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The Hero's Journey is a timeless story structure which follows a protagonist on an unforeseen quest, where they face challenges, gain insights, and return home transformed. From Theseus and the Minotaur to The Lion King, so many narratives follow this pattern that it's become ingrained into our cultural DNA.

In this post, we'll show you how to make this classic plot structure work for you - and if you're pressed for time, download our cheat sheet below for everything you need to know.

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Hero's Journey Template

What is the Hero's Journey?

The Hero's Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a story structure where a hero goes on a quest or adventure to achieve a goal, and has to overcome obstacles and fears, before ultimately returning home transformed.

This narrative arc has been present in various forms across cultures for centuries, if not longer, but gained popularity through Joseph Campbell's mythology book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. While Campbell identified 17 story beats in his monomyth definition, this post will concentrate on a 12-step framework popularized in 2007 by screenwriter Christopher Vogler in his book The Writer's Journey.

The 12 Steps of the Hero's Journey

The Hero's Journey is a model for both plot points and character development: as the Hero traverses the world, they'll undergo inner and outer transformation at each stage of the journey. The 12 steps of the hero's journey are:

1. The Ordinary World. We meet our hero.

2. Call to Adventure. Will they meet the challenge?

3. Refusal of the Call. They resist the adventure.

4. Meeting the Mentor. A teacher arrives.

5. Crossing the First Threshold. The hero leaves their comfort zone.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies. Making friends and facing roadblocks.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave. Getting closer to our goal.

8. Ordeal. The hero's biggest test yet!

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword). Light at the end of the tunnel

10. The Road Back. We aren't safe yet.

11. Resurrection. The final hurdle is reached.

12. Return with the Elixir. The hero heads home, triumphant.

Believe it or not, this story structure also applies across mediums and genres (and also works when your protagonist is an anti-hero!). Let's dive into it.

1. Ordinary World
In which we meet our Hero.
The journey has yet to start. Before our Hero discovers a strange new world, we must first understand the status quo: their ordinary, mundane reality.

It's up to this opening leg to set the stage, introducing the Hero to readers. Importantly, it lets readers identify with the Hero as a "normal" person in a "normal" setting, before the journey begins.

2. Call to Adventure
In which an adventure starts.
The call to adventure is all about booting the Hero out of their comfort zone. In this stage, they are generally confronted with a problem or challenge they can't ignore. This catalyst can take many forms, as Campbell points out in Hero with a Thousand Faces. The Hero can, for instance:

Decide to go forth of their own volition;

Theseus upon arriving in Athens.

Be sent abroad by a benign or malignant agent;

Odysseus setting off on his ship in The Odyssey.

Stumble upon the adventure as a result of a mere blunder;

Dorothy when she's swept up in a tornado in The Wizard of Oz.

Be casually strolling when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from the frequented paths of man.

Elliot in E.T. upon discovering a lost alien in the tool shed.

The stakes of the adventure and the Hero's goals become clear. The only question: will he rise to the challenge?

3. Refusal of the Call
In which the Hero digs in their feet.
Great, so the Hero's received their summons. Now they're all set to be whisked off to defeat evil, right?

Not so fast. The Hero might first refuse the call to action. It's risky and there are perils - like spiders, trolls, or perhaps a creepy uncle waiting back at Pride Rock. It's enough to give anyone pause.

In Star Wars, for instance, Luke Skywalker initially refuses to join Obi-Wan on his mission to rescue the princess. It's only when he discovers that his aunt and uncle have been killed by stormtroopers that he changes his mind.

4. Meeting the Mentor
In which the Hero acquires a personal trainer.
The Hero's decided to go on the adventure - but they're not ready to spread their wings yet. They're much too inexperienced at this point and we don't want them to do a fabulous belly-flop off the cliff.

Enter the mentor: someone who helps the Hero, so that they don't make a total fool of themselves (or get themselves killed). The mentor provides practical training, profound wisdom, a kick up the posterior, or something abstract like grit and self-confidence.

Wise old wizards seem to like being mentors. But mentors take many forms, from witches to hermits and suburban karate instructors. They might literally give weapons to prepare for the trials ahead, like Q in the James Bond series. Or perhaps the mentor is an object, such as a map. In all cases, they prepare the Hero for the next step.

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5. Crossing the First Threshold
In which the Hero enters the other world in earnest.
Now the Hero is ready - and committed - to the journey. This marks the end of the Departure stage and is when the adventure really kicks into the next gear. As Vogler writes: "This is the moment that the balloon goes up, the ship sails, the romance begins, the wagon gets rolling."

