Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's Journey.
The Hero's Journey is the most usable story structure consisting of at least 106 stages and the template for successful contemporary stories, from Star Wars to Al Pacino Scarface to The Incredibles to War of the Worlds to The Dirty Dozen to Midnight Cowboy. The Hero's Journey is a valuable template because:
a) It attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
b) It gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
c) Interpreted metaphorically and symbolically, it allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.
One critical stage of the journey is the Final Conflict.
In the last act, the hero must finally battle with the antagonist.
Whether fiction or non-fiction, subtle or direct, psychological of physical, the confrontation follows a familiar pattern that encompasses time pressure, impossible dilemma, polarization, final antagonism, three catharses and possibly the Afterlife Act.
The Final Conflict contains 81 common steps that bring the story to a satisfactory close. This is very valuable, as the ending can be the hardest part of a story to write.
Often the hero is under time pressure to battle the antagonist. In classic good versus evil the antagonist will force the issue, by holding an ally hostage (Spiderman), attack with superior forces or similar. But time pressure is nearly always an element of every story, no matter what. In Midnight Cowboy for example, it is created by Ratzo Rizzo's illness and the need to get to Florida.
The antagonist will often put the hero in an impossible dilemma. He will have to save himself, his love or the world ? he cannot do both. This seemingly impossible task is overcome and prompts the antagonist to take the threat more seriously.
There is also usually a polarization between the good and bad. The difference between them is highlighted visually, verbally and symbolically. This helps the ultimate catharses (there are three) have more impact.
The three catharses allow the audience to attain maximum emotional fulfilment. Catharsis 1 usually involves the antagonist realising he has lost and pleading for mercy on some level. Catharsis 2 usually involves the death of the antagonist, following a deception to regain control. Catharsis 3 involves the death of the lieutenant or some symbol representative of the evil. This process is very obvious and common in Bond films, for example.
The Afterlife Act is less common in modern stories but it still has a valuable place (Out of Africa, Conan the Barbarian). It is an ending that briefly informs us what happens to the hero after we leave him. This will be discussed in another article.
The 81 common steps of the Final Conflict and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller.
best cleaning company Lincolnshire ..Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits... Read More
You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More
Writers are often are greatly surprised or disappointed by how... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
This article contains a short guide on how to edit... Read More
Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
ACCEPT, EXCEPT Not commonly seen even from unpublished writers, who... Read More
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the... Read More
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More
Everyone has a book inside them, or so the saying... Read More
Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not.... Read More
When most people consider writing a book, they don't think... Read More
In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More
Word processors are so widely used now that I tend... Read More
Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you... Read More
The decision to publish a book is very exciting! It... Read More
You may wonder why I have chosen this title of... Read More
Before I became a teacher, I was a sports writer.... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's guidelines, are the rules... Read More
DEFINITIONSRetail margin is basically the difference between your book's wholesale... Read More
If you find your sentences filled with commas, and they... Read More
My bookcase take up one whole wall in the family... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas When Your... Read More
custom home cleaning Arlington Heights ..1. Use Logic: Check for External PressuresAre you under physical... Read More
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing... Read More
Poems. Just the mention of them makes me smile. Why?... Read More
My bookcase take up one whole wall in the family... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
Writer's forums are bustling with debate over whether or not... Read More
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by marketing. First, there's so... Read More
I'm in the process of moving from one computer to... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
What is a freelance grant writer? These individuals have a... Read More
For many authors just starting out, it can be a... Read More
In the current job market, many editorial workers have turned... Read More
Every writer expends a great deal of creative energy developing... Read More
Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More
What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More
During the years that I've been teaching writing and participating... Read More
Each author has special editing needs. To save yourself time... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
Before I became a teacher, I was a sports writer.... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
No one is born a novel writer. But do you... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction,... Read More
To capitalize on ways to make extra income you can... Read More
Do you consider yourself a storyteller? Do you consider yourself... Read More
		            Writing |