The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

There is only one story.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharsis).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story.

and more…

Transformation Mentor

Before the Trials and Transformation, it is not uncommon to meet a Transformation Mentor. This person may be separate and distinct from the Supernatural Aid - each is respresentative of distinct stages of the Transformation.

In Gladiator (2000), Proximo sees to it that Maximus becomes a Gladiator.

In Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Mamaha is responsible for Sayuri’s transformation into Geisha.

In King Kong (2005), it is King Kong that causes the transformation.

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From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters….

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

Sample Movie Deconstructed: El Cid (1961)

Context [we learn of Spain in the time of the Cid].

Introduce the Antagonist.

Introduce the Hero.

Hero meets a Mentor [The Cid meets his father, Don Diego].

Introduce a Shape Shifter.

Hero commits a wizened act [lets the Muslim prisoners go]. The Call to Adventure or Inciting Incident.

Introduce the Romantic Challenge.

Obstacle to fulfillment of the Romantic Challenge presented by the Romantic Challenge’s rival, hero’s rival and shape shifter.

Hero relates his inner challenge to his romantic challenge.

Pushed to the First Threshold [El Cid’s family name shamed].

No way back [El Cid forced to challenge the King’s champion].

Polarization between the hero and his romantic challenge.

Hero given a new challenge / trial in the First Threshold. Hero succeeds.

A Reward to encourage the physical separation [El Cid will win the hand of Sophia Loren].

Belly of the Whale. Physical Separation. El Cid leaves.

A trial. Hero passes..

Reward for passing the trial.

Polarization between hero and romantic challenge increases.

Transformation. Road of Trials (1). El Cid rescues the prince from the dungeons - the thirteen guards.

Growth of the antagonist [Ben Yusif takes the city of Valencia].

Transformation (2). El Cid avenges Sancho.

Resistance to Seizing of the Sword [the queen attempts to persuade Sophia Loren to dissuade Rodrigo from seizing the Sword].

Hero Seizes the Sword [Rodrigo forces the king to swear].

Hero receives the reward [Rodrigo wins over Sophia].

Forced onto a Night Sea Journey. Near death experience [survives with the aid of the people [the leper and the child].

Reward [his own army].

Atonement with the Father [The Cid faces the King]. Hero transformed [the Cid returns with a beard.

Apotheosis. The king imprisons the Cid’s wife. He is not a good king [he will march against the king unless his wife is released].

The Ultimate Boon Rodrigo’s twin daughters]. The Shape Shifter. The Shape Shifter comes around. The Cid takes Valencia. The Cid is offered the crown.

Refusal of the Return [the king will not help the Cid defend Valencia against Ben Yusif]. Sophia asks where the Cid “finds the courage.”

Rescue from Without. Ben Yusif and his armies appear on the shore. The Magic Flight. The Cid is injured and retreats from Ben Yusif.

Rescue from Without. El Cid must return to battle tomorrow (with the arrow inside him.”)

Master of the Two Worlds. The Cid returns to the field in between life and death.

Freedom to Live - Spain was saved from the Moors.

Learn more

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

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Most published writers will admit that there is no secret formula for writing a winning query letter, however, many professionals can share some basic suggestions to help new writers formulate a query that will sell their story idea.

I can think of four simple guidelines to follow for building good query letters.

1) Capture The Editor’s Attention

You must develop original ideas that will stimulate editors almost immediately. Proposals have to provide something out of the ordinary, a unique angle, a new approach or a different view of the common, over-publicized topics that editors and readers are tired of seeing.

Think about how your article can offer innovative insight, inspiring material, or contrasting views of well-worn subjects. You probably have less than a minute to spark the interest of most editors, who receive hundreds of similar pitches every week. Make yours stand out from the rest!

2) Be Concise But Explicit

Eliminate fluff. Use action verbs and effective nouns to explain exactly why your idea will appeal to their readers and add quality to their publication. Give adequate details without going overboard.

Tell the editor why you want to write the article, why he should care about your topic and how you plan to deliver your completed work (estimated deadline and approximate word count etc.)