From this point on, there's no turning back.

Like our Hero, you should think of this stage as a checkpoint for your story. Pause and re-assess your bearings before you continue into unfamiliar territory. Have you:

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6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
In which the Hero faces new challenges and gets a squad.
When we step into the Special World, we notice a definite shift. The Hero might be discombobulated by this unfamiliar reality and its new rules. This is generally one of the longest stages in the story, as our protagonist gets to grips with this new world.

This makes a prime hunting ground for the series of tests to pass! Luckily, there are many ways for the Hero to get into trouble:

In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Spencer, Bethany, "Fridge," and Martha get off to a bad start when they bump into a herd of bloodthirsty hippos.

In his first few months at Hogwarts, Harry Potter manages to fight a troll, almost fall from a broomstick and die, and get horribly lost in the Forbidden Forest.

Marlin and Dory encounter three "reformed" sharks, get shocked by jellyfish, and are swallowed by a blue whale en route to finding Nemo.

This stage often expands the cast of characters. Once the protagonist is in the Special World, he will meet allies and enemies - or foes that turn out to be friends and vice versa. He will learn a new set of rules from them. Saloons and seedy bars are popular places for these transactions, as Vogler points out (so long as the Hero survives them).

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
In which the Hero gets closer to his goal.
This isn't a physical cave. Instead, the "inmost cave" refers to the most dangerous spot in the other realm - whether that's the villain's chambers, the lair of the fearsome dragon, or the Death Star. Almost always, it is where the ultimate goal of the quest is located.

Note that the protagonist hasn't entered the Inmost Cave just yet. This stage is all about the approach to it. It covers all the prep work that's needed in order to defeat the villain.

8. Ordeal
In which the Hero faces his biggest test of all thus far.
Of all the tests the Hero has faced, none have made them hit rock bottom - until now. Vogler describes this phase as a "black moment." Campbell refers to it as the "belly of the whale." Both indicate some grim news for the Hero.

The protagonist must now confront their greatest fear. If they survive it, they will emerge transformed. This is a critical moment in the story, as Vogler explains that it will "inform every decision that the Hero makes from this point forward."

The Ordeal is sometimes not the climax of the story. There's more to come. But you can think of it as the main event of the second act - the one in which the Hero actually earns the title of "Hero."

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
In which the Hero sees light at the end of the tunnel.
Our Hero's been through a lot. However, the fruits of their labor are now at hand - if they can just reach out and grab them! The "reward" is the object or knowledge the Hero has fought throughout the entire journey to hold.

Once the protagonist has it in their possession, it generally has greater ramifications for the story. Vogler offers a few examples of it in action:

Luke rescues Princess Leia and captures the plans of the Death Star - keys to defeating Darth Vader.

Dorothy escapes from the Wicked Witch's castle with the broomstick and the ruby slippers - keys to getting back home.

10. The Road Back
In which the light at the end of the tunnel might be a little further than the Hero thought.
The story's not over just yet, as this phase marks the beginning of Act Three. Now that he's seized the reward, the Hero tries to return to the Ordinary World, but more dangers (inconveniently) arise on the road back from the Inmost Cave.

More precisely, the Hero must deal with the consequences and aftermath of the previous act: the dragon, enraged by the Hero who's just stolen a treasure from under his nose, starts the hunt. Or perhaps the opposing army gathers to pursue the Hero across a crowded battlefield. All further obstacles for the Hero, who must face them down before they can return home.

11. Resurrection
In which the last test is met.
Here is the true climax of the story. Everything that happened prior to this stage culminates in a crowning test for the Hero, as the Dark Side gets one last chance to triumph over the Hero.

Vogler refers to this as a "final exam" for the Hero - they must be "tested once more to see if they have really learned the lessons of the Ordeal." It's in this Final Battle that the protagonist goes through one more "resurrection." As a result, this is where you'll get most of your miraculous near-death escapes, à la James Bond's dashing deliverances. If the Hero survives, they can start looking forward to a sweet ending.

12. Return with the Elixir
In which our Hero has a triumphant homecoming.
Finally, the Hero gets to return home. However, they go back a different person than when they started out: they've grown and matured as a result of the journey they've taken.

But we've got to see them bring home the bacon, right? That's why the protagonist must return with the "Elixir," or the prize won during the journey, whether that's an object or knowledge and insight gained.

