The following article addresses some of the common criticisms thrown at the Hero's Journey and story structures and creative writing etc... in general. If you have any, and want them addressed in this article, please feel free to email kal@clickok.co.uk.
Criticism 1: It's formula.
The Hero's Journey is not a formula, it is a structure that guides the process of transformation, attachment or detachment, liberation etc. It is a pattern that reveals the process of unfolding a story, something that 99.9% writers do not know how to do. It shows you how to turn an idea into a story. It shows you how to appeal to an audience, which have subconscious expectations. It is the road map that the novice writer is unconsciously trying to find.
This criticism is a catch-all for any creative structure. It betrays a lack of understanding of story, creativity itself and the value of structure. This is discussed further in the free sample.
Criticism 2: It discourages originality.
The word "originality" is itself inappropriate. It implies a complete break with the past, which is never the case (it only seems so). Most of which seems original is a cumulative and incremental evolution of that which has been before. And it often only seems original to those with an untrained eye.
The Hero's Journey does not discourage originality. All the greatest stories (past and present) use it as a core pattern and those stories can hardly be described as unoriginal. At the time of writing, the top movies are "No Country for Old Men (2007)" and "There will be Blood (2007)" both of which were Oscar contenders and both of which follow the Hero's Journey pattern intricately and both of which can hardly be described as unoriginal. We discuss this a little further in the free sample.
Criticism 3: Why is one hero so special anyway?
The Hero is not necessarily a single individual. The Hero is representative of The Process and The Changing and many individuals or groups go through the process. For example, in The Incredibles (2004), the whole family goes through the process. In Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the whole family goes through the process. A pair is also common: Thelma and Louise (1991), When Harry met Sally (1989). Read Who or What is the Hero.
Criticism 4: The Hero is always a dude.
The Hero is not always a dude. There are many successful stories where the Hero is female: Million Dollar Baby (Academy Award Winner Best Film, 2004), Out of Africa (Academy Award Winner Best Film, 1985), Silence of the Lambs (Academy Award Winner Best Film, 1991). Read The Heroine's Journey.
Criticism 5: It's cheesy as hell.
It's not cheesy. All of the greatest stories (past and present) are based on it and these are not cheesy. It's only cheesy if you tell the story wrong and this is often the result of a LACK of understanding of the Hero's Journey. We discuss this a little further in the free sample.
Criticism 6: Alot of myths are shoehorned into the Hero's Journey.
So what? The myths are all examples to illustrate certain points, metaphors, symbolisms etc. Even with all these examples most people don't REALLY understand The Hero's Journey. In the Complete Hero's Journey...more than 188 stages of the journey you need to know about..., we use hundreds of examples from modern film and we are constantly being asked for more.
Criticism 7: It confuses personal growth with solving problems.
This criticism is itself a confusion.
Smaller problems may not require personal growth. Some larger problems do require it.
Personal growth is a transformation and the Hero's Journey is a process of transformation, hence you can link the Hero's Journey to personal growth.
Criticism 8: The Hero's Journey / Monomyth is a Hollywood construct.
It is not a Hollywood construct and applies to the greatest written stories too (past and present). If you analyse successful stories before the age of cinema, you will find that they all follow the Hero's Journey pattern intricately.See Screenplays versus novels.
In conclusion:
a) None of the criticisms we have ever come across are valid and demonstrate a frightening lack of understanding. Almost without exception, criticisms are made by individuals with a very poor understanding of screenwriting, storytelling, transformation, the Hero's Journey, creativity and creative writing.
b) THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING (make it effective, sellable, readable, watchable etc) is to gain a TRULY deep understanding of the Hero's Journey. Buy the Complete Hero's Journey...more than 188 stages of the journey you need to know about...
Buy the Complete Hero's Journey...more than 188 stages of the journey you need to know about...
Download latest, free sample file (zipped Adobe PDF file)
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