Fantasy Plot Structure
The Hero’s Journey
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
If you’re an avid fantasy lover, I’m 99.99% sure you’ve read a book (or seen a movie) that follows the three-act, twelve-point plot structure known as The Hero’s Journey.
This classic story structure is an epic journey of growth and discovery as the protagonist crosses the threshold, leaving his (or her) ordinary life and embarking on an extraordinary quest, facing challenges and obstacles along the way, and coming home forever changed.
“So, how do I plot using The Hero’s Journey?” you may be wondering.
Great question, dear reader! This post will break down the timeless structure of The Hero’s Journey, so I invite you to pick up your enchanted pen or settle onto your spellbound keyboard and take note of the roadmap for your next epic fantasy story.
The Origins of The Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey is a timeless plot structure that can be traced to ancient mythology, though it was most notably popularized by Joseph Campbell in his revolutionary novel, The Hero With a Thousand Faces.
In this seminal work, Campbell theorized what’s called the monomyth—“the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed,” (“Hero’s Journey”). We now know this concept as The Hero’s Journey.
Originally structured by Campbell as a 17-point plot structure, for the purpose of this blog, we will be focusing on Christopher Vogler’s 12-point, three-act structure.
Breaking Down The Hero’s Journey
What exactly is The Hero’s Journey?
The Hero’s Journey is a three-act, 12-point plot structure that takes the protagonist on not only an epic physical quest but also on a personal journey of growth and self-discovery.
Within the three acts, there is a clear beginning, middle, and end. The 12 points help get you there.
Let’s break it down.
Act I - The Departure
The first 25% of your story should fall within Act I—The Departure. This act is where the protagonist—the Hero—departs from his ordinary life and embarks on an epic adventure.
Within Act I, there are five plot points you should be aiming to hit: Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting with the Mentor, and Crossing the First Threshold.
Ordinary World
The opening of any story following The Hero’s Journey, first and foremost, introduces your protagonist—a.k.a. your Hero.
This is where you’ll start building your world and creating your character by focusing on their ordinary everyday life.
Things to Consider:
Consider sympathetically introducing your characters. Make them relatable and lovable—your readers need to care about your character before everything changes.
A bit of foreshadowing is important here. Set your story up in such a way that hints at the bigger problems in your Hero’s life and the larger world that need solving.
Call to Adventure
Also known as the inciting incident, the Call to Adventure introduces the main conflict and will determine the path the rest of your story takes. The Hero “receives a call to head off into the unknown,” (“Hero’s Journey”).
Things to Consider:
Will your “Call to Adventure” manifest as a quest? Perhaps in the form of an accident or as the result of your character’s actions?
How does this call disrupt your character’s life?
Why must they be the one to heed this call?
Refusal of the Call
Shortly after the Call to Adventure is first given, your character Refuses the Call.
Sounds a bit silly, right? At this plot point, your character needs a little more convincing before accepting the Call to Adventure.
Things to Consider:
How does your character emotionally react to the call?
Are they hindered by “a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, [or] a sense of inadequacy?” (“The Hero’s Journey”).
What is holding them back?
Meeting with the Mentor
This is the plot point in which your protagonist may need a bit of encouragement and guidance—perhaps an older, wiser Mentor to embolden your hero to accept their role in the Call to Adventure.
The Mentor should be an expert—someone whose advice can be trusted. They are to prepare the Hero for what’s to come in the story, giving them the final push they need to cross the threshold.
Things to Consider:
Is your Mentor someone who the Hero can trust?
Can your Mentor mentally prepare your Hero for his journey?
How does your Mentor...well...mentor your Hero?
At what point does it just “click” for your Hero—how do you know he’s ready to take up the Call to Adventure?
Crossing the First Threshold
Your Hero has been prepared by his Mentor and has finally accepted their role in the Call to Action! This is the turning point in which your protagonist commits to the journey ahead, departs from the Ordinary World, and ventures into the unknown, embarking on a seriously epic adventure.
Things to Consider:
Remind the readers of the task ahead as well as its importance.
Are your readers fully invested in your character?
Show your character “leaving the known limits of their world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are unknown,” (“The Hero’s Journey”).
And with that, we’ve concluded Act I! It’s time to journey onward to Act II, brave writers.
