Because everyone loves a good story
Think Spring: A Small Tribute to the Season
If you were to pay tribute to one facet of spring, what would it be?
I’ve lived for years in both Michigan and South Texas, and I can tell you that spring is a season of hope, wonder, and delight no matter where you’re from.
I know, I know; if you live in the frozen tundra called the North, spring feels like the proverbial carrot dangled in front of the horse—the weary, frozen, hopeless horse, you’d probably like to add. You’re told that if you just keep plodding along week after week, you’ll eventually get to sink your teeth into that most delectable of seasons. You rather doubt it, yet on you plod. Really, what choice do you have? Besides, you tell yourself, there was that one day last week, that 60-degree nibble that tasted of the coming thaw…but that was the day before the four-inch snow dump. The horse rolls its eyes, gives up hope, and plops its rump in the nearest snowbank.
But you know you still love spring.
If you’re from the deep south, you may have blinked and missed spring entirely. I remember one February day several years ago; I stepped outside my Texas apartment and realized suddenly that it was spring! The sun, the smells, the air itself told me so. I was giddy with excitement. So long, sweaters! Spring has sprung! But by noon that day it was already summer, and I needed some sun screen. The mild temperatures seemed to last all of four hours that year, but they were sweet indeed. You southerners may be able to relate.
But you know you still love spring.
See, no matter where you’re from or how dissatisfied you are with the current state of your state, you just can’t help loving this freshest of all seasons.
Here are a few things I’ve fallen in love with again this spring:
*The sight of red-breasted robins eyeballing the ground for worms, even though it’s still snowing
*Little shoots of green peeking through the dirt where you didn’t even know flowers were planted
*Ducks waddling through puddles and quacking like raspy old women who’ve smoked three packs a day since kindergarten
*The smell of fresh, damp earth just starting to warm up in the sunshine
*Canada geese bobbing their heads at you and honking like the squeak of a straw through a plastic lid
I could list many more things I love, but by the time I finished, it would be summer. The Modern American poet e.e. cummings also celebrated his joyful, childlike exuberance about the season in a poem that we call “in Just-”
The poem goes on in much the same fashion for two-ish more stanzas (if you can call the stanzas), but you get the picture. Cummings is excited about spring. I mention his poem to say this: you can’t possibly have stranger and less-relatable aspects of spring to share, so don’t feel shy.
Go ahead—what do you love about spring?
Stage Two: The Call to Adventure
In our last installment of the Hero’s Journey, we looked at the importance of establishing the Ordinary World of the hero. This glimpse into a day in the life of our hero is vital to our understanding of who she is and where she comes from. But every adventure eventually has to move into the world of adventure or else it won’t be much of an…adventure, if you know what I mean. Ergo, the Call to Adventure.
What the Call Looks Like
But what does this Call look like? Well, it can come in many forms: receiving a message or news, a sudden political or personal turn of events, an inner longing to follow someone or find something, one small incident that becomes the last straw, or even the hero’s decision that he has finally had enough of the status quo.
Sometimes the call isn’t the gaining of new information but the loss of something important. “The Call could be the kidnapping of a loved one or the loss of anything precious, such as health, security, or love,” says Vogler (103). The movie “Taken” is an obvious example of a Call to Adventure in the form of a loss because the man’s daughter is, well…taken. However, I am not prepared to comment on the movie itself at this time, your honor.
Look, the Call to Adventure could be as simple as someone literally just calling the hero to join in the adventure. I shall refer once again to Luke Skywalker. (I may do that from time to time because, one, I adore the original trilogy, and two, George Lucas used Joseph Campbell’s stages of the Hero’s Journey as a reference for the plot of Star Wars: Episode IV, “A New Hope.” In fact, Lucas referred to Campbell as “my Yoda.” This is a true saying and worthy of all acceptance. Skeptical? Read the article for yourself. I don’t mind.)
George Lucas referred to Joseph Campbell as “my Yoda.” For real.
Anyway, I digressed from my example. I was merely going to point out that in “A New Hope,” the Call to Adventure was just that: Obi Wan calls Luke from his boring farm life on Tatooine into the adventurous world of the Rebellion. And, five movies and a billion fans later, I’m sure that Luke is glad he accepted.
Examples from The Hobbit
To cite another example that I love, The Hobbit gives a delightful, two-part Call to Adventure. The first call is from Gandalf, and it’s just as direct as Obi-Wan’s. Gandalf says to Bilbo, “’I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.’
