Twelve Ancient Storytelling Elements You Can Use to Attract and Hold Your Readers

by Stephen Blake Mettee

Have you ever noticed that certain elements in novels and movies seem to repeat themselves? For instance, in most stories the hero is reluctant to take the particular action that it is necessary for him to take for the story to begin. In private-eye novels, the detective initially balks at accepting the case, protesting that he doesn't do divorce work or that the police are more equipped to locate missing persons.

Then, after expressing this initial reluctance, the hero decides to do—or is forced to do—that which he resisted and, having accepted (or having been forced to accept) this "call to action," takes the first step on a journey from which there is no turning back. In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Frodo leaves the Shire and cannot return until he has destroyed the "one" ring.

During his journey, Frodo is assisted by the wizard Gandolf who dispenses sage advice. This hero-meets-mentor stage is also a reoccurring element in stories.
These elements, which surface to one degree or another in almost all stories, are old as storytelling itself. It was mythologist Joseph Campbell who first identified twelve universal road marks in what has become known as the "hero's journey." Campbell found these stages to exist in everything from ancient Sumerian myths to the work of film maker George Lucas.

That these elements exist is important information for the novelist—or the memoir writer— because, on some primal level, readers are strongly drawn to stories that possess all or most of these stages. If, as you write, you keep these stages in mind or even use them as an outline for your story, you are more likely to tap into this unconscious hunger.

While the order of the twelve stages as listed below is common, the sequence often varies from story to story.

• Ordinary world—The reader is allowed to see the hero in his everyday world.
• Call to adventure—The incident that beckons the hero to start his journey.
• Refusal of the call—The hero's reluctance to leave the ordinary world.
• Meeting the mentor—The mentor can be anyone from a hooker with a heart of gold to an alien. As with Frodo, the mentor may appear numerous times and there is often more than one mentor.
• Crossing the first threshold—The action the hero takes from which there is no turning back.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies—The meat of the story where most of the action plays out.
• Approach to the inmost cave—At this stage the hero prepares to cross another threshold, one after which he must confront the most frightening or most critical part of his journey.
• Supreme ordeal—This is the hero's greatest challenge. Here his character, intelligence, or strength are put to the maximum test. The hero often appears to die—metaphorically or otherwise—at this stage.
• The seizing of the sword—This is the point at which the hero accomplishes his task. His triumph may not last, or it may have unexpected consequences.
• The road back—Most heros attempt to return to the ordinary world and experience further adventures or difficulties on the way back.
• Resurrection—The hero has been changed by his experiences. In one sense his old self has died and his new self born. To the reader, this transformation or growth is often the most satisfying part of the story.
• Return with the Elixir—After the hunt, the hero returns with his kill and shares it with those who stayed in the village. Often the hero, since he has changed, no longer fits in the ordinary world and must ride off into the sunset unable to stay and enjoy the fruits of his journey.

The hero's journey is something that lives within us all. Even with the process of our writing we travel a hero's journey. The more we can tap into these elements within us, the more we will capture our reader's hearts, minds and souls.
For more on the hero's journey and how to apply it to your writing, read Chris Vogler's The Writer's Journey (Michael Wiese Productions).