Act II - Initiation
Act II—Initiation is where the bulk is, taking up about 50% of your story.
Your Hero has stepped into the new and unknown, “where he faces tasks or trials, either alone or with the assistance of helpers. The Hero eventually reaches ‘the innermost cave’ or the central crisis of his adventure, where he must undergo ‘the ordeal’ where he overcomes the main obstacle or enemy…[finally] gaining his reward,” (“The Hero’s Journey”).
Within Act II, there are four plot points you should be aiming to hit: Tests, Allies, and Enemies, Approach to the Inmost Cave, The Ordeal, and Reward.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies
Having finally crossed the Threshold, your Hero is now on an epic journey, full of trials and challenges, friends and foes, and overwhelming odds. In this stage, your Hero “must prepare himself for the greater Ordeals yet to come [by testing] his skills and powers, or perhaps seek[ing] further training from the Mentor. This Initiation into the Special World also Tests the Hero’s commitment to the Journey, and questions whether he can succeed,” (Vogler).
Allies are formed, loyalties are tested, and enemies are encountered—remember, this is the bulk of your story, so what are some things to consider?
Things to Consider:
What new characters will you introduce? (Allies, sidekicks, enemies, villains, etc.)
Your Hero still has a lot to learn. Who does he rely on along the way?
What are the additional stakes of your story?
Are your characters’ motivations aligned? They might not be—each character should have their own reason for accepting this Call to Adventure.
What obstacles must they overcome? What are the trials and challenges your hero faces?
Does your Hero doubt his abilities?
Approach to the Inmost Cave
The Approach to the Inmost Cave is the calm before the storm. It is the preparation to face the Ordeal.
This is where “maps may be reviewed, attacks planned, a reconnaissance launched, and possibly the Enemy’s forces whittled down, before the Hero can face his greatest fear or the supreme danger lurking in the Special World,” (Vogler).
Your Hero’s final A-Team has been formed, setbacks have been overcome, and morale has been boosted. It’s now time for your characters to face The Ordeal.
Things to Consider:
Has your Hero overcome any lingering doubt?
Does he and his team have a plan for success for the challenge ahead?
Are they fully prepared for what lies ahead?
Remember, this is the calm before the storm—give your characters an emotional respite before they face their challenge.
The Ordeal
The Ordeal marks the beginning of the rising action.
Your hero faces “the central life-or-death crisis, during which he faces his greatest fear, confronts this most difficult challenge, and experiences ‘death’,” (Vogler).
His mission is on the brink of failure and your hero must undergo a metaphorical (or literal) death and rebirth. He must come out the other side transformed. As Christopher Vogler puts it, “The Ordeal is the central, essential, and magical Stage of any Journey. Only through ‘death’ can the Hero be reborn, experiencing a resurrection that grants greater powers or insight to see the Journey to the end.”
Things to Consider:
What has your Hero endured and how has he changed?
What is the “dark moment” for your hero? Is it their own death, the death of their Mentor or ally, a sacrifice?
What is the moment of confrontation? Do they face an impossible challenge or encounter the antagonist?
Reward
Marking the end of Act II, your Hero has made it through The Ordeal and come out the other side of it a changed man.
He has overcome his greatest fear, slain the beast, and finally earns his Reward.
The Reward may come in any form—an elixir, a magic sword, secret knowledge—and marks a moment of celebration before the hero’s journey resumes, moving to the climax and resolution.
Things to Consider:
How does your Hero acquire their Reward, and how will it help propel them toward the final goal?
It’s time to reflect—what have they learned and how have they changed?
And with that, brave writers, we march on to Act III—The Return.
Act III - The Return
The last 25% of your book will fall within Act III—The Return. This is where your Hero recommits to the journey and accepts The Road Back home to his Ordinary World, facing his most dangerous battle yet.
Within Act III, there are three plot points you should be aiming to hit: The Road Back, The Resurrection, and The Return with the Elixir.
The Road Back
With the Reward in their possession, your Hero must make his way home, though he may find it difficult to return to the Ordinary World after the successes (and failures) he faced in the Special World.
Tensions and stakes are heightened—the journey is not yet complete and they will soon face their greatest battle yet.
Things to Consider:
What are the consequences if your Hero doesn’t succeed in the final battle?