3) Know The Market

You can spend hours constructing the perfect query letter, but if you send it to the wrong publication, your efforts will probably be wasted and your idea rejected.

The most obvious way to gain knowledge of any market - that many writers may overlook - is to read the publication. I mean really read it. Don’t just browse article titles or skim the written words. Spend some serious time reading what other writers have written and learning about what the readers seem to prefer.

Most publications will provide writers with printed submission guidelines. Request this information and follow it completely. Some editors will toss a query in the trash immediately if it is not written according to their specified format or if it does not include the information required for submission.

4) Be Professional

Consider your competition. If an editor opens one envelope that contains a hand-written, sloppy, wrinkled letter on yellow notebook paper and another envelope that has a type-written, clean, easy to read letter printed on quality paper, it’s not difficult to figure out which letter will be more impressive and more likely to appeal to the editor.

It’s just like going on an interview - you never get a second chance to make a first impression!

Crafting a Creative Query

Paragraph One - The Hook

Your first sentence counts more than you can imagine. Make it informative, interesting, and honest!

Examples:

1 - Start with a question that will fascinate the editor so much that she feels the need to read on just to find out your answer. (How many professional anglers catch hypodermic needles and other fishy items in their nets each week?)

2 - Use a shocking or uncommon statistic to lure the editor into your letter. (Although many national news sources reported that suicide among teenage girls increased dramatically by more than 35% last year, did you know that more than half of those 5,000 young girls were raised without a father for most of their childhood?)

Paragraph Two - The Specifics

Who cares about your idea? Who will be effected by your article? What will your story reveal that hasn’t already been reported? Why is your idea perfect for this particular publication? When can you deliver it? How many words? Who will you interview? What about background, statistics, historical references? Research your topic. Give them the facts accurately, quickly, honestly and persuasively.

Paragraph Three - Your Credentials

Why are you the person to write this article? Where have your writings been published in the past? What similar subjects have you written about? What makes you different, special, unique?

Paragraph Four - The Closing

Thank the editors. Suggest a follow-up contact time. Offer to provide any further details, answer their questions or clarify your query at their convenience. Thank them again and tell them how much you look forward to talking with them within the next two weeks - month - whatever you feel is appropriate (refer to their submission guidelines for tips on this information - they usually provide writers with an estimated response time.)

For more ideas on writing query letters that will sell your work, see the Articles on this page http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1821.asp

Good Luck!

Go research and then go write some query letters.

Do not expect overnight success and do not be disappointed by the inevitable

rejection letters you will receive.

Do be persistent, focused and positive. Do keep sending queries! You have to start

somewhere and it’s hard to get published if nobody hears about your great ideas!

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Whatever kind of freelance or consulting work you do, one of the best ways to attract top clients is to position yourself clearly as an expert in your field.

And yes, you first have to be an expert. You don’t have to be the world’s leading expert, but you do need to know what you’re talking about, and in real depth.

To become a credible expert it first helps if you choose your niche carefully.

If your niche is too broad - like ‘all consumer electronics’ - you’ll find it hard to position yourself as a true expert.

If your niche is too narrow - like ‘Sony PlayStation’ - you’ll find it hard to make a living.

Niches like ‘computer games’ or ‘home entertainment’ are perfect. It won’t take you a lifetime to become an expert in either field, and there are plenty of prospective clients to choose from.

Of course, it will help enormously if you choose a niche in an area that genuinely interests you.

>> Got expertise? Here’s the next step…

One of the fastest ways to get the word out is to get your name in print. In other words, write articles.

It’s the strangest thing…but as soon as someone sees your name in print, your ‘expert’ status automatically jumps up several notches.

Publish your articles on your own web site. And make it known that other site editors can reprint your articles on their own sites and in their newsletters. Get the word out through a blog and by participating in discussion groups.

And, of course, every article should include a short bio and link back to your own site.

>> What’s better than having your articles online?

The next step is to get your articles printed in real print publications, on paper. Again, strangely, an article on paper earns you more expert points than an article on the web.