“’I should think so—in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them,’ said our Mr Baggins…” (4).
But while Bilbo ducks out of that Call, he gets a renewed Call to Adventure when his house suddenly fills with thirteen unknown dwarves who are under the impression (thanks to a certain grey-cloaked wizard) that Bilbo would be a decent burglar on their quest.
Now, for many heroes, this Call to Adventure is sure to come as a shock. Therefore, most heroes—even the good ones—are likely to meet this Call to Adventure with the next stage in the Hero’s Journey: the Refusal of the Call.
Today’s Question: Think of the Call to Adventure in a book, movie, or story that you know. How is the call presented to the hero?
Sources:
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Second Edition. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books, 1937.
the cup: a poem for Good Friday
the cup—
as deep as time, yet pre-creation filled
with anger, blood-thick, brimming,
breaking holy heart with plans for man—
cup-fillers—and for One, the Son,
who could not add a drop but did not stop
His dust-designing, Spirit-breathing,
choice-allowing plan to rescue
man.
the Man of Sorrows, Rescuer, foreplanned
Cup-Drinker, staggered by the thought of
fellowship lost with Father—brief eternity—
yearns for mercy, any other way to save
merciless murderers, friendless fiends who
scream for blood on wooden beams.
“Father, let this wrath-cup pass,
yet not My will…” the answer, only
silence.
willing, ready, joy-pursuing,
mercy-laden Lamb, Messiah, stands
and grasps with piercéd hands
the cup of wrath
alone.
then drinking down unmellowed fury,
staggering, certain, undeserving Sacrifice
sufficing holy plan’s demand by
quaffing final dregs and drops, ‘til
righteous wrath is satisfied with
“it is finished!”
my bitter drink exchanged for pain and blood.
His bloody death exchanged for mercy, free and full.
the Father’s mercy calls me, bids me daily look
inside the wrath-cup Christ took, drank, and drained—
forever
empty.
Stage One: The Ordinary World
Luke Skywalker does farm chores for his Uncle Owen on Tatooine. The Pevensie children begin their Narnian adventure in the quiet old house of Professor Kirke. Harry Potter starts out in a cookie cutter house on Privet Drive.
That is to say, every adventure begins in an Ordinary World.
The Importance of the Ordinary
In Christopher Vogler’s book The Writer’s Journey, the first stage of The Hero’s Journey is that of the Ordinary World. “The Special World of the story is only special if we can see it in contrast to a mundane world of everyday affairs from which the hero issues forth,” says Vogler (85). But does that mean it has to be ordinary in our sense of the word? No way. What’s ordinary to Luke Skywalker is certainly not ordinary to us, unless you happen to work on a desolate moisture farm on a two-sun planet. The whole point of the Ordinary World is to show us what reality is like for our hero—just a day in the life, if you will.
Sounds pretty simple, right? But don’t be deceived. The audience may see just a day in the life, but a good writer has much more going on underneath. Since the beginning of a story is the first thing an audience encounters, it’s important to start off right and make it count. That’s why, when it’s done well, the Ordinary World can prepare the audience for the whole rest of the story.
Fitting a Lot into the Ordinary
For example, a good Ordinary World scene will accomplish all kinds of things, like introducing us to the hero, providing a contrast for the Special World, foreshadowing upcoming action, showing us what’s missing in the hero or in the world, and even introducing the theme of the whole story.
Zow! Pulling off a good Ordinary World scene is more pressure than the first day of junior high! But there are still plenty of stories that accomplish all that and more.
In my opinion, two of the most important questions to answer in the Ordinary World are “Who is the hero?” and “What is at stake?” We want to meet our hero, see her reactions, find out what makes her tick. And we want to know what’s wrong in the hero’s world. Is he lacking something? Is his world in danger? “Scripts often fail because the stakes simply aren’t high enough. A story in which the hero will only be slightly embarrassed or inconvenienced if he fails is likely to get the ‘So what?’ reaction from readers” (94). And that, my friends, is not the reaction any writer is going for.
In my opinion, two of the most important questions to answer in the Ordinary World are “Who is the hero?” and “What is at stake?”
