An interesting day, as everyone at the table had been published (self or through an agency). With that being recognized, our talks turned to current projects and issues of the day. We spoke about cover artists and audio book possibilities. We discussed cover artist and photographer: Disueno Vida Studios (provides discount if you mention Malinda Andrews).
http://www.jamiecatcallan.com/2011/12/gift-of-creativity-writers-toolbox.html
One thing that resonated with me was Malinda Andrews thoughts about fairy tales and the possibility of creating a book. I immediately took a 'back to basics' thought process and looked at how it could apply in the fairy tale world. I started digging around sites and some old notebooks.
Sooooo...
Story Formats
Thirty-six story situations
Followed by...
The meta-plot
The meta-plot begins with the anticipation stage, in which the hero is called to the adventure to come. This is followed by a dream stage, in which the adventure begins, the hero has some success, and has an illusion of invincibility. However, this is then followed by a frustration stage, in which the hero has his first confrontation with the enemy, and the illusion of invincibility is lost. This worsens in the nightmare stage, which is the climax of the plot, where hope is apparently lost. Finally, in the resolution, the hero overcomes his burden against the odds.
The plots
Overcoming the Monster
Definition: The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force (often evil) which threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist's homeland.
Examples: Perseus, Theseus, Beowulf, Dracula, The War of the Worlds, Nicholas Nickleby, The Guns of Navarone, Seven Samurai (and its Western remake The Magnificent Seven), James Bond, Star Wars.
Rags to Riches
Definition: The poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate, loses it all and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.
Examples: Cinderella, Aladdin, Jane Eyre, A Little Princess, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, The Prince and the Pauper, Brewster's Millions.
The Quest
Definition: The protagonist and companions set out to acquire an important object or to get to a location. They face temptations and other obstacles along the way.
Examples: The Odyssey, The Pilgrim’s Progress, The Lord Of The Rings, King Solomon's Mines, Six of Crows, Watership Down, Lightning Thief, Apocalypse Now., Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Voyage and Return
Definition: The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses to them, they return with experience.
Examples: Ramayana, Alice in Wonderland, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Orpheus, The Time Machine, Peter Rabbit, The Hobbit, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Brideshead Revisited, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Gone with the Wind, The Third Man, Cars.
Comedy
Definition: Light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion. Booker stresses that comedy is more than humor. It refers to a pattern where the conflict becomes more and more confusing, but is at last made plain in a single clarifying event. The majority of romance films fall into this category.
Examples: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Bridget Jones's Diary, Music and Lyrics, Sliding Doors, Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Tragedy
Definition: The protagonist's character flaw or great mistake which is their undoing. Their unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally good character.
Examples: Macbeth, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Carmen, Bonnie and Clyde, Jules et Jim, Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, John Dillinger, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar.
Rebirth
Definition: An event forces the main character to change their ways and often become a better person.
Examples: "The Frog Prince", "Beauty and the Beast", The Snow Queen, A Christmas Carol, The Secret Garden, Peer Gynt, Groundhog Day.
The Hero's Journey
The Heroine's Journey
Victoria Lynn Schmidt wrote two versions of a character's journey: The Feminine and the Masculine Journey. She published her version in 2001 in her book: 45 Master Characters. The most noticeable differences were the circular nature and that the female had to prove herself to herself. Schmidt's version is commonly used in writing as opposed to Murdock's version. Similar to the Hero's Journey, the stages can be interchanged and repeatable.
Illusion of the perfect world
The heroine believes the world she lives in is perfect. She has deluded herself into thinking everything will turn out alright. The heroine may acknowledge that the world isn't ideal, but has some kind of coping mechanism to deal with this fact. These mechanisms may be naivety, denial, or subservience.
Betrayal/disillusionment
A crisis befalls the heroine in which her coping mechanisms fail her and the illusion of the perfect world is shattered. The crisis may be a personal betrayal, realization of the false world view, or her coping mechanisms become unhealthy.
The awakening
At first, the heroine may not want to accept her current state of being, but will decide to do something about her conflict. She will receive discouragement from others, but she know she cannot remain in the illusion. The heroine will be searching for external means of help and guidance. The heroine may often bring tools from the her perfect world to help her along her journey.
The descent: passing through the gates of judgement
The heroine will experience doubt towards her new lifestyle or identity. To move on, she must give up her tools and let go of the doubts holding her back. This stage can be moved around throughout the journey.
"She may be ashamed of her new identity, guilty about sexual feelings or expression or have fears or shame associated with expressing herself, honoring intuition, or letting go of relationships that aren’t working for her."
Eye of the storm
Similar to Boon of Success, the heroine triumphs for a short period of time. However, this victory serves as a false calm. This stage can be moved around throughout the journey.
"In the true Heroine’s Journey, the heroine may experience momentary but not sustained success because those around her do not want to be a led by a woman/women for long, or the men around her begin to undermine her, or after the crisis passes she is left trying to fill multiple roles that are inconsistent or impossible for a single person to fulfill."
All is lost/death
The heroine realizes that her newly learned skills cannot help her and she cannot fall back on her old ways either. The situation around her gets worse and she has no choice but to accept defeat.
Support
The heroine finds support in a person who will help her out. This person can be anyone ranging from a spirit to a goddess to a friend. The heroine accepts the help of the supporter and comes to understand that "being alone is never enough." This stage can be moved around throughout the journey.
Rebirth/moment of truth
Due to the support she has gotten, the heroine find courage and hope again. She fully understands her place in the world and how she will face her doubts.
"She “awakens” and sees the world and her role in it differently."
Return to a new world
The heroine sees the world as it truly is. She understands herself better and this will change the way she lives her life from then on. This change is more spiritual and internally driven than external.
Some thoughts:
Both Murdock's and Schmidt's book have been criticized in modern-day for its outdated views of feminine values. Murdock's book was published in 1990, so her book contains past views on what a female in society should be. While Schmidt's book was published in 2001, readers also feel that it contains obsolete views on feminine goals. Present-day readers feel that it does not align with modern-day feminism, thus stating that these books are dated.
Hmmmm, wonder if there's an enterprising author out there who could update these concepts for 2020?
According to a 2014 interview between award-winning filmmaker Nicole Franklin and artist and comic book illustrator Alice Meichi Li, a hero's journey is "the journey of someone who has privilege. Regardless if the protagonist is male or female, a heroine does not start out with privilege." Being underprivileged, to Li, means that the heroine may not receive the same level of social support enjoyed by the hero in a traditional mythic cycle, and rather than return from her quest as both hero and mentor the heroine instead returns to a world in which she or he is still part of an oppressed demographic. Li adds, “They’re not really bringing back an elixir. They’re navigating our patriarchal society with unequal pay and inequalities. In the final chapter they may end up on equal footing. But when you have oppressed groups, all you can hope for is to get half as far by working twice as hard.
Frank Herbert said in 1979, "The bottom line of the Dune trilogy is: beware of heroes. Much better [to] rely on your own judgment, and your own mistakes." He wrote in 1985, "Dune was aimed at this whole idea of the infallible leader because my view of history says that mistakes made by a leader (or made in a leader's name) are amplified by the numbers who follow without question."
OK. I'm done for today.
-Dave
