The Hero's Journey

It's common to hear these words mentioned when speaking about a book. One of the basic tools of writing is understanding and using the hero's journey. Even if you're just reading a book for fun, you might think about the hero's journey. Simply put it's the essence of the book and the hero's struggle from nothing to something to a middle ground. The hero's journey is about learning.

The start of the journey begins in the confines of the familiar. Your character is in their normal life, perhaps a humdrum routine of the ordinary. Luke Skywalker is on his family's farm on Tatooine (Star Wars: A New Hope) and Harry Potter is living at Privet Drive with the Dursleys. Both of these characters yearn for something more, whether it's discovering the world beyond the stars or just moving out of a cupboard - they have dreams.

If I want to tie this into Island Whispers, Monica wants to leave the caves and explore the world above. The world below the surface, in the dark and twisting caverns, is all she has ever known.

Joseph Campbell has 17 stages to the hero's journey. However, I don't think it's necessary to explore every single one. There are many diagrams depicting it and it's easy enough to look up.

The next stage is breaking out of that familiar world and exploring the unfamiliar. For Luke, it's leaving Tatooine with Obi Wan and realizing that there's nothing left for him after the stormtroopers destroy the farm. Harry meets Hagrid and suddenly a wizarding world of magic opens up; he has been accepted to a school for witchcraft and wizardry: Hogwarts.

In Island Whispers, Monica meets Adam and begins to explore the land on the island. She chooses to continue expanding her knowledge and understanding of the world on her own.

Map of the Broken Bounty World
- In my novel, two bounty hunters go on a journey to
help a princess escape from her father.
Random insertion perhaps, but I plan to share more about
this novel in time...

This is a journey though and there will be trials and heartache before it's over. The hero loses their innocence. However, they persist and pursue their end goal. If we were logging this journey on a plot diagram, this would be where the steep uphill climb becomes jagged. We haven't reached the climax, but there are mini-challenges and pitfalls along the way that make the peak just out of reach.

Luke finds and rescues Princess Leia but they lose Obi Wan. Harry learns about Voldemort and discovers there is a secret item in the castle: The Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone, depending on which version you have). 

Monica learns that the outside world isn't as friendly and inviting as she imagined. She also comes to terms with the guy who wants to destroy what is good about the island. Her friend Damian is controlled and not himself, he doesn't recognize her and wants to hurt her.

Now, that peak - the climax - which seemed out of reach earlier? We're at the top of the mountain and the critical turning point in the story. It's all downhill from here. The most difficult challenge yet is faced and overcome (thus why it's a "hero's" journey). 

Luke battles against the Death Star and makes the one in a million shot. Harry faces off against Voldemort while the latter tries to get the stone from the Mirror of Erised. 

Monica fights against the Elder and his dark servants. She battles alongside friends, but the question is "is she strong enough to take on her foes and protect the ones she cares about?"

After that climax is reached, we start the return. The character completes the circle, but with more knowledge and experience. Their understanding of the world has deepened. They have changed.

Luke joins the rebel alliance and decides to become a jedi like his father. Harry returns to the Dursleys, but has a future of wizarding classes and facing Voldemort ahead of him. When he speaks to Dumbledore at the end, reliving his battle against Voldemort, our wise old man gives Harry some advice and answers to the harrowing events.

At the end of the battle, Monica has survived but she has to come to terms with the loss of Damian and her new position as the queen of the Haven. While leaving the caves at the beginning was meant to symbolize her freedom and escape from responsibilities, she is laden with guilt and duty at the end. She must return to the caves and take over the legacy of the former queen. She'll also need to forgive herself for her own role in Damian's demise.

A hero's journey is not pretty and not all of them get happy endings. Knowledge is a burden and a blessing, but the characters response is just as important. Their resilience in the face of obstacles has gotten them this far, how much farther will it take them?