The Iconic Hero’s Journey: How To Write The Classic Hero Archetype: The Modern Monomyth, #1

By Josh Coker

ATTENTION FICTION WRITERS: If you're writing a novel, novella, short story, or screenplay, please read this

DISCOVER HOW TO WRITE YOUR HERO LIKE A PRO

.without years of research and practice. If you would like to create a hero that resonates with your audience regardless of your writing experience, this is the most important book you'll ever read.

BUT FIRST A WARNING...

The approach outlined in this book works great for me, and I believe it can help you too. It's helped our publishing company sell books in multiple formats to various customers worldwide .But I'm not suggesting that everyone (or anyone) who reads it is going to sell a lot of books. Writing a story is hard work. While talent may play a small part in your overall success, the most important thing is heart. Not everyone that aspires to write a book actually possesses the necessary fortitude required to finish what they've started. Those who take this seriously, follow the directions, work hard and actually finish their story, have the best chance for a positive outcome. With that said, let me jump right in and show you.

EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE GETTING TODAY First of all, this isn't like any other writing book you've ever read. It's more of a "field guide" to the hero archetype than a traditional book on characters. There's no fluff or filler - just battle-tested strategies and tactics that are used in modern commercial fiction.And it's easy to read.At 150-ish pages, you can read it in a day or two. And you'll immediately "get" the entire approach. These techniques TRANSCEND genre. See, you can use the same methodologies in this book to create heroes in short stories, novellas, novels, AND even screenplays--NO MATTER THE GENRE.So like I said, there's more to this little book then "just" fiction writing. Below is a fraction of what you're getting...

- The truth about commercial fiction

- How to write an iconic hero, even if you've never written fiction before

- The definition and basic explanation of archetypes

- Common misconceptions about the Classic Hero archetype

- How NOT to write an archetype

- Can you write your characters wrong?

- The secret that will make your audience immediately embrace your hero

- The psychological significance of the hero in the narrative

- The difference between a protagonist, main character, and hero

- How to write heroes that feel "real," without going through a four-page character study

- The most common conflict resolution tendencies of heroes

- The tools, weapons, and fighting styles most iconic heroes use in fiction

- How to create an impactful character arc for your hero

- The relationship between the inner journey and the outer journey

- Why plotting out your hero's inner journey first is the only approach that works

- How the hero fits into the acts and stages of the narrative

- Variations of the hero archetype including introductions to the female heroine and non-human heroes

- The various moral alignments of the hero

- The classic 3-act structure that all blockbusters follow

- Over 40 end-of-chapter action steps that you can implement in your story immediately to beef up the heroes in your story

Moreover, this book is filled with countless examples from mythology, literature, movies, comics, video games and more to give you a deep understanding of how the Classic Hero is used in modern storytelling. Ultimately we'll discuss how to use the hero archetype in your own story, so your audience will care about your character and read your book.So don't delay. Buy your copy today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Story Ninjas
• Release date: Dec 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393039747

Josh Coker

Josh is a military veteran, public speaker, and father of three. He has published multiple science fiction and nonfiction books. He is also the author of the Modern Monomyth Series and several fiction works, co-founder of Story-Ninjas Publishing, and creator of courses such as Reciprocal Narrative Infrastructure, Thematic Resonance, and Psychological Storytelling. For the past fifteen years, Josh has been writing, publishing, and researching fiction. He's helped outline, write, edit, publish, and market hundreds of stories. You can learn more about Josh by checking out his youtube channel, or his website. Feel free to follow Josh on social media, to find to get updates on all of his latest projects:  FOLLOW JOSH!!! ➢ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshumusprime/ ➢ Youtube:  Josh Coker ➢ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepolymathparadigm/ ➢ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Joshumusprime ➢ Snapchat: @Joshumusprime ➢ Amazon: Josh Coker ➢ Blog:  http://thepolymathman.blogspot.com

Book preview

Premise

EVERY STORY HAS CHARACTERS. These fictional personas allow the reader to feel your story in a visceral way. They can smell, touch, taste, see, hear and interact with the world you’ve created. The protagonist, main character, antagonist and more. These are the eyes and ears of the audience. The more they empathize with these fictional beings, the more engaged they become in your story. When a reader feels connected to a character, they will go to great lengths to read your book. They will miss sleep, show up late for appointments, and even spend more money on sequels. All because they’re hooked. They have to know what happens next. They are forced to read more, because they feel as though their lives are intertwined with the fate of your characters.

Whether you’re a novel writer, a screenwriter or something in between, this type of story immersion is the ultimate goal of a storyteller.

The Problem With Most Characters

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UNFORTUNATELY IT’S easier said than done.

Many fictional characters fall flat. And in turn, the stories they belong to are forgotten. Both new authors and bestsellers alike struggle to find the magical formula. No matter how hard they try, their characters seem cliche, stereotypical, predictable or all of the above. Many times this is because the writer focused on superficial character traits or stereotypes, rather than deep internal motivations. 

