1. Hero’s Journey
A Story Outline

2. Ordinary World
 We meet the hero in his ordinary world to
create a vivid contrast with a strange new
world he is about to enter.
 Describe the ORDINARY WORLD of our
hero and the circumstances within which he
lives.

3. Call to Adventure
 The Hero is presented with a problem,
challenge, or adventure to take which will
remove him from his ordinary world.

4. Call to Adventure
 Something is taken from us, our family, or
our society. The journey is to reclaim it.
 We think there is something missing in our
life and we journey to find what is missing.

5. Call to Adventure
 We want to save or restore honor to
ourselves, family, or country.
 We notice injustices (people are denied
rights they should have) and we work to
gain these rights for these people.
 We may realize that we have “outgrown the
roles we are playing” where we live.

6. Refusal of the Call
 The hero may refuse the call or be reluctant
at first. If the hero is RELUCTANT, under
what circumstances does he decide to
undertake the journey? (not all stories will
have this part.)

7. Crossing the Threshold
 The hero commits to the journey and fully
enters the unknown by crossing the first
threshold (the moment when the story
takes off and the journey starts). When,
where, and how does the hero CROSS
THE THRESHOLD?

8. Allies and Enemies
 a) What alliances (friends) does the hero
make? What do we learn about these
ALLIES?
 b) Who are the hero’s ENEMIES
(antagonists) ? What do we know about
them?

9. Challenges
 What trials or obstacles does the hero
face? Describe each one, what is the
challenge and how it is overcome?

10. The Abyss
 The fortune of the hero hits bottom in a
confrontation with his greatest fear and may
face possibility of death. He has entered
THE ABYSS. Describe the hero’s greatest
challenge and/or fear.

11. Transformation
 With the crisis of the ABYSS passed, the
hero now experiences the consequences of
surviving it. What is gained as a result of
the hero’s win over the abyss? How has
the hero TRANSFORMED or changed?

12. Revelation
 Now the hero has gained something
valuable and has conquered his greatest
challenge, what is his new view of life or
REVELATION?

13. Atonement
 How does the story show the hero at peace
with the transformation? At this stage,
whatever sent the hero on the journey has
been achieved.
 What has the hero learned from his
experience?

14. The Return
 a) The hero now returns to everyday life
and will decide how to use what he has
gained during the journey. Describe how
he will use his gift.
 b) The people the hero returns to will react
to his gift and transformation. How do they
react? How does the hero respond to their
reactions?