Of course, it's possible for a story to end on an Elixir-less note - but then the Hero would be doomed to repeat the entire adventure.

Examples of The Hero's Journey in Action

To better understand this story template beyond the typical sword-and-sorcery genre, let's analyze three examples, from both screenplay and literature, and examine how they implement each of the twelve steps.

Rocky

The 1976 film Rocky is acclaimed as one of the most iconic sports films because of Stallone's performance and the heroic journey his character embarks on.

1. Ordinary World. Rocky Balboa is a mediocre boxer and loan collector - just doing his best to live day-to-day in a poor part of Philadelphia.

2. Call to Adventure. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed decides to make a big fight interesting by giving a no-name loser a chance to challenge him. That loser: Rocky Balboa.

3. Refusal of the Call. Rocky says, "Thanks, but no thanks," given that he has no trainer and is incredibly out of shape.

4. Meeting the Mentor. In steps former boxer Mickey "Mighty Mick" Goldmill, who sees potential in Rocky and starts training him physically and mentally for the fight.

5. Crossing the First Threshold. Rocky crosses the threshold of no return when he accepts the fight on live TV, and 一 in parallel 一 when he crosses the threshold into his love interest Adrian's house and asks her out on a date.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies. Rocky continues to try and win Adrian over and maintains a dubious friendship with her brother, Paulie, who provides him with raw meat to train with.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave. The Inmost Cave in Rocky is Rocky's own mind. He fears that he'll never amount to anything - something that he reveals when he butts heads with his trainer, Mickey, in his apartment.

8. Ordeal. The start of the training montage marks the beginning of Rocky's Ordeal. He pushes through it until he glimpses hope ahead while running up the museum steps.

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword). Rocky's reward is the restoration of his self-belief, as he recognizes he can try to "go the distance" with Apollo Creed and prove he's more than "just another bum from the neighborhood."

10. The Road Back. On New Year's Day, the fight takes place. Rocky capitalizes on Creed's overconfidence to start strong, yet Apollo makes a comeback, resulting in a balanced match.

11. Resurrection. The fight inflicts multiple injuries and pushes both men to the brink of exhaustion, with Rocky being knocked down numerous times. But he consistently rises to his feet, enduring through 15 grueling rounds.

12. Return with the Elixir. Rocky loses the fight - but it doesn't matter. He's won back his confidence and he's got Adrian, who tells him that she loves him.

Moving outside of the ring, let's see how this story structure holds on a completely different planet and with a character in complete isolation.

The Martian

In Andy Weir's self-published bestseller (better known for its big screen adaptation) we follow astronaut Mark Watney as he endures the challenges of surviving on Mars and working out a way to get back home.

1. The Ordinary World. Botanist Mark and other astronauts are on a mission on Mars to study the planet and gather samples. They live harmoniously in a structure known as "the Hab."

2. Call to Adventure. The mission is scrapped due to a violent dust storm. As they rush to launch, Mark is flung out of sight and the team believes him to be dead. He is, however, very much alive - stranded on Mars with no way of communicating with anyone back home.

3. Refusal of the Call. With limited supplies and grim odds of survival, Mark concludes that he will likely perish on the desolate planet.

4. Meeting the Mentor. Thanks to his resourcefulness and scientific knowledge he starts to figure out how to survive until the next Mars mission arrives.

5. Crossing the First Threshold. Mark crosses the mental threshold of even trying to survive 一 he successfully creates a greenhouse to cultivate a potato crop, creating a food supply that will last long enough.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies. Loneliness and other difficulties test his spirit, pushing him to establish contact with Earth and the people at NASA, who devise a plan to help.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave. Mark faces starvation once again after an explosion destroys his potato crop.

8. Ordeal. A NASA rocket destined to deliver supplies to Mark disintegrates after liftoff and all hope seems lost.

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword). Mark's efforts to survive are rewarded with a new possibility to leave the planet. His team 一 now aware that he's alive 一 defies orders from NASA and heads back to Mars to rescue their comrade.

10. The Road Back. Executing the new plan is immensely difficult 一 Mark has to travel far to locate the spaceship for his escape, and almost dies along the way.

11. Resurrection. Mark is unable to get close enough to his teammates' ship but finds a way to propel himself in empty space towards them, and gets aboard safely.

12. Return with the Elixir. Now a survival instructor for aspiring astronauts, Mark teaches students that space is indifferent and that survival hinges on solving one problem after another, as well as the importance of other people's help.

