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We've all heard of Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Christopher Vogler adapted the Hero's Journey into The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Vogler said, "The archetypes [the Hero, the Mentor, the Threshold Guardian, the Herald, the Shapeshifter, the Shadow, the Ally, and the Trickster] can be thought of as masks, worn by the characters temporarily as they are needed to advance a story" (24).
With the help of Vogler's The Writer's Journey, today I'd like to discuss The Herald.
Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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"Typically, in the opening phase of a story, heroes have 'gotten by' somehow. They have handled an imbalanced life through a series of defenses or coping mechanisms. Then all at once some new energy enters the story that makes it impossible for the hero to simply get by any longer. A new person, condition, or information shifts the hero's balance, and nothing will ever be the same. A decision must be made, action taken, the conflict faced. A Call to Adventure has been delivered, often by a character who manifests the archetype of the Herald." ~ Christopher Vogler in The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers.
When I read the "Herald" chapter in Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, the first thing I thought of was 9/11. It changed everything, and there's no going back to the way things were before that fateful day.
The Herald can be a person (television reporter), event (natural disaster), or thing (newspaper ad). While it may seem like a bit part, the Herald has a huge responsibility; from the moment the Herald serves his/her/its purpose, life as the hero knows it will never be the same.
As I work my way through Vogler's archetypes, I find myself looking for them in the books I read and the movies I watch. I used to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda writer, but now I see stories a little differently--a series of necessary steps and characters/events/things introduced to serve a specific purpose: to move the plot forward.
I'm currently reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (FANTASTIC read, by the way, and highly recommended). Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old boy who's recently been suspended from school, lives with his mother in New York City. Theo's father is a deadbeat alcoholic who walked out on them over a year ago, leaving behind no forwarding address or means of contacting him. In the opening scenes, Theo and his mother are on their way to the school to meet with Theo's teachers, but they're running a little early, so his mother decides to kill some time by stopping by one of her favorite art museums. While inside, Theo and his mother become separated when he meanders away in pursuit of a beautiful red-haired girl who caught his eye. Suddenly there's an explosion that kills Theo's mother and the girl's elderly companion, among many others, thus setting in motion a series of events that alter Theo's course in life.
And the story begins.
The Herald may appear in many different shapes and sizes. In the film Kalifornia it comes in the form of a ride-share ad that Brian (David Duchovny) posts at a local college. In Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game it's when Colonel Hyrum Graff informs Ender and his family that they'd like him to attend command school. Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) in Ghost, the "Rage" virus in 28 Days Later. Regardless of what form your Herald takes, the message is always the same: things are about to change big time. Is your hero up for the challenge?
Thank you for reading, and please join me on April 23 when we discuss the next archetype, The Shapeshifter.
Works Cited:
 Vogler, Christopher. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998. Print.
"The Herald archetype may come into play at almost any point in a story, but is most frequently employed in Act One to help bring the hero into the adventure. Whether it is an inner call, an external development, or a character bringing news of change, the energy of the Herald is needed in almost every story" (Vogler 57).
For other newsletters in this series, see the links below:
Part 1--"I Need a Hero"
Part 2--"M is for Mentor"
Part 3--"The Threshold Guardian"
Part 4--"The Herald"
Part 5--"The Shapeshifter"
Part 6--"The Shadow"
Part 7--"The Ally"
Part 8--"The Trickster" |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "The Threshold Guardian" :
Seffi  says, "I love, love, love Labyrinth, and you are right: it's almost a visual representation of The Writer's Journey when you think about things like mentors and threshold guardians--especially threshold guardians--there's one after another after another. My favorite has to be Sir Didymus because he then changes hat and becomes her ally. Really love your newsletters; I always learn something new/different way of looking at things." Aw, thank you so much! You're very kind, and I agree with you 100% about the film. It's brilliant. 
Quick-Quill  says, "I hope you continue elaborating on Vogler. I am so glad you picked this movie as an example. I love it. My daughter and son have watched it so many time when they were young it's now referred to as the 'Stinky Rocks' movie since my son couldn't say the name of the movie. It is well done with a simple plot. Girl hates brother, wishes him gone, then when he is she knows it was the wrong thing to do, recants and in the process of her quest learns things about herself and making good choices. You can't get a better lesson learned. I think if a writer has a block then maybe add a guardian to the story just to see what choice the MC will make." Absolutely! It's been one of my favorites for almost 30 years now. Thanks for reading and commenting! 
ChrisDaltro-Chasing Moonbeams  says, "THANK YOU fir featuring my short story The Old Holy Cemetery in your amazing WDC Newsletter - Short Stories: The Threshold Guardian!" You are most welcome, Christina! Thank YOU. 
brom21 says, "Your comments about the threshold guardian made me think of one of the core components of any story; the conflict that changes the protagonist as well as the world they are in. I read in a book on how to write novels that said that the obstacle must look extremely hard and even impossible to overcome. This would apparently go with the test element that you mentioned. The discussion about the different archetypes is helpful and interesting. I’m looking forward to the narration concerning the herald. Thanks!" Thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful. Write on! 
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Short Stories: March 26, 2014 Issue [#6222]
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