The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon - understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero's Journey:

Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

The Hero's Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.

The Value of a Shape Shifter

Most successful stories and screenplays include a shape shifter. The shape shifter has many functions including:

a) A rival to the hero. In Star Wars (1977), it is hard to tell who the hero should be - Luke or Han Solo.

b) A rival for the romantic challenge. In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Belloq attempts to woo Marion. In The Matrix (1999), Cypher attempts to woo Trinity.

c) A tool to indicate the hero transgressing from the true path. In Lord of the Rings (2003), Sam and Frodo grow apart as the ring increasingly begins to possess Frodo.

d) A tool to indicate the diminishing or increasing threat of the antagonist. In The Incredibles (2004), Mirage increasingly sides with Mr Incredible as opposed to Syndrome.

The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Hero's Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://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.