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The Classical Hero’s Journey is one of the most detailed story structures containing 106 sequences overall and 32 in Act III alone.

A descendant of Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces and containing references to all the normal and less usual Archetypes: Peer Brothers, the Failed Hero and more, it allows the screen or story writer to quickly map out a step outline, template or first draft screenplay.

The Classical Hero’s Journey follows the universal story pattern (”there is in reality only one story”); the first ten sequences are very briefly summarised here:

1. An overview of the environment and context the story will take place in. Usually shots of the city, events, people interactions, events, narrative or some combination of above or similar. Sometimes an explanation is in order depending on the complexity involved.

2. Antagonist captures Princess. Princess sends Heralds to find rescuer - someone with a reputation and history of success against the antagonist; someone who may be able to assist in some way or similar. Often an Old Knight. If Heralds are more than one, they may conflict in some way. Establish evil nature of antagonist. Establish good nature of Princess. Herald(s) may be forced into the journey. Antagonist’s lieutenants may, through a mistake, lack of intelligence, some sort of deception or similar allow the Herald(s) to escape. Antagonist chases Herald’s in the belief (may be mistaken) that they Herald’s are dangerous, are important people, have something important in their possession, cannot let word of the Princess’ capture get out or similar.

3. The Herald(s) journey is full of difficulties. If the Herald’s are more than one, they may be separated for some reason. Some may die before finding help.

4. Antagonist’s lieutenants are hot on the heels of the Herald(s).

5. If Herald’s are separated, they are united. Else they approach the place where help may be at hand and the story reverts to being that of the Hero and not theirs.

6. The Hero is introduced. Along with the Interdictor, Hawks, Doves and perhaps others. The interaction between the characters illustrates their roles.

7. Heralds are not recognised by the Hero. It may be by pure chance that the Hero and Heralds meet. Others may have an interest in blocking the meeting.

8. Hero and Heralds interact in a safe, quiet place. Usually a place where the Hero feels comfortable. Herald’s inform the Hero of their backstory, the World of the Ordeal. There are references to a Mentor. The Heralds present the Hero with a Call to Adventure.

9. The Interdictor presents an interdiction that prevents the Hero from embarking on the adventure. The interdictive nature of the Interdictor is expanded upon. There are references to the Peer Brother - that the Interdictor is preventing the Hero from growing to the level of the Peer Brother. References to the Hero’s mysterious birth, his lack of knowledge of his parenthood and descendents. References to the Mentor. Hawks, Doves and Interdictor may debate the pros and cons of issuing the Interdiction. The secret desire of the Hero to embark on the adventure is illustrated.

10. Through some outside event, the Hero is forced into the adventure. He leaves in the dead of night, aware that he is violating the interdiction and aware of the danger. The danger of breaking the interdiction is expanded.

The Classical Hero’s Journey Story and Screenplay Structure can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com.

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Kal Bishop, MBA

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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. 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. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com

The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look
at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That’s
why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of
climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and
looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you
possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain?

There is only one way to climb a mountain and that is step by
step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must
create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last
step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in
the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a
mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear,
however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps
you should take before you begin. Once you’ve gone through the
following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your
ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook’s working title. Jot down a few
different titles, and eventually, you’ll find that one that will
grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your
topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your
reader’s queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles.
Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to
sell books ? as long as it’s not too cute. For example, Remedies
for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off
that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or
two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your
book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from
your thesis statement. Once you’ve got your thesis statement
fine-tuned, you’ve built your foundation. From that foundation,
your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook.
Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If
they don’t, they don’t belong in your book. For example, your
thesis statement could read: We’ve all experienced insomnia at
times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and
methods to give you back a good night’s sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure
there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some
questions

* Does your book present useful information and is that
information currently relevant? * Will you book positively
affect the lives of your readers? * Is your book dynamic and
will it keep the reader’s attention? * Does you book answer
questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident
about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience
is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this
group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style,
tone, diction, and even length. Figure out the age range of your
readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in,
and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are
they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they
write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The
more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will
be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do
you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality
traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want
to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer
it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a
product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course,
or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The
more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the
format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you
plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then
divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it
into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook “user friendly”

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often
anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice,
and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are
useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the
density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal
tone such as textbook diction. Reader’s respond to the feeling
that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the
length and structure of your sentences so you do not hypnotize
your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length
and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice.
Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and
magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that
jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the
more you write (and read), the better your writing will become.
The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must
give your reader’s eye a break. You can do this by utilizing
white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to
as “negative space.” Reader’s eyes need to rest in the cool
white oasis you create on your page. If your page is too dense,
your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to
tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your
information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break
from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that’s
easy on the eyes, and stick to that font family. Using dozens of
fonts will only tire your readers out before they’ve gotten past
your introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and
text large enough to be read easily on the screen, but small
enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen.
You will have to experiment with this to find the right
combination.

Of course, don’t forget to run a spell and grammar check. You
are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so do
not mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or
stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that’s
called a “comma splice.”) Last of all, create an index and a
bibliography. That’s it! You’ve written a book! Now all you have
to do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download
request from your website visitors.