The Hero’s Journey: 12 Stages Explained (with Examples)

What Is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is a storytelling framework found in myths, films, and novels across cultures. It maps the emotional and physical journey of transformation from comfort to chaos and back again. Vogler adapted Campbell’s academic model into a practical 12-step guide for writers, known today as The Writer’s Journey.

Why Writers Still Use It

Because it works. It’s one of the simplest ways to give your story structure and emotional logic. Each stage forces your audience to ask: Would I change too? That emotional mirroring is why stories from The Lion King to The Hunger Games stick with us.

If you’re building your own story using the Hero’s Journey, tools like the Storyteller OS can help. It’s a Notion-based system designed for writers who want to map each stage, connect plotlines, and bring clarity to their story’s transformation. Think of it as your digital sidekick for story structure.

The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey

Each stage can be thought of as a checkpoint for transformation. Below is a breakdown with examples from different genres and how to apply each to your own story.

1. The Ordinary World

This is where your hero starts—comfortable, stuck, or unaware of the adventure ahead. It’s their status quo, the environment that reflects their beliefs, limitations, and worldview.

• Purpose: Establish normal life before change. Show the gap between who your hero is and who they need to become.
• Depth tip: Layer in emotional dissatisfaction, contradictions, or subtle signs that something needs to change. Maybe they think everything’s fine, but you’ll show us differently.
• Examples: Frodo in the Shire (The Lord of the Rings), Elizabeth Bennet navigating social expectations (Pride and Prejudice), Miles Morales juggling school and identity (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).
• Ask yourself: What’s missing from your hero’s world that creates restlessness or denial?

2. The Call to Adventure

The disruption. Something challenges the hero’s routine and shatters the illusion of stability. Also known as the inciting incident.

• Purpose: Introduce an opportunity or event that pushes the hero toward change.
• Depth tip: The call should represent both danger and possibility. It’s an invitation to leave behind comfort, but it should also hint at personal growth.
• Examples: Luke Skywalker receives Leia’s message. In Encanto, Mirabel realizes her family’s magic is fading. In memoir, it might be a job loss, breakup, or diagnosis.
• Writing tip: The call doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just needs to challenge comfort.

3. Refusal of the Call

Fear kicks in. The hero resists change, clinging to safety. This moment reveals their weakness and internal conflict.

• Purpose: Humanize your hero. The refusal shows vulnerability and foreshadows what must change.
• Depth tip: Explore the emotional logic—why does your hero refuse? Shame, fear, guilt, or doubt? Use dialogue or symbolism to make the resistance relatable.
• Examples: Marlin refuses to let Nemo go to school; Neo refuses to believe he’s “The One.” In horror, it’s the character who insists “there’s nothing to worry about.”
• Checklist:
  • What fear keeps your hero from acting?
  • How does that fear reflect their inner flaw?

4. Meeting the Mentor

A guide appears (human, spiritual, or internal) to prepare the hero for what’s coming.

• Purpose: Give your hero guidance, tools, or perspective. The mentor may provide advice, a magical item, or an emotional push.
• Depth tip: Mentors often mirror what the hero could become. Show how their interaction sparks both hope and discomfort.
• Examples: Gandalf in The Hobbit, Haymitch in The Hunger Games, Rafiki in The Lion King, or a therapist figure in memoir.
• Pro tip: The mentor can be flawed, mysterious, or even symbolic (like a letter, dream, or memory).

5. Crossing the Threshold

The hero commits to the adventure and steps into the unknown. The world changes, or their perception of it does.

• Purpose: Mark the transition from preparation to action. There’s no turning back.
• Depth tip: Make this crossing emotional. It’s not just about changing settings—it’s about surrendering to transformation.
• Examples: Harry Potter stepping onto Platform 9¾, Moana setting sail beyond the reef, or a founder quitting their job to start a company.
• Tip: Once the door closes, they can’t go back—and that’s the point.

6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The hero faces trials, learns the rules of the new world, and meets friends and foes.

• Purpose: Build character depth and relationships. Each challenge should teach the hero something about themselves.
• Depth tip: This stage develops your story’s rhythm alternating between progress and setback. Show how allies test loyalty and enemies expose flaws.
• Examples: Luke training with Obi-Wan; the group dynamics in Stranger Things. In a romance, this might be early relationship tests that reveal insecurities.
• Checklist:
  • Who supports or sabotages your hero?
  • What do these encounters teach them about themselves?

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

The hero nears the central conflict or deepest fear. Stakes rise, tension builds, and old defenses start to crumble.

• Purpose: Force introspection and preparation for transformation.
• Depth tip: This stage is often about reflection. The hero plans, doubts, and anticipates. It’s the emotional breath before the plunge.
• Examples: Dorothy entering the Witch’s castle; Indy descending into the snake-filled tomb; in romance, it’s the emotional moment before confession or loss.
• Writer’s note: The “cave” doesn’t have to be literal—it’s the place where denial dies.

