A Character Driven Journey:

In narratology and comparative mythology, the hero’s journey, or the monomyth, is 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.

This however, isn’t like the typical Hero’s Journey though. This outline is a bit more concentrated in that it only has thirteen beats, whereas the traditional Hero’s Journey outline usually contains anywhere between twenty and thirty beats.

I’m Incomplete:

This is the beat where you’re going to establish your protagonist’s wants, needs and desires. This is also where you’re going to showcase your protagonist’s struggle inside their “ordinary world”.

I’m Unsettled:

This is where an outside force first appears (e.g. an invitation or a threat). It typically doesn’t immediately include the primary antagonist, although whatever happens inside this beat should be at the very least tangentially linked to them in some way.

I’m Resistant:

This beat is typically called “refusal of the call,” “refusing the call” or something similar, and it is when your protagonist is going to adamantly refuse to do the things that have been asked of them, albeit temporarily.

I’m Encouraged:

This beat is when your protagonist is going to be pushed (by their own actions, someone else’s actions or someone else’s words) onto the right path or direction.

I’m Committed:

This is the beat where your protagonist burns the bridges (these bridges could be literal, figurative or both) behind them, so that no matter what they do or say now, there’s absolutely no turning back to their former life.

I’m Disoriented:

This is when the protagonist must navigate towards their goal, facing unfamiliar challenges and new rules.

I’m Inauthentic:

This is when the protagonist does their best to ignore their own critical flaws that impede them from furthering their journey and ultimately accomplishing their goals.

I’m Confronted:

This is when the protagonist realizes that they must face their critical flaws or they’re at risk of losing everything and everyone that they love.

I’m Terrified:

This is when the protagonist realizes that they must face their greatest enemy even if it means that they’re at risk of losing everything and everyone that they love.

I’m Reborn:

This is when the protagonist starts to demonstrate that they’ve begun to change their ways, having addressed the critical flaws.

I’m Desperate:

This is when the protagonist hits a major roadblock and must do throw everything they possess at it in order to jump over it.

I’m Decisive:

This is when the protagonist must choose between their wants and their needs.

I’m Complete:

This is when the protagonist gets what they deserve, based on their previous choice.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? If you’re a plotter what outlining process suits you best. Perhaps it’s one that I’ve not seen or worked with (if you couldn’t tell, I’m a bit of an outline addict, and I have collected over a thousand outlines over the years). I am very interested in hearing all about your process. So, drop me a comment down below. Let’s chat outlining.