heroic, or self-sacrificing ways, they do.

If there is more than one hero, they will usually face the enemy that has antagonised them the most - unless those enemies are somehow too much for them in which case swapping roles (and enemies) is an acceptable technique.

But, that’s often not the true end.

It might be that the bad guy the hero has been so focussed on is only a puppet (Snopes in the later Star Wars movies) and there is a hitherto unsuspected evil. It might be that the real problem is in the hero themselves.

In Beowulf, one of the oldest tales in the English language (or in a form of English), his great quest is to defeat Grendel. It takes almost all he has to accomplish this. Then Grendel’s mother rises up!

In No Time To Die, James Bond kills the mad scientist and saves the world – but then faces another, awful and unexpected, dilemma.

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The phrase “The Hero’s Journey” might conjure up images of big men, or action heroes. But the principles apply to the protagonist, the main character in many stories. This could, just as easily, be someone trying to save a local playground. The journey could be finding a way through local bureaucracy.

The hero could be male, female, adult, child...

Look out for –

• The initial idyllic setting

• The problem arising

• The choice of hero

• The initial obstacle

• The journey

• The wisdom acquired

• The weapons acquired

• Will the hero rise to the challenge

• Stages of character "uncovering"

• The final conflict

• The real final conflict

• The lesson learned or the benefit gained

• The return to happiness (although this is a story in its own right. For example, The Odyssey.)

Let me know what you see! And.. I did this off the top of my head, so, I probably have included every aspect. If I’ve missed anything out, let me know.