  Fantasy
This week: Edited by: rose_shadow
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"Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials. This is a favorite phase of the myth-adventure. It has produced a world literature of miraculous tests and ordeals. The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of the supernatural helper whom he met before his entrance into this region. Or it may be that he here discovers for the first time that there is a benign power everywhere supporting him in his superhuman passage"
-Joseph Campbell, Hero With a Thousand Faces pg 97 |
| ASIN: B004PICKDS |
Product Type: Toys & Games
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A Hero's Journey: The Road of Trials
This step in the Hero's Journey usually makes up the bulk of a quest-story. The "road of trials" is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation into the hero and to fulfill the quest. Often the hero-to-be fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.
For example, in Star Wars, Luke's road of trials lasts pretty much through the whole series until he has his atonement with his father. Along the way he suffers a serious wounding, the loss of one of his hands, leaves his training with Yoda too early and has other successes and failures. The point is that the failures are just as important (maybe more) as the successes. They both shape the hero's destiny and character. Just think of how naïve Luke was at the beginning of his journey before he even met Obi-Wan Kenobi. Can you imagine that farmboy saving the galaxy the next day? Nope. He needed his journey to teach him how to be the person he became.
In "The Raven", a Grimm fairy tale, the hero must refuse to take anything to eat or drink in order to break the spell that has turned a king's daughter into a raven. Three times he tries and each time he fails. After the third time, the raven comes and leaves him some magical objects and a note explaining how to use them if he would still like to save her. He feels terrible that he has failed and sets out to save her. His initial failures lead to wandering and even more tests, but these he manages to pass until he finally does release her from the spell.
"The ordeal is a deepening of the problem of the first threshold and the question is still in balance: Can the ego put itself to death? For many headed is this surrounding Hydra; one head cut off, two more appear - unless the right caustic is applied to the mutilated stump. The original departure into the land of trials represented only the beginning of the long and really perilous path of initiatory conquests and moments of illumination. Dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passes - again, again, and again. Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies and momentary glimpses of the wonderful land."
- Joseph Campbell, pg. 109
Questions to help frame this step:
 Given this person's background and experience, what kinds of trials or ordeals make sense for him or her? What would be truly challenging for this person?
What does the person fear and how will this fear be represented to him or her?
What does the person consider to be obstacles to progress or growth?
Does the person have some personality or character traits that will be mirrored back to him or her in a challenging way?
What strategies, skills, insights, known or unknown strengths or talents, etc, does the person use or develop to survive or resolve these trials?
What assistance, seen or unseen does the person have or receive to deal with these trials?
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First winner of the "Invalid Item" contest!
His hook: Minneapolis resident Orion O’Reilly goes fishing in the remote wilderness of northern Minnesota, but it turns out that he is the one who gets reeled in…by aliens who have more than just catch-and-release on their minds.
Orion awakens from his involuntary tranquilization and within minutes finds himself literally in the hands of Zarbaxa, an adolescent Quorilaxian girl. Soaring to a height of 110 feet and resembling an anthropomorphic feline, Zar is anything but a little green man, and the reason Orion was abducted—for his protection—is equally unexpected. Just when Orion thinks he's safe, however, he's abducted again, and once the mastermind behind this is finally revealed, it's someone he never could have imagined, proving that it's a small Universe after all even if some of its inhabitants are anything but.
 Bonus items!
 Erin's Fantasy Book of the Month
If you have a published fantasy novel you would like to see featured here, email me with the ISBN number and a brief hook, and I'll plug it here for you on my next issue.
| ASIN: 0553564943 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 8.36
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A thick, but good read. It starts as many fantasy stories have, a orphaned youth with more to him than meets the eye. The characters were engaging, and the plot was fairly easy to follow despite the book's length and the number of characters to keep track of.
Feist's failings, however, showed up in his female characters which weren't nearly as well drawn as the should have been. One of the women who should have been as clear and dynamic a character as the story's hero, was flat and I felt like I didn't know her at all. There was also an abundance of passive voice and adverbs, but that's being very nit-picky.
Read this alternate review of "Magician": "Magician: Apprentice (Riftwar Saga)"
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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| ASIN: 1542722411 |
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From: neo555
What is the best way to have something you have written viewed by members all over writing.com without spamming! i would really like others to read my fantasy and poetry!
There are several ways. First, there are several boards specifically designed for authors to "plug" their stories. You'll find one in this newsletter  . Next, you can read and review other stories. Many people will click on your portfolio out of politeness to recieving a review from you and may end up reading something of yours.
From: billwilcox
Awesome newsletter Erin. I loved it! Writing a short blurb explaining your novel is probably the harddest thing you'll ever write.
Tell me about it! I've been working on my own hook for a few weeks now and still don't think it works right! 
From: likenion
Thank you for anwering my question so thouroughly! I am satisfied with the answer beyond words can express. Can I ask if my way of doing it can be not too confusing? Not so long ago I was writing a novel, which involved many characters and many battle scenes. Basically I did the "chain reaction" fighting scenes. One character does something, which has a great effect on the movements, situation or setting of the other character and so on in a great chain reaction. I think that when we restrict ourselves to 3 or 4 characters, it can be ok. What's your view on the question?
By the way this was an awsome newsletter and I want to enter the contest but I still haven't started posting my novel on the site. Is that a big problem or I can still enter?
Great work! Keep it up that way!
Hmm. I think your way could work, but you should probably be careful on how quickly you're changing POV. If you're changing fast, the reader won't have a chance to get their bearings in a new character's mind and it'll just confuse them. But if you spend some time with each, it might work.
As for the "Hook Me" contest, I really would prefer at least one chapter (or prologue) posted in your portfolio before you enter  . Thanks! |
| ASIN: B083RZJVJ8 |
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Fantasy: June 13, 2007 Issue [#1762]
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