The First Step of the HJ
So…I promised I'd go through the basic steps of LIFEWRITING, which is, briefly, an exploration of the interaction of myth patterns and human personal evolution. Specifically, the Hero's Journey and the Yogic Chakras would be the tools we use most frequently. (The seven Chakras can be simplified to just "Three Centers": Belly Brain, Heart Center, Head Center)
The first step of the HJ is "The hero is confronted with a challenge."
This is important. Stories usually start by establishing the lead character's "ordinary world" but then drops a major problem into the mix. This can be like GODZILLA, where Bryan Cranston's "ordinary life" with his wife and family are established. Its his birthday. There is love, and work, and purpose. And then…SOMETHING goes horribly wrong, throwing his life into chaos. This happens about six minutes into the movie, and everything after that is scientist Cranston and his soldier son trying to deal with the consequences.
In the quieter film DON'T LET GO (2019), David Oyelowo is a detective with a beautiful nurturing connection to his beloved niece. Then…he gets a frantic call from her, and when he responds, his life is torn apart.
This could be thought of as the "inciting incident" in traditional story theory, but one might counter that the real inciting incident would be the moment when the character makes a commitment to solve the problem.
In your own life, you will motor on, living your life from day to day doing the things you always do until and unless something interrupts that pattern. Your best friend invites you to run a 10k. You meet the man of your dreams. You are downsized. SOMETHING changes. Without some trigger, we generally just do what we did yesterday, last month, and last year. What our parents and grandparents did. Most of human history has been this.
Think about ten times in your life you made a real change, and dig until you find the triggering events: they will always relate to either avoiding pain or seeking pleasure. Then think of your ten favorite films, and find the same thing. Usually, that change will happen in the first ten minutes. In ALIEN, the crew of the Nostromo receives a distress call. In GHOSTBUSTERS the three mad scientists are fired from the university and must enter the private sector.
Find the challenges that motivated you and others, and the challenges that kicked off your favorite stories. And tomorrow, we'll take another step.
Art is Life!
Steve
