The Hero’s Journey: 12 Steps of Mythic Structure

The Hero’s Journey is one of the most popular storytelling frameworks out there.

It gives writers a reliable path for building a strong narrative and developing a meaningful character arc. Whether you’re a meticulous outliner or prefer to discover the story as you go, this structure can serve as a guide. Plenty of authors fall somewhere in the middle, using broad plot beats like those in the Hero’s Journey to shape the story as it unfolds.

Before you dive into planning your next book, take a moment to make sure the idea has real potential.

A quick round of book idea validation can save you from publishing something that fades into the background. If your book is already written and follows a structure like the Hero’s Journey, check out our guide on how to hit #1 on Amazon so you can give it the best possible chance with readers.

No matter where you are in the process, learning the twelve steps of the Hero’s Journey will strengthen your writing. That’s why I often recommend Plottr. It includes the Hero’s Journey (along with many other archetypes) so you can find a structure that matches your vision.

I’ll talk more about Plottr later. For now, let’s explore the Hero’s Journey itself.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is a story structure made famous by mythologist Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces.

In his work, Campbell identified recurring patterns in myths and legends from cultures around the world.

He called this shared framework the monomyth, though it wouldn’t be widely known as the Hero’s Journey until years after his book was published in 1949.

Campbell’s original version included seventeen stages. Over time, others refined the concept. One of the most influential adaptations came from screenwriter and producer Christopher Vogler, who streamlined the structure into twelve steps. This simplified version is now commonly used by novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights alike.

You’ll find the Hero’s Journey in mythology, blockbuster films, bestselling novels, and even short stories.

It’s a flexible framework that can work across genres and formats.

The Hero’s Journey: An Overview

There are three overall stages to the Hero’s Journey, each with individual story beats. These are 1) Departure, 2) Initiation, and 3) Return.

• Departure
  • The Ordinary World
  • The Call to Adventure
  • Refusing the Call to Adventure
  • Meeting the Mentor
  • Crossing the Threshold
• Initiation
  • Test, Allies, and Enemies
  • Approach to the Inmost Cave
  • The Ordeal
  • The Reward
• Return
  • The Road Back
  • Resurrection
  • Return With the Elixir

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The Twelve Stages of the Hero’s Journey

Each stage of the Hero’s Journey introduces key story beats that move the narrative forward.

As we go through all twelve, I’ll also highlight how each one plays out in a well-known movie so you can see it in action.

1. The Ordinary World

The journey starts with a look at the world your protagonist calls home.

This is your moment to set the stage, to show readers how things currently are before everything begins to change. If your story takes place in a world much like our own, this can be fairly straightforward. But if your setting involves magic, strange creatures, or futuristic technology, you’ll need to do a bit more heavy lifting to establish what’s “normal” in that universe.

If you're not sure which kind of world best fits your story, try looking at popular genre keywords to see what settings readers are already drawn to.

You’ll also use this stage to introduce the main character. This is where you give readers a reason to care about who they’re following. The hero should want something — even if they haven’t acted on it yet. That desire should hint at the bigger conflict to come.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind during this first stage:

• Open with a moment that’s engaging. Readers are usually patient in the beginning, but not for long. If your exposition feels too dry, they’ll check out.
• Give the character personality and dimension. You don’t have to reveal every trait or flaw right away, but there should be enough personality for readers to get invested.

Tip: This stage should cover roughly the first 10 to 12 percent of your story.

2. The Call to Adventure

The second stage, often known as the inciting incident, introduces the disruption that pulls your protagonist out of their normal life.

Something unexpected happens — something that sets everything in motion and makes it clear there’s no going back.

This moment launches the rest of the story. It needs to feel important enough that both the character and the reader take notice. What counts as compelling will depend on the genre, so it’s worth studying the common beats in your specific category. Amazon offers thousands of genre and subgenre listings. Browsing through those can help you better understand what readers expect.

Keep in mind:

• Most heroes won’t immediately jump at the chance. It’s normal (and often more interesting) for the protagonist to hesitate at first.
• The stakes should be clear, and ideally, they should feel dangerous or costly. In many stories, we’re talking life or death.
• This stage sets the tone for the tension to come. So make it dramatic, but remember: things should still build from here.