Examples from The Hobbit
So, as promised, I’m going to find all 12 stages of The Hero’s Journey in Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Thankfully, this one is easy to find; everyone knows that the Ordinary World of Bilbo Baggins is the Shire. When the story opens, we see Bilbo just chillaxing, standing next to the freshly-painted door of his cozy little hobbit hole. He’s smoking his long, wooden pipe and feeling comfortable and happy. His meals are regular (and frequent), his days are unhurried, and his life is his own. What could possibly go wrong in this sunny little corner of the Shire?
Oh, what indeed?
The fact that his world is so perfect is a hint at what’s at stake for him: an adventure would most certainly change Bilbo’s routine, his personality, and his life. But we have to meet the dwarves before we can discover that the stakes are even higher. And at that point, The Hobbit will progress from the Ordinary World to the next stage: the Call to Adventure!
Today’s Question: Think of the Ordinary World of a book, movie, or story you know. How does it do a good job of introducing the hero?
Sources:
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Second Edition. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books, 1937.
What is The Writer’s Journey?
At last! We get to talk about Story!* Together, we get to examine the threads that, when woven together, form some of the most memorable and awe-inspiring stories that we know. I really want this to be an interactive series, so each post will end with a question. I can’t wait to hear from you! This is exciting stuff, folks!
And yet I know what some of you are thinking right now: “I’m not a published writer. This series will not interest or benefit me in the least.” Au contraire, mon ami. You will indeed enjoy this series if you can answer any of the following questions in the affirmative:
Are you even remotely interested in writing?
Do you enjoy reading when you have the time?
Do you love to watch a good movie?
Have you ever gotten hooked on watching a show?
Have you ever felt betrayed when a movie, book, or show turned from interesting to boring, unbelievable, manipulative, or confusing?
Are you still reading this article?
If you answered, “Yes!” to any of those questions, then this is a series that you’ll really enjoy. Just trust me and give it a shot.
The Writer’s Journey
So! Down to business. What is this book that I’m going to be discussing, and what’s it about? The book is Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey.
“But hey! You told me this wasn’t just for writers!”
Pipe down over there. I’m getting to that part.
Anyway, this book is heavily influenced by an older book by Joseph Campbell called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell’s book organized and discussed the various components that are common to all great stories throughout history. He created what is called “The Hero’s Journey,” an organization of plot points and motifs that show up in myths, epics, the subconscious, and stories. It was a very important, ground-breaking book. I didn’t like it very much.**
So Vogler read this book by Campbell, was changed by it forever, and then wrote The Writer’s Journey as a modern version of those same concepts. Basically, if you’re only going to read one of those books, make it The Writer’s Journey, especially if you’re not sure you really love literary theory, archetypes, and the monomyth.
Tolkien’s The Hobbit
Wait! Don’t go! I promise not to say things like “archetype” and “monomyth” in the same sentence again for a long time. Instead, let’s talk about The Hobbit. In this series, I plan to look at the 12 stages of The Hero’s Journey and then apply them to the plot of Tolkien’s delectable little book, The Hobbit. Notice that I had to differentiate from Peter Jackson’s movie version of The Hobbit. They are unrelated except that they both have a Bilbo, a dragon, and a ring. If you haven’t read the book but you’ve seen the movies, that’s ok! You’ll know enough to track along with me. Just plan to be a little surprised now and then by how the real story goes. (Spoiler alert: as hot as that elf chick is, she’s not even in the book.)***
In conclusion, I hope to give you helpful summaries, personal opinions, and relatable examples. And in return, I really do hope you’ll give me feedback. Let me know what you find useful, controversial, irrelevant, or intriguing. Ask me questions! Share your opinion! Pass this on to a friend who might enjoy it too! And don’t forget to answer the question at the end of each post.
So, as a teaser, I’ll leave you with the mere titles of the 12 stages of The Hero’s Journey, and next time we’ll look at the first stage together. I can’t wait!
The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey
Ordinary World
Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Meeting with the Mentor
Crossing the First Threshold
Tests, Allies, and Enemies
Approach to the Inmost Cave
The Ordeal
Reward/Seizing the Sword
The Road Back
Resurrection
Return with the Elixir
Let the journey begin!
Your question: Think of one story (book, movie, show, myth, whatever) that you’ve really enjoyed. What is it, and what do you like about it?
Ready for more? Check out Stage One: The Ordinary World now!
Sources:
- Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Second Edition. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.
- Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books, 1937.