Coming back to Earth, let's now examine a heroine's journey through the wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail and her... humanity.

Wild

The memoir Wild narrates the three-month-long hiking adventure of Cheryl Strayed across the Pacific coast, as she grapples with her turbulent past and rediscovers her inner strength.

1. The Ordinary World. Cheryl shares her strong bond with her mother who was her strength during a tough childhood with an abusive father.

2. Call to Adventure. As her mother succumbs to lung cancer, Cheryl faces the heart-wrenching reality to confront life's challenges on her own.

3. Refusal of the Call. Cheryl spirals down into a destructive path of substance abuse and infidelity, which leads to hit rock bottom with a divorce and unwanted pregnancy.

4. Meeting the Mentor. Her best friend Lisa supports her during her darkest time. One day she notices the Pacific Trail guidebook, which gives her hope to find her way back to her inner strength.

5. Crossing the First Threshold. Shequits her job, sells her belongings, and visits her mother's grave before traveling to Mojave, where the trek begins.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies. Cheryl is tested by her heavy bag, blisters, rattlesnakes, and exhaustion, but many strangers help her along the trail with a warm meal or hiking tips.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave. AsCheryl goes through particularly tough and snowy parts of the trail her emotional baggage starts to catch up with her.

8. Ordeal. She inadvertently drops one of her shoes off a cliff, and the incident unearths the helplessness she's been evading since her mother's passing.

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword). Cheryl soldiers on, trekking an impressive 50 miles in duct-taped sandals before finally securing a new pair of shoes. This small victory amplifies her self-confidence.

10. The Road Back. On the last stretch, she battles thirst, sketchy hunters, and a storm, but more importantly, she revisits her most poignant and painful memories.

11. Resurrection. Cheryl forgives herself for damaging her marriage and her sense of worth, owning up to her mistakes. A pivotal moment happens at Crater Lake, where she lets go of her frustration at her mother for passing away.

12. Return with the Elixir. Cheryl reaches the Bridge of the Gods and completes the trail. She has found her inner strength and determination for life's next steps.

There are countless other stories that could align with this template, but it's not always the perfect fit. So, let's look into when authors should consider it or not.

When should writers use The Hero's Journey?

The Hero's Journey is just one way to outline a novel and dissect a plot. For more longstanding theories on the topic, you can go this way to read about the ever-popular Three-Act Structure or here to discover Dan Harmon's Story Circle and three more prevalent structures.

So when is it best to use the Hero's Journey? There are a couple of circumstances which might make this a good choice.

When you need more specific story guidance than simple structures can offer

Simply put, the Hero's Journey structure is far more detailed and closely defined than other story structure theories. If you want a fairly specific framework for your work than a thee-act structure, the Hero's Journey can be a great place to start.

Of course, rules are made to be broken. There's plenty of room to play within the confines of the Hero's Journey, despite it appearing fairly prescriptive at first glance. Do you want to experiment with an abbreviated "Resurrection" stage, as J.K. Rowling did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? Are you more interested in exploring the journey of an anti-hero? It's all possible.

Once you understand the basics of this universal story structure, you can use and bend it in ways that disrupt reader expectations.

Need more help developing your book? Try this template on for size:

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When your focus is on a single protagonist

No matter how sprawling or epic the world you're writing is, if your story is, at its core, focused on a single character's journey, then this is a good story structure for you. It's kind of in the name! If you're dealing with an entire ensemble, the Hero's Journey may not give you the scope to explore all of your characters' plots and subplot - a broader three-act structure may give you more freedom to weave a greater number story threads. ​​

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Whether you're a reader or writer, we hope our guide has helped you understand this universal story arc. Want to know more about story structure? We explain 6 more in our guide - read on!

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Hero's Journey: Get a Strong Story Structure in 12 Steps

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Learn about the Hero's Journey, the most popular story structure in history, in this master guide. Includes a definitive definition and examples.

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Do you know about blended learning?

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Give one benefit of blended learning.

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Blogs for education - Learning and Teaching - The University of Sydney

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School homepage / Learning and Teaching / Teaching with ICT / Theory, practice and examples / Internet and social media

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Field trips are often the highlight of the school year. I fondly remember a week-long trip I took as a 6th grader to Nature's Classroom and trips to New York City as an 8th grader and a high school student. As a kindergarten teacher, my classes always loved our walking field trip to the local firehouse. As a third grade teacher, my former students have talked about our Bronx Zoo field trip as one of their favorite parts of the school year. There is something so special about being in a new environment, often out in nature, with your teacher and classmates. Memories are made.

