We blog to tell stories, and most stories are based on an ancient story structure typically referred to as The Hero's Journey. We can enhance our blogging and writing by understanding the structure of the hero myth.

1. Angie Albright
www.AGrowingSeason.co
@AngieAlbright @AGrowingSeason
Facebook.com/agrowingseason
For Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged, 2012, ArkansasWomenBloggers.com

2. Myth and the Hero’s
Journey in the
Blogosphere
Yes, you and Gilgamesh
and Ferris Buehler have
something in common.

3. Why do we tell stories?
Why do we blog?
• For the same reason humans have since they
could utter sound or use sticks to write on
clay.
• Why do you blog? You have a story to tell.

4. Why do we tell stories?
“For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how
we are delighted, and how we may triumph is
never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t
any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got
in all this darkness.”
James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”

5. What is myth?
• “A myth is something that is “’more than
true.’” Myths are stories that are universal,
that are true for all humans regardless of
culture or time period.”
Linda Seger, “Creating the Myth”

6. What is myth?
• “Myths are stories of our search through the ages for
truth, for meaning, for significance.” We all need to
tell our story and to understand our story, which
includes passages from birth to life to death.
• “We need for life to signify, to touch the eternal, to
understand the mysterious, to find out who we are.”
Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

7. Where do we find myth?
• Movies
• Books, stories
• Our friends and family
• Television – sitcoms, dramas, reality tv
• And . . . wait for it . . . Blogs. Your blog.
• Your story. Your life. All of these stories in
whatever form resonate with us because the
hero’s journey story is our story.

8. Examples of the hero’s journey
• Gilgamesh • Shrek
• The Odyssey • Survivor
• Wizard of Oz • Sully the Pilot
• Star Wars • Story of Jesus
• Ferris Buehler • Story of Buddha
• Oh Brother, Where • Your kids
Art Thou?
• You
• Gone with the Wind
• You as a writer
• The Help

9. I. Departure Stage
• Departure – hero departs on the
adventure
– The Call to Adventure
– Refusal of the Call
– Supernatural Aid
– The Crossing of the First Threshold
– The Belly of the Whale
Stages of the hero’s journey myth are adapted from “Hero’s Journey: Summary of Steps”
– Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI), Maricopa Community Colleges

10. II. Initiation Stage
Initiation - hero is being intitiated into the
new world:
–The road of trials – juiciest stories of the
tale
–The meeting with the goddess
–Woman as the temptress
–Atonement with the Father – center point
of the journey
–Apotheosis
–The ultimate boon

11. III. Return Stage
• Return – hero returns back into the “real”
world and assimilates into old life
– Refusal of the return
– The magic flight
– Rescue from without
– Crossing the return threshold
– Master of the two worlds
– Freedom to live

12. The Cast
Archetypes
Definition: Symbols (including characters,
images, and themes) that have a universal
meaning for the entire audience.

13. The Cast
Common Archetypes
Wise old man
Good mother
Shadow figure
Trickster
Animals
Scapegoats
From: Seger, “Creating the Myth” and Bedford St. Martin’s World Literature glossary

14. You as the Hero
• You are on the hero’s journey!
• What stage of the hero’s journey are you
telling?
• How can you structure your story in a way
that maximizes the universal nature of your
story?
• Who in your life fits an archetype?
• What events in your life, in your day, in your
week tell the story of your journey?
• Add depth to your stories by playing up the