Go On Your Own ‘Hero’s Journey’

Normally these posts are about using mindfulness to help your creative process, but today let’s work in reverse. Most writers are familiar with the idea of the monomyth outlined by Joseph Campbell: the vast majority of the world’s myths follow a similar pattern.

Let’s try an exercise together: think about your own life as a series of stories. Can you generally plot periods in your own life using the Campbell structure? Or, consider the simplified version from Bear Skin Digital below.

Your first relationship, your education, even a vacation abroad can be plotted using this structure. You’ve had wants in your life, and you’ve sacrificed to bring some knowledge back to the over world if you’ve ever gotten a degree.

Now, think about your recent life. Where on the circle are you? Are you still rejecting the call, or are you on the return with some elixir? Speaking from personal experience, it’s easier to see other’s lives clearly than your own. Treat your life like you would one of your characters for a moment.

What action should he/she/they/you take to overcome an obstacle and start the journey out of the underworld? What even is your current underworld? Is it college, another country, a new job, or your current novel? What do you have to give up along the way? Who is your mentor?

This level of abstraction is great for self-reflection, but it can also inform your creative process at the same time. Maybe your grand sacrifice is giving up Twitter for two days to finish your story. Maybe it’s accepting the call to an old unfinished project you’ve been putting off.

Storytelling is what makes us human. Take control of that process in your work and your own life. When you understand that sometimes “supernatural aid” is far too mundane in your own life, you can craft more believable stories for your readers.

This week’s challenge:

• Use either the simplified Hero’s Journey above or the more detailed ones here to plot your own life. It could be silly or serious. Plot out a wild night with friends, where “rejecting the call” was saying that you were too tired. Or look at your current life and challenges and figure out where you are in your journey.
• As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below or on Twitter.