Mythological Archetypes Are The Solution

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IF YOU CAN REACH YOUR audience on a subconscious level, your characters will come to life and your story will feel real. The best way to do this is to use mythological archetypes. While most writers are vaguely familiar with the Monomyth, many don’t realize it’s true significance.

Mythology is the most powerful storytelling method that’s ever existed.

For example, have you ever stopped to consider why some stories were passed down throughout the ages, while others were forgotten?

Why have characters like King Arthur, Perseus, Odysseus, Hercules, and Gilgamesh (to name a few) stood the test of time? What makes them different from the millions that have been lost to antiquity?

Simply put, it’s the power of myth.

The power of archetypes.

Every main character from these stories is based on a mythological archetype; a stock psychological form that is deeply ingrained in the human psyche. The better the audience can identify the individuals in your narrative, the more likely your story will succeed.

What This Book Offers

INSIDE YOU’LL FIND the following information:

The truth about commercial fiction

How to write an iconic hero, even if you’ve never written fiction before

The definition and basic explanation of archetypes

Common misconceptions about the Classic Hero archetype

How NOT to write an archetype

Why you should never have a perfect hero

Can you write your characters wrong? A warning against stereotypes

The secret that will make your audience immediately embrace your hero

How the Classic Hero archetype evolved into the modern iconic iteration

I’ll teach you what a real hero is

The psychological significance of the hero in the narrative

The difference between a protagonist, main character, and her

How to write heroes that feel real, without going through a four-page character study

The most common conflict resolution tendencies of heroes

The tools, weapons, and fighting styles most iconic heroes use in fiction

How to create an impactful character arc for your hero

The relationship between the inner journey and the outer journey

Why plotting out your hero’s inner journey first is the only approach that works

How the hero fits into the acts and stages of the narrative

Variations of the hero archetype including introductions to the female heroine and non-human heroes

The various moral alignments of the hero

The classic 3-act structure that all blockbusters follow

Over 40 end-of-chapter action steps that you can implement in your story immediately to beef up the heroes in your story

Moreover, this book is filled with countless examples from mythology, literature, movies, comics, video games and more to give you a deep understanding of how the Classic Hero is used in modern storytelling. Ultimately we’ll discuss how to use the hero archetype in your own story, so your audience will care about your character and read your book.

Why Should You Listen To Me?

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I’M NOT A GURU, OR a best selling author (yet). Nor do I believe that I know everything there is to storytelling, or the Monomyth. The main reason I wrote this book is because I, too, wanted to know more about the Classic Hero and how to use this powerful archetype in my stories. For nearly a decade I searched for the missing answers. While I did find snippets of information tucked away in a book here, or hidden on the internet there, I never found a one-stop-shop that provided an in depth explanation on how to use the Classic Hero in modern storytelling. Sure, Joseph Campbell’s ground breaking book, A Hero With A Thousand Faces, is a great starting off point. However, it’s highly academic, and focuses more on how to analyze ancient myths, than how to write modern ones. Ultimately, I set out to write the book I wished had been around when I started my search years ago. So, while I’m not Joseph Campbell, or Christopher Vogler, I have dedicated several years to learning about mythology and the craft of writing. I am an English Major and Psychology minor. I’ve written both fiction and nonfiction books, including books about the Modern Monomyth. And I’ve created multiple Youtube and Blog posts regarding the Hero’s Journey. Furthermore, I’m the proud co-founder of an independent publishing company called Story Ninjas. We are a small, veteran-owned-and-operated business that helps aspiring writers share their story with the world. In that role, I’ve had the opportunity (and curse) of outlining, reviewing, and editing hundreds of stories as well as mentor other authors on their narratives. Ultimately I believe it comes down to this simple truth: the information in this book will help you understand the Classic Hero archetype and allow you to develop a powerful character in your own story.

Who Can Benefit From This Book?

THIS BOOK IS GEARED specifically for storytellers, which means it can apply to just about anyone. However, it will probably be most appropriate for fiction authors such as novelists, short story writers, video game writers, and screenwriters. This can help you brainstorm ideas for the Classic Hero in your story, outline their outer journey, develop their character arc, analyze the narrative, diagnose inconsistencies, and identify potential opportunities.

What if I’m a writer just starting out?

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THEN YOU ARE IN LUCK!

I’ve been writing for nearly two decades now and I’ve read hundreds (literally) of writing books. Most of them touch on specific craft related items like structure, prose, dialogue, setting, blah, blah, blah... And after reading all of them, I was still left wondering how they all came together to form a compelling story. More importantly, I wanted to know why some characters resonated with me for years, while others were forgotten within minutes.

It was like looking at Da Vinci’s works, then comparing it to a stick figure sketch drawn from children.

This book is the tool I wish I had back then.

Learning Monomyth archetypes is like having Da Vinci, the master himself, walk you through each step of his process. You’ll finally know how, and more importantly—why—everything works together to create a true piece of art.

Ultimately, you’ll learn how to write an iconic hero, even if you’ve never written one word of fiction before.

What if I already know the Monomyth?

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FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT already have a solid understanding of the Classic Hero archetype—maybe you’ve already