While Campbell’s original take on the monomyth included 17 steps within the three acts, Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer’s Journey, refined those 17 steps into 12 stages-the common formula for the modern structure many writers use today. It generally follows three acts in a cyclical, rather than a linear, way: a hero embarks on a journey, faces a crisis, and then returns home transformed and victorious.Ĭampbell’s ideation of the monomyth in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces was influenced by Carl Jung’s perspective of psychology and models of self-transformation, where the Hero’s Journey is a path of transformation to a higher self, psychological healing, and spiritual growth. Campbell developed it through analysis of ancient myths, folktales, and religious stories. Joseph Campbell’s “monomyth” framework is the traditional story structure of the Hero’s Journey archetype.

The Hero’s Journey has a long history of conversation around the form and its uses, with notable contributors including Joseph Campbell and the screenwriter Christopher Vogler, who later revised the steps of the Hero’s Journey. After the epic quest or adventure has been completed by overcoming adversity and conflict-both physical and mental-the hero arrives where they once began, changed in some as they rose to meet the ultimate conflict or ordeal of the quest. In the process of self-discovery, the archetypal Hero’s Journey is typically cyclical it begins and ends in the same place (Think Frodo leaving and then returning to the Shire). On their heroic journey, they overcoming great adversity to complete a quest and achieve their ultimate boon-whether this is something tangible, like a holy grail, or internal, like self confidence.

It focuses on the personal metamorphosis and psychological development of a protagonist. The Hero’s Journey is a universal story structure developed by story theorist Joseph Campbell. We’ll even provide a downloadable plot template, tips for writing the Hero’s Journey, and writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing. This ultimate Hero’s Journey writing guide will define and explore all quintessential elements of the Hero’s Journey-character archetypes, themes, symbolism, the three act structure, as well as 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey. You’ll see this universal narrative structure in books, films, and even video games. What do Star Wars, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter have in common? They’re all examples of a story archetype as old as time.

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