The Hero’s Journey Shows You How To Write a Great Novel In 10 Simple Steps- writedeal.com

Aug 10th 09 Posted by Elizabeth J. Maison in Writing

The Hero’s Journey Shows You How To Write a Great Novel In 10 Simple Steps

by Elizabeth J. Maison

When you want to write a great novel that will be fascinating to your readers and stand the test of time as well, there is one plot structure that will help you more than any other: the Hero’s Journey. If you look at the novels and movies that have had the greatest impact on you in your life, you will see that they all follow the ancient mythological structure of what Joseph Campbell called the Hero’s Journey. This basic structure reflects the essential challenge that we all face in our own lives to find fulfillment and be true to ourselves which is why we care so much about what happens in these stories.

There are ten basic steps to the Hero’s Journey. If you use them as a starting place to develop your plot, you will find that the result is a story rich with meaning and vitality. With your well-crafted plot outline in hand, you will feel inspired and enthusiastic about writing your novel.

The Ten Steps of the Hero’s Journey

1. Reveal The Ordinary World of Your Character. Introduce your main character, the hero of your novel, and show us what his life is like at the beginning of your story.

2. Your Main Character is Presented With a Challenge. Something significant occurs in your novel that forces your character to more clearly see the problems in his life and decide whether he will make a change.

3. Your Character Initially Refuses. Initially your main character resists this change and the difficulties it will entail and wants things to stay the same.

4. The Decision To Change. Something happens that makes your character reconsider this decision. He realizes he cannot continue as he is and so decides to go forward and make this change in his life.

5. Your Character Finds Helpers and Friends. As your novel moves forward, your main character will encounter various helpful people who will help him in his efforts to reach his goal.

6. Your Character Learns the Skills and Perspective Needed To Succeed at His Goal. Your character proceeds to gather information and improve his skills so he will be prepared to face the challenges that he will soon encounter. We see that the stakes are getting higher as we go along.

7. Your Character Faces His First Big Challenge and Fails. Your character faces his biggest challenge up to this point and tries to achieve his goal with his newly found skills and strength. However, he is not yet strong enough within to succeed.

8. The Dark Night of the Soul. Your character experiences self-doubt and fears that he will never succeed. He is on the verge of giving up.

9. The Leap of Faith. Something happens that helps your character to renew his faith in himself and the value of continuing his efforts to succeed at his goal. He decides to not give up.

10. The Final Challenge and Ultimate Success. In this final climactic scene, your character faces the biggest challenge of his life. He calls forth his deepened commitment to his goal and puts everything he has into this final effort to succeed. As a result, he finally achieves the success he has been seeking for so long.

You will find that following the archetypal structure of the Hero’s Journey will help you craft an inspiring novel that resonates deeply for your and your readers. Because you have a clear plan for where you are going with your novel, the process of writing becomes much more enjoyable and easy. Whenever you are not sure what to write about next, you can simply refer to your outline and see what’s next for your character on the Hero’s Journey.

About the Author:

Elizabeth J. Maison writes for WritersSolutions.com, a helpful website for writers. At that site, you can read a nice review of NewNovelist 2.0, a special novel writing software program that will help you incorporate the Hero’s Journey into your novel.