At the time of this writing, we are experiencing social distancing due to the spread of Covid-19. We aren't even in classrooms together- teaching is being done remotely as we try to connect with students across miles and through challenging, difficult circumstances. Field trips are, sadly, out of the question.

In New York, our spring break would have been from April 9-April 17. Spring break was canceled as Governor Cuomo asked the schools to continue delivering instruction during this time. My third grade colleagues and I wanted to create something fun and different for our students during this time period. We decided to present them with a new virtual field trip each day.

In this time of remote learning, I've found that educators have been so generous with sharing their ideas and inspiration has been all around. My sister-in-law, Melissa Sokolowski, shared the idea of virtual field trips with me which led to the spark to create a week-long experience for the third graders in my district. Melissa also teaches third grade in a neighboring district and shared how her team was able to create virtual field trips to Disney World. Following her example, we created virtual field trips to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, and Animal Kingdom. We then branched out to some other locations, creating trips to Paris, Monterey Bay Aquarium and Washington D.C.

Since we created the virtual field trips, more inspiration has come and this post is expanding the idea of virtual field trips by adding writing experiences as a possible extension. My team and I designed the trips to be a fun and educational activity in an academically lighter week due to what would have been spring break. The menu of writing activities came after I did this work with my students, as a full disclaimer. I haven't tried the menus with my third graders yet since we took the virtual trips before this idea came to be.

This work very much stands on the shoulders of what Clare Landrigan shared about virtual classroom libraries and Pernille Ripp's work on Choose Your Own Adventures with remote learning. Clare's work led me to think about how Google Docs can be a menu that helps students go off to different places. The way she set up her charts, with colored backgrounds and hyperlinks to other places directly inspired how I designed these writing experience menus. Pernille's idea of allowing students to choose their own learning adventure really appealed to me. The way she used Google Docs for this purpose helped me put the pieces together to allow students to choose their virtual field trip and then choose how they will write about their experience.

So...here's the idea! Feel free to tweak, change, add, subtract or in other ways make it your own. Any Google Doc you wish to change, you would need to go to File and then Make a copy. Then you can make any edits you like.

Students can decide which virtual field trip they want to take from the menu of choices. After exploring the trip, they click on the menu of writing options and choose one or more, depending on what you as the teacher ask them to do.

I created a video to show how the trips work with the writing menus.

I think this structure and style of Google Docs that take you to different places can work with so many other writing related lessons. In Clare Landrigan's example, you can create mentor text baskets that students could click on for different craft moves or genres of writing. Clare also recently wrote about using a board for students to get feedback on their writing in her post Every Writer Needs a Reader- How to Design Virtual Response Spaces for Writers.

I'm envisioning the board as a way to organize the craft lesson's I've taught and link to writing samples. My students have been participating in the Classroom SOLSC this month and I've been awarding them badges for craft moves like incorporating dialogue and show, don't tel l. I envision a board where I have the craft moves in the chart and can link to student writing that illustrates the craft move (with student and parent permission, of course). Teacher samples could also be curated in this way so students can see an example if they forget how to try out a certain craft move. I've also been sharing videos with students that teach the craft moves and I can see this type of chart being used as a teaching tool- perhaps each craft move is linked to a video lesson, a teacher mentor text and a student mentor text. Now that this structure is something I have tried out, I am excited for all the possible ways I can use it as a means of giving my students options and choices, to "choose their own learning adventure" as Pernille Ripp advocates.

While I would never try to paint the current situation as one that has a silver lining, I will say that remote teaching and learning has pushed me to learn new tools, technology and ways to create experiences for students. Knowing how to create menus like these will help when I am back in real time with students. I can see this being very helpful for small group instruction and for allowing student opportunities to find the lesson they need when they need it, as Melanie Meehan described in her post on creating videos for students.

If your students try the field trips and the writing menus, please let me know how it goes! If you improve upon this, please also share. I know I am creating and revising all the time now- ideas that seemed right a week ago, I now tweak, add, enhance, and make better as I see ways to do so. I've been learning so much and I am grateful for all the educators who are sharing and finding better ways everyday to teach students from afar.

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View all posts by Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski

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All Aboard! Virtual Field Trips and Writing Experiences

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In these days where we are home so much, take your class on a virtual field trip or two and allow them choices of what they will write about! This post includes 6 trips all ready to go with writing...

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Give one benefit of blended learning.

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