Storytelling with The Hero's Journey
Part 2 - Non-fiction
As promised! The Hero’s Journey monomyth with non-fiction!
I’ll walk you through the monomyth for non-fiction, or writing from your personal story. I have quick references here, and if you want, there’s a blank PDF file at my Tip Jar Buy Me A Coffee page, where you can work through the monomyth on your own. (Its a free download. And my name is on it, so if you want to work through it with a group, you can. I’m also putting this into a physical book as well!)
Stay tuned for the extended version of the physical books on topics from this blog. I got the opportunity to continue some of my schooling so several of my non-fiction (less than exciting) writer projects have been pushed to the side into 2024.
When writing your own story it may help you to start from the bottom, with the Freedom to Live step, because you can recognize that you are no longer in that situation. Beginning in a safe place is a good grounding method for talking about wounds that need healing and the situations attached to them.
If this is still too much - remember, you are in a better place just by knowing these things, and if you still want to tell your story, or sort your emotions, we’ll talk more about that next week.
The Hero’s Journey with Non-fiction
Call to Adventure - the moment when you realized something needed to change
Refusal of Call - how you tried to cope, even though you realized something needed to change
Supernatural Aid - the motion that pushed you over the edge and forced you to decide to do something
Crossing the First Threshold - the first something you did to get out of the bad situation
Belly of the Whale - the worst moment, when you came face to face with everything going on and had to make a decision
Road of Trials - the things you did to get out of the Belly of the Whale, and the struggle of dealing with not only the consequences, but how you overcame (or are overcoming) the challenges
Meeting with the Goddess - someone or something that showed up to help you along the way. A bit of wisdom that guided you through and how that guidance helps you.
Temptation - the moment when you wanted to give up, and how you decided to keep going
Atonement or Abyss - how you faced your fears, and won, or are in process of healing from the bad things that you went through
Apotheosis/Deitification - facing your fears and putting the pieces back together after you realize that you’re in pieces, and its ok to be in pieces
The Ultimate Boon/Treasure - how you’re healing and what’s helping you to heal, and putting yourself and your emotions back together.
Refusal of Return - the process of getting back to a new normal and implementing your new skills, wisdom, healing and recognizing that you are going someplace new and better
Magic Flight - the process of taking back what’s ours, and sorting out what is helpful for us vs the old unhealthy rules we were supposed to be living by
Rescue from Without - the process of guiding ourselves back to a normal without hitting burnout. Sometimes we need a guide, sometimes we are our guide.
Crossing the Return Threshold - taking the skills you learned through the healing adventure and bringing them to help others in the normal world
Master of Two Worlds - using empathy, leadership and courage along with the skills you learned, you are able to help others through their things, while still working on your own. But this is a balance, and that balance takes practice.
Freedom to Live - Where I am today? How am I safe? How am I healing? Think of ways to count this as a victory!
Perpetual Disclaimer for this series:
I am not a counselor or a mental health professional. I am going to attempt to avoid things which will cause alarm or harm, but I can't know what will trigger each individual. If you need to speak to a mental health professional please know that there are resources available.
Your stories are amazing!
Chronic Writer