If you’re not sick of me yet, you can check out the asterisk footnote section below! Read More
I’m Gonna Let It Shine
You thought I forgot about this blog, didn’t you? Well, I didn’t. I’ve been busy getting ready to sell some handmade stuff at a craft show, but I’m not too busy to check in with you and tell you what I was thinking about this morning. And no, it’s not the beginning of the promised discussion about story writing. For that, you’ll have to check back next week.
This morning I was reading in Luke 11, and among many other marvelous truths packed into that chapter, God was showing me one powerful truth through two great analogies. (Did you ever notice that God loves analogies? He packs so much into one little comparison, communicating much more than is stated. I think this is one of the reasons our hearts resonate with stories.) For example, check out this passage in which Jesus is talking to a crowd that followed Him:
Did you ever notice that God loves analogies? I think this is one of the reasons our hearts resonate with stories.
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
All right, that’s actually one of Jesus’ analogies that gets confusing by the end. If you’re anything like me, you start out tracking along just fine, probably humming “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine.” But then the analogy changes from lamps to eyes, and all of a sudden you’re wondering how things went from “Hide it under a bushel? No!” to some person with a bad eye and a body full of darkness.
Now, I’m sure that real, live Bible scholars would have much more to say about this passage, but I just wanted to remark on one little facet that God showed me today, and it is this: Jesus is the Light. I know that’s not profound; you’ve probably heard it before. But in this context, it means everything.
In the first verse, it’s an external factor that would prevent you from seeing the light: the lamp is hidden under a basket (which seems rather dangerous to me anyway.) But in the rest of the passage, there’s an internal factor that keeps you from seeing the light: your own eyes, in this case representing your spiritual perception.
Think of your eye as a window into your body. If the window is clear, the light can come through and illuminate you. It is true, pure, unpolluted light. But if the window is clouded and dirty, any light that comes in will be dingy and tainted. If you’re used to looking through dirty windows, you won’t even notice that the light coming through them isn’t pure. You’ll think your semi-darkness is light. There is a conclusion to be drawn here about our need for an objective standard for truth and beauty, but I’ll save that for another day.
If you’re used to looking through dirty windows, you won’t even notice that the light coming through them isn’t pure. You’ll think your semi-darkness is light.
What seemed important to me this morning is that none of these conditions affects the light itself. My dirty window doesn’t make the sun dimmer. My belief or lack of belief in God does not change His essence. My skewed perception or lack of faith only prevents me from perceiving and enjoying Him myself. I want to make sure that I’m keeping my light on a table so everyone can see it, but I also want to make sure my perception of the Light is pure. The only way to do that is constantly to check my beliefs against the Word. When the Sun starts looking dim to me, I know it’s my window that needs to be cleaned.
Because the Light is going to do what He does best: He’s gonna shine.
What Is This Blog Even About?
If you’ve been keeping up with my blog since its auspicious inception about a week ago, you have probably been wondering what in the world this blog is even about.
That’s a fair query, and I’d like to give a brief answer so that you know what to expect. Personally, I love knowing what to expect, even if it’s bad. But this isn’t bad. It’s good, I think.
I have a passion for stories. I mentioned this in my very first blog post, but I am quite serious about it. For me, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have been two of the most influential thinkers and storytellers, so they will appear frequently in this blog as well. But I am also passionate about Jesus and the meaning He gives to existence. Therefore, this blog will be about Story and stories (both the general concept and specific examples), and it will also be about Jesus and the way He often figures into the stories of literature and life.
Now, if I lost your attention on both of those passions, then there is a slight chance you won’t find this blog as thrilling as I do. But hey, stick around and see if I surprise you! I will definitely throw in a curve ball article whenever it pops into my mind. But if one or both of my passions appeal to you, then I truly hope you’ll keep coming back for more. Because trust me—there’s more.
For example, I’ve been working on a series of posts based on the book The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. His book describes how many stories that we love progress through twelve stages of action. It is the unique use of these stages that make a story believable, relatable, and enjoyable. I’ll be tracking his method through Tolkien’s The Hobbit so you can see how it looks in a real story! I’ll also be writing about whatever God is teaching me at the time, including books and verses that have meant a lot to me, so I’m very excited about that. I’m sure I’ll write many things that don’t necessarily fall into those categories, but my goal is to post one literary article and one other article each week.
So with all that information in front of you, I’d like to make a quick appeal: Would you consider subscribing to my blog and recommending it to a friend who would enjoy it? It sure would make my day!
Thanks so much for taking time to read this informational blurb. I hope not to be this factual again for a long while. Until next time!
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