How have the consequences of The Ordeal and The Reward led to the culminating point of the story?
How has your character changed in the face of what he has endured? Is he conflicted? Is he confident?
The Resurrection
Your Hero has now reached the climax of his journey and faces his most dangerous battle yet. Tensions are high, and the stakes are even higher, as your Hero encounters the “final life-and-death Ordeal show[ing] [what he] has maintained and [how he] can apply all that he has brought back to the Ordinary World,” (Vogler).
This might be a culminating physical battle or final showdown, but the stakes are at their highest—the fate of other lives, or the entire world, rests in the hands of the Hero. He must willingly rise to the occasion, proving that he has earned “Hero Status”.
Things to Consider:
It’s time for the final battle. How does the Reward he’s earned help secure his victory?
What is the sacrifice your Hero must make?
Prepare for a victorious return to the Ordinary World, even if only in memory.
Return with the Elixir
Finally, your Hero has faced many obstacles and dangers and has come out triumphant! It’s time to return home and share the Reward with others, bringing closure and restoring balance to the Ordinary World.
Storylines are wrapped up and your Hero begins his new life, forever changed by the epic journey he has just completed.
Things to Consider:
How is his Ordinary World different now that his quest has transformed him?
How has your Hero made a difference?
How’s that for an epic plot structure!?
There’s no one “right way” to plot your novel, but if The Hero’s Journey resonates with you, I invite you to save this post as your “roadmap” for an epic fantasy adventure!
Next, let’s see this plot structure in action as we pit two of the greatest fantasy stories ever written head-to-head: The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
A Case Study on The Hero’s Journey
The Lord of the Rings vs. Harry Potter
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter are arguably two of the most well-known fantasy novels/films that follow The Hero’s Journey plot structure.
To give you a better sense of how this structure plays out, let’s break down and compare how LoR and HP follow The Hero’s Journey plot structure.
Act I - The Departure
Ordinary World
LoR - Frodo Baggins’ Ordinary World is introduced as we see him peacefully living in a Hobbit village in the Shire with his uncle Bilbo and good friend Samwise. The wizard Gandalf arrives in the Shire to celebrate the birthday of Bilbo Baggins.
HP - Harry Potter’s Ordinary World is sympathetically introduced as we learn about his everyday life as the boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs with his aunt and uncle at number four Privet Drive in Surrey, London. This reinforces that his life is “normal, thank you very much.” Although, the magical, Special World is introduced as “weird things” keep happening to Harry.
Call to Adventure
LoR - Frodo receives the Call to Adventure when Gandalf entrusts him with the One Ring, asks him to keep it safe until his return to the Shire, and later requests that Frodo take it out of the Shire.
HP - Harry receives the Call to Adventure in the form of some pretty magical mail: An Acceptance Letter to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Refusal of the Call
LoR - Frodo Refuses the Call, claiming that a simple Hobbit, like himself, couldn’t possibly be trusted with the Ring. His Refusal is repeatedly reinforced as he tries to relinquish his responsibilities to Gandalf, Aragorn, and Galadriel.
HP - In the case of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, it’s not Harry that Refuses the Call, it’s his wretched family—the Dursleys. However, Harry’s doubt in his abilities could also qualify as some sort of Refusal.
Meeting With the Mentor
LoR - Arguably, Frodo has already had his Meeting With the Mentor in the Ordinary World and Call to Adventure stages.
HP - In the first novel/film, Hagrid’s introduction is the first Meeting With the Mentor. Although Harry will have a long line of mentors throughout his story (most notably Dumbledore), Hagrid encourages Harry to accept his place at Hogwarts, giving him the confidence to step into the unknown.
Crossing the First Threshold
LoR - Frodo and Sam leave the Shire, Crossing the Threshold out of their Ordinary World and into the Special World.
HP - Harry quite literally Crosses the Threshold when Hagrid takes him to Diagon Alley through a magical wall in the Leaky Cauldron. He has now left the Muggle World (his Ordinary World) and stepped into the Magical World (Special World), known famously as the Boy Who Lived.
Act II - Initiation
Tests, Allies, and Enemies
LoR - Frodo encounters many Tests, Allies, and Enemies throughout his journey of responsibility as the Ring Bearer. He faces off with the Ring Wraiths, meets Aragorn, escapes the Ring Wraiths once again, and is tested as he survives what he thought was a fatal wound. He meets more allies and the Fellowship is formed.
