FORWARD

Kal Bashir's 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

SITUATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL STORYTELLING

It's important to get away from this idea that all stories are different.

On a situational level all stories are. For example, Gladiator (2000), Alien (1979) and The Godfather (1972) all are situationally very different.

But on a structural and subconscious level, they're all the same.

And I don't mean basic structure, like three act structure (of course stories have a beginning, middle and end). And I don't mean plot points etc either (Plot Point 1 and 2, Midpoint etc).

I mean, sequence by sequence, the vast majority of successful stories [we haven't found one that doesn't] follow the same process that pushes the Hero and Major Characters through the process of Transformation and Challenge Resolution.

What this means is that you, as a writer, must confidently understand this structure (Kal Bashir's 188+ stage Hero's Journey), use it to establish your structural outline and then superimpose your situation over it.

more...

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

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

PAST THE BELLY OF THE WHALE, THERE IS NO GOING BACK

The Belly of the Whale is a form of Netherworld, a place of transit. The Hero is past his (or her) Old Self (following the Transformations that have been engaged in, in the First Threshold), yet s/he has not embarked upon the deeper Transformations (that lead to the New Self), which will occur during the Road of Trials and beyond.

One element of the Belly of the Whale stage of the Hero's Journey, is the denial of an option to return to the Ordinary World and the Ordinary Self. Beyond this point, there is No Going Back.

In The Matrix (1999), Neo has a choice between the red and blue pills.

In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Butch and Sundance learn that the posse is ordered not to stop until they are dead.

In Brokeback Mountain (2005), once Ennis and Jack Twist have had sex, there is no way back. It is something that cannot be undone.

Learn more

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Heros Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.monomyth.info/

188 stages of the Hero's Journey can also be reached from http://www.heros-journey.info/

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Kal Bishop, MBA

¶ 10:41 PM