The Hero’s Journey

I’ve returned home from my life changing time at the Realm Makers conference. As my brain is organizing and prioritizing information, a theme has come to the light that I’d love to share with you all. Let’s take a moment to explore the Hero’s Journey.

---

 

In his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell introduces us to the concept of the Monomyth, or Hero’s Journey. I’ve not actually read this book, but I’m quite familiar with the results: Star Wars, The Hobbit, Treasure Island, Willow, and Eragon, to name a few.

Joseph Campbell defines a Hero’s Journey as such: “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

All of us who attended Realm Makers have just been on such a journey.

I left my house with ideas and themes and stories of great adventure in my head. I left behind my wife and two kids, safe, warm and well fed as I entered a Realm of supernatural wonder. No one is on the same journey, but we all have our homes, our families, our wonderful average daily lives. There is nothing wrong with daily life, but sometimes God calls us to experience a touch of wonder.

Ask anyone who was at Realm Makers, fabulous forces were definitely encountered. We made instant life-long friends and met with friendly editors, encouraging agents and accomplished authors. My mind was blown by how positive and approachable everyone was. Even if my stories were weak in places, I left every conversation with new ideas and strong directions to take my stories. This was my decisive victory. A clear path to continue.

In my opinion, it’s the last piece of the Hero’s Journey that is the most important. We return home with the power to bestow boons on our fellow man.

Robert Liparulo left us with two great pieces of advice: Stop, and Go. Stop being afraid, stop self-doubting and stop procrastinating. Go write, go meet with editors, go insert yourself with the people you’re influenced by and go submit your work. Just do it!

Many of us have writing groups, or critique groups or spouses, children, neighbors and churches that we now must bestow our boon. We can’t allow what we learned from Realm Makers stop with ourselves. We learned that our creative God is with us, and we can accomplish what He puts before us.

Share your journey. Encourage someone every day. Write those stories that God has placed in your heart. Let your writing become a witness to your friends and family. Submit your adventures to the editors and agents you met at Realm makers. Let God’s message of Love be found in your spec-fic, so those who will only listen when it’s veiled in space ships, dragons and vampires will see and know our Savior Jesus Christ.