HP - Harry faces many Tests and trials, from the Sorting Hat to the Mirror of Erised to joining the varsity Quidditch team at only 12 years old. He forms Alliances with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, establishing the iconic wizard trio who will soon become the main protagonists of the series. His Enemies are also introduced: Draco Malfoy, Professor Snape, and the ominous He Who Shall Not Be Named—Lord Voldemort.
Approach to the Inmost Cave
LoR - The Fellowship Approaches the Inmost Cave as they struggle to survive their quest throughout the mountains and are forced into the Mines of Moria, where Frodo and Gandalf discuss Gollum and the dangers of the Ring as they prepare for the Ordeal ahead.
HP - Harry makes full use of the allies he’s made as he descends to the Inmost Cave—the dungeon underneath Fluffy. Cleverly designed, each trap requires the talents each protagonist has excelled at, setting up the final Ordeal only Harry can face.
The Ordeal
LoR - Frodo and the Fellowship are forced to face hundreds—maybe thousands—of Orcs in addition to a cave troll in a central Ordeal. Gandalf fights the Balrog, casting him into the chasm, and is dragged to his death. Frodo and the Fellowship mourn the loss of their Mentor. When they reach Lothlórien, Galadriel tells Frodo that only he can complete the quest and that a member of the Fellowship will try to take the Ring from him.
HP - Harry arrives at the final trial of the Sorcerer’s Stone (the Ordeal): The Mirror of Erised. When Harry discovers the secret of the mirror and lies to Professor Quirrell (who is possessed by Lord Voldemort), he is attacked, yet comes out the other side triumphant with the help of his mother’s magic.
Reward
LoR - The Fellowship is Rewarded with bravery for surviving the Ordeal. Frodo receives the knowledge he needs to complete his quest.
HP - After facing his Ordeal, Harry receives his Reward—the Sorcerer’s Stone. Dumbledore reveals to Harry that only those who seek the stone without intending to use it can get it.
Act III - The Return
The Road Back
LoR - On The Road Back, the Fellowship leaves Lothlórien. Saruman devises an army to kill the Fellowship. Frodo is confronted by Boromir, who tries to take the Ring from him. Frodo escapes.
HP - This stage is skipped entirely as the story jumps forward in time to Harry in the hospital wing after the battle in the dungeon.
The Resurrection
LoR - No longer part of the Fellowship, and fully willing to step up to the occasion, Frodo achieves “Hero Status” in the Resurrection stage as he must travel to Mordor alone. The others are ambushed, some are taken captive, and Boromir dies from a fatal wound.
HP - This stage is fairly skimpy too. Harry doesn’t die and get reborn after his Ordeal, though his waking up in the hospital could symbolize a sort of Resurrection.
Return with the Elixir
LoR - With Frodo resolved to travel to Mordor alone, we Return to where the adventure began as Sam and Frodo are reunited and venture off on a new quest, this time, as completely transformed Hobbits forever changed by the epic journey they just completed.
HP - Harry’s Elixirs are both physical and intangible. Harry wins Gryffindor the Quidditch House Cup, receives a photo album of his deceased parents, and is given the reassurance that he is destined for something far greater than being the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs.
How do you think these stories hold up against The Hero’s Journey plot structure?
Final Thoughts
You can’t go wrong using this timeless narrative framework to plot your next fantasy novel! It’s a tried-and-true structure that audiences LOVE, so give it a try the next time you have a magical idea!
Remember to save this post as a blueprint for you to come back to when you’re drafting, and don’t forget to check out Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces for a deep dive into this theory!
Good luck, dear writers! I look forward to seeing what magic you make!
How will you use The Hero’s Journey to outline your fantasy novel? ✨
Works Cited
Columbus, Chris, director. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2001.
“Hero’s Journey.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey#:~:text=The%20initiation%20section%20begins%20with,spiritual%20power%20over%20both%20worlds.
Jackson, Peter, director. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. New Line Home Entertainment, 2001.
Vogler, Christopher. Myth and the Movies. 1 June 2003, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/www.tlu.ee/~rajaleid/montaazh/Hero%27s%20Journey%20Arch.pdf. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.