Hero's Journey, Monomyth (188 Stages) Screenwriting Tools

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The 188 stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE 188 STAGE HERO'S JOURNEY:

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

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

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.heros-journey.info/ for full details)

*****Belly of the Whale*****

It is in the Belly of the Whale where the Hero comes face to face with what he (or she) must become or deal with or be. In Straw Dogs (1971), Cawsey asks if "...they got anything worth taking...ten months inside is enough for me...." ; Ratboy steals Amy's knickers; "...I want what was in them....."

*****Losing a part of the Old Self. Gaining a part of the New Self*****

Before entering the First Threshold, the Hero loses a part of his Old Self and gains a part of his New Self. Often some tangible symbol or behaviour will be lost and gained. In An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Zach leaves his bike behind and tries to cover up his tattoo. In Raging Bull (1980), Jake's wife leaves him.

Great Technical Writing - Improve Your Readers' Access With a Visual Index

Because I am fat....

ny self-help books you read and therapy sessions you attend you can’t quite love the person who is staring back at you in the mirror, frustrated because personal trainers and exercise sessions are not enough, scared because every bite you eat not only makes you fat but could cause cancer or diabetes or whatever disease the scientists have induced on unsuspecting lab rats.

I am fat. I know it. I live in this body every day. I am also getting older. And my body lets me know with every crick crack of my joints and the hiss of my swollen feet. My body is changing faster than I can adjust to the transformation. I know it. I am the one in here. I am the one INHABITING this body.

I wanted to come to this wedding. I wanted to see my cousin get married to a man she loves and who loves her back.

But I was afraid to come here and almost decided not to. Every year I come to Puerto Rico to visit my mother and the relatives she has managed not to alienate completely. Every year I come because I love the green of the mountains and the intensity of the color of the sea. I love to feel the heat of Christmas time during the day and the coolness of the breeze once the sun sets. I can’t get enough of villancicos, aguinaldos, el Patriota, Christmas masses, the warm sea of New Year, the Three Kings parade, artisan exhibitions, the Spanish of mi gente.

But I am a freak. Such a pity, they think, with such a pretty face “pero taaaaan gooorrrrdaaa.” It is no wonder, they continue to muse, shaking their heads as they steal glances at my large frame, that she is not married.