The Journey Itself

We talked a little about the ordinary world of our hero last week. And we all agreed it's important to show what's normal for the hero before he/she sets off on their adventure. It gives the reader an idea of what's at stake.

Here's a quote from Christopher Vogler's book about The Journey:

"... the hero's story is always a journey. A hero leaves his/her comfortable, ordinary surroundings to venture into a challenging, unfamiliar world."

Then it goes on to say, "... many stories take the hero on an inward journey, one of the mind, the heart, the spirit."

Let's talk about The Journey this week. What sort of journey is your hero/heroine on? Is it an outward one with a quest into a labyrinth, cave, forest or strange location? Or is it more inside the hero's character/mind?

Vogler says, "It's these emotional journeys that hook an audience and make a story worth watching."

I believe the Journey should be both. Fantasy readers expect the characters to set off on an impossible quest into strange and mystical places. But they also want to *feel* things along with the hero. How can we balance the physical with the emotional?