| FORWARD | | | | *****Disgust***** |
| The 188 stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) is the | | | | Disgust is a core part of the Refusal, post the Ultimate |
| template upon which the vast majority of successful | | | | Boon. The Hero (or major character) is disgusted by |
| stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In | | | | what he (or she) has become or was. It is a reaction |
| fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we | | | | to the Transformation so far. In Bonnie and Clyde |
| have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on | | | | (1967), Blanche regrets the path she has chosen. |
| this 188+ stage template. | | | | *****Physical Change***** |
| Understanding this template is a priority for story or | | | | It is during the First Threshold Outer Cave Trial that a |
| screenwriters. This is the template you must master if | | | | physical change (most often a wound) is inflicted. This |
| you are to succeed in the craft. | | | | is where blood is most often seen. The wound is |
| [The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies | | | | symbolic of the beginning of the Physical |
| to all successful stories and screenplays, from The | | | | Transformation. As the woudn heals, so it represents |
| Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to | | | | the Hero's Changing. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), teh |
| Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to | | | | shopkeeper shoots Clyde. |
| Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) | | | | *****Descent into the Cave***** |
| to Apocaplyse Now (1979)]. | | | | The Hero et al descend into a Cave. The Cave is a |
| THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY | | | | metaphor for a sub-domain within the First Threshold. |
| THE 188 STAGE HERO'S JOURNEY:a) Attempts to | | | | In When Harry met Sally (1989), Harry meets Sally in |
| tap into unconscious expectations the audience has | | | | the airport (a sub-domain of New York City). |
| regarding what a story is and how it should be told.b) | | | | Descent can be interpreted in many ways - the Hero |
| Gives the writer more structural elements than simply | | | | can physically and mentally descend, he can go |
| three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.c) | | | | deeper in the sense of involvement or familiarisation. In |
| Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing | | | | Dances with Wolves (1990), Fort Hayes is initially |
| dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of | | | | unwelcoming and alien. But John Dunbar makes it his |
| which there are usually four).d) Tells you what to write. | | | | home. |
| For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus | | | | Certain characteristics are noticeable: |
| should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro | | | | Dark and Unknown. The descent is often dark and the |
| elements within. | | | | Hero et al seem as if they are travelling into the |
| ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES | | | | unknown or unexpected. Anything could happen here. |
| (188+ stages of the Hero's Journey (Monomyth) you | | | | Pull Down. The Hero et al have no choice but to |
| need to know about...): | | | | descend; something forces them there. In The Matrix |
| (simply go to for full details) | | | | (1999), Neo literarily falls form the pod. |