“The big question is whether you’re going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure”
The wisdom of Joseph Campbell pertains not only to our own life-journey, but to that of the Protagonists we write in our stories. Here is an example:
If you are familiar with The Hero’s Journey, you doubtless know about The Call to Adventure. Here is how Campbell described it to Bill Moyers in the wonderful PBS series “The Power of Myth”:
The call to adventure is about transformation and that’s terrifying. The Hero has to confront fear.
Will the Hero survive?
Will they change for the Good or the Bad?
Because we’ve seen, read or heard tens of thousands of stories in our lives, it’s easy to overlook the reality of this plot point. We just assume the Protagonist is going to accept the call because… well… there would be no story otherwise.
But in the context of the Protagonist’s life and their existence in what Campbell called the Ordinary World, often the heroine is reluctant to go. She knows her world, she knows the people, she knows the customs. It may very well be an unhappy or unfulfilling life she is leading, but sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side, or so at first she may believe, so better to stay here where, while the grass may be brown, at least she is safe within this place she calls home.
The thing is, it’s not just about leaving and going to the New World. It’s about what that can mean. Transformation. We all think change is good, right? But that means confronting truths we may be hiding from ourselves. Calling into question beliefs and behaviors. And ultimately addressing the most fundamental question of all: Who are you?
So the next time you write a story and you hit on the Call to Adventure or Inciting Incident or The Hook (what I call it), one of the first major plot points in the narrative…
Take seriously the psychological and emotional state of your Protagonist. Consider how terrifying the idea of going on the adventure may be. Delve into them and see if they are excited to go… reluctant to leave… or even stubbornly refusing to budge.
To have a story, you know they need to depart, but how they get there can create wonderful opportunities for drama, tension, humor and a lot more, all of which can make the start of your story more compelling.
Of course, consider Campbell’s observation from a writing standpoint:
“The big question is whether you’re going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”
Every time you commit to writing a story, you are saying ‘yes’ to an adventure. Here’s to you embracing the challenge with a hearty yes!
About the graphic above: Huge props to Trish Curtin, a delightful person and wonderful writer from Australia. She has created several of these images set to Campbell quotes which I will be sharing over the next few weeks. The images are public domain, so feel free to distribute and spread the inspiration.
Many thanks, Trish!
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