8. The Ordeal

The major crisis—the moment everything is tested. The hero faces their greatest fear, symbolically or literally “dies,” and is reborn through the experience.

• Purpose: Deliver your story’s emotional climax. The ordeal reveals what your hero is truly made of.
• Depth tip: The ordeal should connect directly to your hero’s flaw from the Ordinary World. The only way out is through growth.
• Examples: Simba confronting Scar; Luke facing Vader; in The Babadook, Amelia confronting grief personified.
• Pro tip: Let failure feel possible. The audience must believe your hero might not make it.

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The hero survives and gains something of value—an insight, object, or power.

• Purpose: Reward transformation. The hero has earned new strength or knowledge.
• Depth tip: The reward doesn’t have to be external. Often, it’s emotional truth—a realization of self-worth, forgiveness, or clarity.
• Examples: Neo believes; Katniss becomes the Mockingjay; a memoirist recognizes self-acceptance after loss.
• Checklist:
  • What truth did the hero earn?
  • How does this reward change their motivation?

10. The Road Back

The hero begins the return journey, but their new understanding faces its first test. The world pushes back.

• Purpose: Reintroduce conflict: this time, between who the hero was and who they’ve become.
• Depth tip: The Road Back often mirrors the Call to Adventure, but now the hero acts with wisdom. Show internal growth through choices.
• Examples: Frodo’s trek home; Rey facing Kylo again; in memoir, it’s navigating daily life with a new perspective.
• Tip: Integration is the key—what does “home” mean now?

11. Resurrection

The final and most defining test. The hero faces one last challenge that demands total transformation.

• Purpose: Confirm the hero’s growth. The resurrection strips away all pretenses. They must embody what they’ve learned.
• Depth tip: Think of it as a symbolic death of the old self. Failure here would undo everything they’ve gained.
• Examples: Tony Stark sacrificing himself in Endgame; Elizabeth Bennet admitting her pride; a survivor facing public vulnerability for the first time.
• Purpose: The hero’s internal transformation must manifest externally.

12. Return with the Elixir

The hero returns home, transformed, carrying wisdom, healing, or power that benefits others.

• Purpose: Complete the cycle. The Elixir symbolizes balance between old and new.
• Depth tip: The return isn’t always triumphant. Sometimes it’s quiet acceptance, closure, or wisdom shared with others.
• Examples: Moana restores Te Fiti’s heart; Frodo leaves Middle-earth, unable to stay in the old world; a memoirist teaches lessons from hardship.
• Writer’s tip: Your story’s emotional payoff lives here. Make it satisfying and true.

How to Use the Hero’s Journey Template in Your Writing

1. Identify your hero’s Ordinary World. What beliefs or fears define their comfort zone?
2. Map the turning points. Use the 12 stages as flexible waypoints—not rigid beats.
3. Focus on transformation, not travel. The external adventure mirrors inner change.
4. Use contrast. Each stage should challenge what came before.
5. Revisit your story’s theme. The Elixir your hero brings home often ties to your story’s deeper meaning.

Want to skip the setup part?

What if you could drop a complete Hero’s Journey right into your story workspace with one click?

With StoryFlint's Storyteller OS system, you can. The Plot Archetype buttons instantly build a ready-to-use outline for you:

• Pick from classic story structures like the Hero’s Journey
• Auto-populate your story with all the essential scenes and beats
• Use the built-in “Scene Purpose” property to stay focused while drafting

It’s like loading a full story blueprint into Notion—so you can stop building from scratch and start writing the fun part. Watch this video to see it in action:

➡️ Learn more about the Storyteller OS.

Common Mistakes Writers Make

• Treating the structure as a checklist instead of an emotional progression.
• Forgetting the why behind each stage.
• Copying beats from famous movies instead of adapting them to genre and character.
• Skipping the Refusal or Resurrection, which weakens emotional payoff.

Hero’s Journey Across Genres

• Fantasy: Harry Potter, The Hobbit — Classical hero’s quest format.
• Romance: Pride & Prejudice, La La Land — Emotional transformation replaces physical adventure.
• Horror: The Babadook — Facing internal demons made literal.
• Mystery: Knives Out — The investigator’s truth arc mirrors discovery.
• Memoir: Wild by Cheryl Strayed — Personal transformation through physical journey.

FAQs

What are the 12 stages of the hero’s journey?
They are: Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal, Meeting the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Tests/Allies/Enemies, Approach, Ordeal, Reward, Road Back, Resurrection, Return with the Elixir.

What’s the difference between Campbell’s and Vogler’s versions?
Campbell’s version is academic and mythological. Vogler’s distills it into practical storytelling steps for modern writers.

Do all stories need the hero’s journey?
No. It’s a guide, not a rulebook. But it’s a strong foundation if you’re struggling with pacing or character growth.

Can I use it for ensemble or anti-hero stories?
Yes. Apply the journey to each key character or collective arc. The “elixir” might be shared growth rather than a single hero’s reward.