Hero's Journey

Picture of the Day for February 3, 2016. I was just invited to do a presentation at Sleuthfest 2016 with my author buddy Diane Stuckart (Ali Brandon if you want to check out her "A Black Cat Bookshop Mystery" series). We are replacing the author Heather Graham who can't attend this year. The theme of our presentation is going to be the hero's journey and how that can be a tool for writers to construct their narratives. Joseph Campbell, a writer and expert on world mythology, developed this concept.  The really short version is that all of the world's mythologies basically tell the same story- that of an individual who is compelled, through external circumstances, to leave his old life behind and go on a journey where he will meet mentors and encounter trials that will lead to a "dark night of the soul." The hero emerges from this metaphorical death with newfound wisdom and power- which he pretty much always had. The journey was merely a catalyst to reveal the latent heroic qualities. 

If all of this theory sounds daunting, just think of Luke Skywalker from Star Wars and it will all become clear.  George Lucas was heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell when he created Star Wars.

I'm very familiar with Joseph Campbell and his theories, but I figured if I'm going to be doing a presentation on him, I better read the source material. Just picked up a copy of his "hero" book today.