Best of all, if your niche is, for instance, home renovation products and services, get an article printed in one of the trade magazines that serves that industry.

Now you’re getting in front of hundreds or even thousands of prospective clients. It’s not an ad. It’s better than an ad. You’re presenting yourself as a true expert, with the implicit endorsement of the editor of the publication.

>> Accept those invitations to speak

Once your name has appeared as the author of a sufficient number of useful, expert articles, you’ll start getting invitations to speak. If they don’t come your way, start looking for them.

You can start out small, speaking to local business groups and marketing associations. If all goes well, you’ll soon find yourself with opportunities to speak to much larger groups at industry conferences.

And yes, being a speaker earns you major expert points.

>> Time to write a book?

Nothing brings you expert status faster than being the author of a book. Do you know enough on your subject to write a book? It may take a little time before you’re ready. But the more articles you write and the more times you speak, the deeper your knowledge will grow.

In addition, articles and speaking engagements generate feedback from your readers and listeners. And the more feedback you get, the better you will know what it is people really want and need to know.

If you can get published and distributed by a major publishing house, so much the better. If not, self-publish. You’ll need to do a lot of promoting to get the sales, but you can earn more money from each book sold and still confirm your status as an expert in your field.

>> Concluding thoughts

After a while you’ll find yourself writing articles, speaking at public and corporate events and signing copies of your book or books at every opportunity.

At that point you will have truly earned your stripes as an expert and will find yourself with a very impressive list of clients and prospects.

Start writing!

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Starting a conversation is one of the hardest parts of communication. Some conversations begin easily, but others seem as if it hard work just to get them off the ground. Having a good idea of great ways to start a conversation will help you avoid problems the next time you try to begin a conversation.

There are five basic things you must know about starting a conversation that will end up being interesting and fun. The following outline explains how and why they work. Try keeping these in mind the next time you chose to start a conversation.

1. Do not drill with questions.

The person you are talking with should not feel as if they are facing the firing squad. Do not keep firing questions at them without giving your own feedback and actually conversing.

Nothing is worse than feeling like you are getting the third degree. Asking too many questions quickly will only make the other person feel uncomfortable and leave them looking for a way out of the conversation before it has really begun.

2. Be funny.

This is not meaning you need to do a stand up routine, but just tell a funny story to break the ice. You’d be surprised how sharing something funny that happened to you will get others to open up. Everyone loves to laugh and laughing makes people feel comfortable. This is a sure fire way to lighten up tense and get people talking.

3. Ask open ended questions.

Open ended questions are questions that require more than a simple yes or no answer. Open ended questions allow people to elaborate and this creates conversation. You are drawing the person out and making them become part of a conversation.

Open ended questions bring growth to a conversation as opposed to questions with yes or no answers that stunt the growth of conversation. You can avoid awkward periods of silence that usually follow a yes or no questions as well.

4. Make the other person comfortable.

You can really get a person talking if they are happy to be talking to you. Let them initiate topics if you notice they seem uncomfortable. If you notice they seem distracted ask them if there is anything you can do to help. Maybe they really need to talk about something, but didn’t want to bring it up.

You can turn a total stranger into a friend by just making them feel as if you want to hear what they have to say and that you care about what they have say. Watch invading personal space also. Stand far enough to give them breathing room, but close enough to be able to clearly hear them.

5. Bring up a subject everyone can talk about.

The safest bet in starting a conversation is finding common ground. Pet peeves make for good conversation starters because everyone has them. You can start off by telling a story about one of your pet peeves and others are sure to join in.

These conversations tend to make everyone laugh and really enjoy the conversation. A feeling of camaraderie also forms and allows everyone to talk freely, making for great conversation.

These five tips can help anyone learn how to be a better conversation starter. You can use them all or just chose one or two you really like. Test them out to see how good each works for you. Knowing ahead of time what you want to say can also help ease your nerves about a situation.

Keeping these five conversation starter tips on your mind will definitely help you to be better at the art of communication.

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