Can’t explain it to a kid? Then, you don’t understand it. – Albert Einstein
I struggled to explain some phases of the hero’s journey to my 10-year old son. In the process, I stripped it off all obscurities and dramatic devices. Also, I aligned it with the simple camp fire analogy:
- Order at the campfire.
- Something happens and the hero ventures into the dark.
- Hero returns with something new and useful.
Mind the Forced Call to Adventure: Adversity threatens a value. The value determines the genre, e. g. life and death in case of action, or love and hate in case of romance.
OW: Ordinary World
II: Inciting Incident
CTA: Call to Adventure
ROTC: Refusal of the Call
FCTA: Forced Call to Adventure
AOTC: Acceptance of the Call
CTT: Crossing the Threshold