2024 – Mar 19 – The Hero’s Journey

Newsletter “3 in 1” by Albán Brothers

"Tell powerful and commercially successful stories with practical insights."

The Hero’s Journey

March 19, 2024

Writing Concept

What is it about?

The "hero's journey," also known as the "monomyth," is the quintessential archetype or narrative structure for storytelling. Your alfa and omega.

This structure is not a strict formula to follow, but rather a recipe of common elements shared by all stories that have been told in the past and continue to be told today.

What is it for?

Mastering the Monomyth or hero's journey will help you:

Plan your stories in advance in the correct way so that you don't feel like you hit a creative wall or narrative obstacle that you don't understand how to correct or restructure when writing a story.
Assimilate and decode material, whether small or large format (short stories or novels, shorts or feature films), to understand it and mold it to your liking.
It will help you finish your first draft if you feel you have good ideas, but whenever you sit down to write, you never know how to do it and end up dissipating over time.

Exercise & Practical Example

There are several proposed structures of the Monomyth, some simpler but not as functional as others. For this exercise, we will use the 12-steps proposed by Joseph Campbell.

You should choose the main character of a story, whether it's a movie, video game, or book, and identify the following steps:

Ordinary World: The hero’s fay-to-day life.
Call to Adventure: The hero wants something.
Refusal of the Call: The hero feels he/she is not yet ready.
Meeting the Mentor: The mentor agrees to guide the hero.
Crossing the Threshold: The hero enters an unfamiliar situation.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies: The hero must overcome a series of tests.
Meeting with Death: The hero encounters a life/death situation.
Revelation: The hero gets what he wanted.
Resurrection: The hero pays the price.
The Final Test: The hero fights the main villain.
Change of Order: The hero returns to the comfort zone.
The Elixir of life: The hero shares what he/she has learned.

Here's an example of the exercise done by us:

Silent Vengeance, 2023 – Analysis by Albán Brothers, dic 2023

Spoilers Warning Capion.

Title: Silent Revenge

Director: John Woo

Writer: Robert Archer Lynn

Premise: After losing his only son to a stray bullet in a gang skirmish, Godlock, a loving father, decides to take justice by his own hands.

1. Ordinary World	The protagonist, Godlock played by Joel Kinnam, and his wife Saya, played by Catalina Sandino, live happily with their son, a child who doesn't resemble them at all.
2. Call to Adventure	A stray bullet in a gang battle ends his son's life.
3. Refusal of the Call	After pursuing them in a vengeful frenzy, Godlock is shot in the neck and torso, denying him both his revenge and his son's life.
4. Meeting the Mentor	After months of recovery and alcoholism, where Godlock and Saya's marriage has been irreparable due to pain and loss, Godlock decides to talk to Detective Vassel, played by Kid Cudi.
5. Crossing the Threshold	Inside the office, Godlock sees photos of the gang members involved in his son's death case, recognizing the man who shot him twice, one time in the neck, robbing him of his voice. Godlock decides to take down the gang members by his own fist.
6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies	Godlock decides to kill all the gang members, specially, the one who killed his son on December 24th, exactly one year after they took his son's life. He will have to learn to drive, drift, shoot, fight, as well as gather information about the whereabouts and behaviors of his enemies, to be able to take down the entire gang on his own. During his obsessive training, his wife leaves him, unable to bear the physical and psychological change her husband is undergoing.
7. Meeting with Death	Godlock comes face to face with the gang members while buying provisions. They give him a warning, unaware of who he really is.
8. Revelation: The Ordeal, Revelation, Crisis	Godlock sneaks into the house of one gang member and kidnaps him. He forces him to sign a confession, but the gang member manages to free himself from his bonds and tries desperately to take his captor's life.
9. Resurrection	Godlock, barely, after receiving several blows and two knife wounds, manages to win the fight against the gang member, thus proving that his training paid off. He is ready to fight.
10. The Final Test	On December 24th, Godlock leaves the tied-up gang leader at Detective Vassel's door with a letter that reads "Today I will finish what you should have done." Godlock confronts the entire gang, killing them one by one in a frenzy of gunfire and explosions.
11. Change of Order	Godlock ends the life of Playa, played by Harold Torres, who took his son's voice and life.
12. The Elixir of life	Before dying beside Detective Vassell, who helped him in his crusade. Godlock’s mission is complete. He will reunite with his son in the afterlife.