Notes about storytelling

First, yes, a glossary. Apologies in advance. When discussing stories I refer to story-building elements defined by Joseph Campbell and Keith Johnstone. Most of the below observations about these steps are mine.

Here’s a greatly simplified breakdown of the steps through Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” cycle. Campbell observed that virtually all stories of heroic accomplishment, whether supernatural or plainly human, proceeded through these same steps, although not necessarily in this order.

1) The Call to Adventure. The hero is given the opportunity, either accidentally or deliberately, to go on some character-defining quest.

2)The Refusal of the Call. If the hero who received the Call to Adventure said “Sure, I’ll follow you, Obi-Wan, whatever you say…” then the quest that resulted would be an adventure – but it would not be a reflection of who and what the hero is; the quest would be a job that could be done by anyone. The refusal of the call – and the insight that follows - is the point at which the hero realizes that the adventure being declined (because it’s inconvenient, or dangerous, or terrifying), is nevertheless the only path to a bearable life. The hero’s mind & body may decline the adventure and survive, but all that is heroic – even, perhaps, human – about the hero would die if this path is not taken.

3) The Meeting of the Mentor. With the Refusal of the Call, the hero has supplied the internal factor – a character-defining personal commitment. The mentor supplies the rest: tools and knowledge. Without these gifts – “external” components of the quest - the task is impossible; without the internal component, the adventure is just a job being done. With both components, we witness the growth of the character, and the discovery of a decisive, deliberate human being underneath many layers of naïve habit and other stuff nobody planned.

4) The First Threshold. Our hero can look into the distance from here, and meet those who have traveled into the unknown – but the line has not yet been crossed; turning back is still an option. It’s easy to spend one’s whole life at this point – the path is close by, but it’s too risky to take.

5) Tests, Allies & Enemies. Things get more complicated, more promising and more dangerous. The stakes are raised.

6) Supreme Ordeal (or “The Belly of the Whale”, an image that turns up with some frequency). The hero’s plight appears to hit rock bottom. If not for this step, the hero might emerge from the adventure unchanged. Instead, the whole world will appear transformed, if only for the hero.

7) Revisiting the Mentor. The person, wisdom and/or tools that made the journey possible return to reveal even deeper, more mysterious qualities.

8) Return with new knowledge. The hero has grown more powerful – but must now consider whether to remain on the other side of the threshold, or return to complete the adventure. The resulting decision clarifies who the hero is, and what the adventure has accomplished.

9) Seizing the sword / prize. The most challenging task is completed – but the ultimate purpose of the quest is not yet achieved.

10) Resurrection. Whether literally or symbolically, all that symbolized the former life of the hero is let go or destroyed. The new hero that emerges is a different kind of creature.

11) Return with Elixir. The ultimate purpose of the quest is achieved. The hero and the heroic achievement have become inseparable, and society as a whole has grown richer as a result.

See anything written by Joseph Campbell for more info on the above.


Keith Johnstone invented or refined many forms of improvisational theater, with an emphasis on storytelling skills. His book Impro is the best book I’ve ever seen on any subject related to creativity, performance or human interaction. Highly recommended for info about the below ideas & more.

Johnstone offers these elements (among others) as the basic building blocks of story:

Interruption of Routines – every story starts with some familiar activity being interrupted by an unexpected circumstance. To begin a story, describe a familiar activity in progress, and then interrupt it with some unforeseen event; whatever happens as a result is the story.

Reincorporation – all characters, relationships and objects seem incidental to the story, until they’re incorporated into multiple scenes. When someone or something is re-incorporated (the hero remembers the weapon found several scenes earlier, etc.), that character or object seems to have a purpose in the story - and becomes, to some degree, what the story is about.

The Circle of the Story – Every story begins by offering a list of things the story is about, and it must operate thereafter within that established circle. A children’s book may do this directly (“This is a story about a princess, and a frog, and a pair of tweezers, and a basketball”) but this list is usually implicit: spy novels are expected to include guns, poison and double-agents, fairy tales are expected to include kings & queens, castles, fairies, etc. If some element from outside the circle is introduced in the middle of the story – if Robinson Crusoe pulls out a laser pistol, for example – it may get a cheap laugh, but it breaks the spell of trust the storyteller has developed with the audience.

Tilts – a Tilt happens when one character says or does something to provoke a strong change in another character. It’s the essence of drama: something is revealed about the “tilter” and the “tiltee”. A gunshot creates a tilt when the victim screams and keels over, but a tilt can be subtle as well: a word whispered from one person to another may provoke a reaction of great emotion, surprise, pain, horror or joy. The strength of the reaction is what makes it worth watching.




Above text Copyright 2005 Martin Azevedo