Tip: The Call to Adventure usually appears around the 12% mark of your story.

3. Refusing the Call to Adventure

Some protagonists jump at the chance for change. But more often than not, they hesitate or flat-out refuse. That resistance is what makes this stage matter.

The hero might doubt their abilities, fear what’s ahead, or believe the problem will go away on its own. But something needs to happen to change their mind.

An external event or internal realization should raise the stakes high enough that staying behind is no longer an option.

This is a good moment to tie things back to what the hero wanted in the beginning. Their reluctance should feel connected to the person they were in the Ordinary World — and their eventual decision to move forward should hint at who they’re becoming.

A few things to watch for:

• Make the refusal believable. There should be a reason behind it, not just hesitation for hesitation’s sake.
• When they do accept the call, the motivation should be strong enough to justify the risk they’re about to take.

Tip: The refusal usually kicks in around the 15% mark of the story.

4. Meeting the Mentor

The protagonist has accepted the call, but they’re still unsure of themselves.

They’ve stepped into unfamiliar territory, and they know they’re not ready to handle what’s ahead. This is where the mentor appears.

The mentor’s role is to prepare the hero… sometimes through wisdom, sometimes through training, and often through a mix of both. They might push the protagonist to grow or offer tools that become essential later. And while mentors are usually people, they don’t have to be. In some stories, the “mentor” is a map, a weapon, a prophecy, or even a piece of forgotten knowledge.

What matters is this: the mentor helps the hero take their next step. Without that help, the journey would likely stall out.

As you write this stage, consider:

• The protagonist should still feel like they’re on uncertain ground. The mentor’s guidance gives them direction and a bit of momentum.
• There should be a takeaway — something the hero receives, learns, or realizes that prepares them for the road ahead. Whether or not it’s actually enough is another story.

Tip: This stage usually lands around the 20% mark in your story.

5. Crossing the Threshold

Now the story shifts.

The protagonist leaves the familiar behind and enters a new world, one where the rules are different, the danger is real, and retreat is no longer an option.

This is often where the antagonist makes a serious move. The threat becomes more concrete. The tension rises. And the hero, whether they’re ready or not, is forced to act.

Some stories use this moment to take the mentor off the table. Whether they die, disappear, or simply step aside, it creates a sense of urgency and signals that the protagonist is on their own.

This stage also marks the end of the first act. From here on, things escalate.

A few things to keep in mind:

• This is the moment the protagonist commits. They’ve crossed into unfamiliar territory (what’s often called the “special world”).
• Their reaction should feel earned. If they suddenly become brave or resourceful, the story should show what got them there.

Tip: The threshold is typically crossed around the 25% mark of your book.

6. Test, Allies, and Enemies

This section marks the beginning of the second act. Building on everything that has come before, the protagonist should be challenged, putting their new abilities and knowledge to the test. It will become clear that the hero still needs help to resolve the main conflict of the story. This is where allies come into play. By teaming up with allies, the hero should continue to grow, playing off the other characters and working to overcome the tests or setbacks in the Special World. 

Enemies are those that put the tests in their place, working actively against the hero and allies. The reader should learn to care about the allies, which ‌means making them multifaceted characters. By the time this section is done, not all allies will have made it. Some may have even betrayed the hero. Likewise, enemies can also transform in this section, turning into allies. 

• While the allies may want the same thing as the hero, they may have conflicting views on how to get it. Everyone in agreement all the time makes for a boring story. 
• The hero’s abilities should be in doubt — both by the hero and the reader. 

Tip: This section occurs around the 30% mark. 

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

The approach to the inmost cave section gives the characters (and reader) a chance to reflect on the challenges of the previous section. Remember that the stakes and tension need to continue rising, so the previous section should have been the hardest challenge yet. The hero and allies are beaten and bruised — maybe one or more has died along the way — but the protagonist is still alive. The journey continues. 

The group is closer to the goal — and to the place or time of ultimate danger. They’re regrouping and gathering their wits as they prepare to face the antagonist or some of the villain’s formidable forces.

• This is a good place for the characters to formulate a plan of attack, clarifying the price of failure and the prize for success. 
• At this point, the hero has redoubled his effort and believes he is ready to face the challenge, despite his setbacks. The ordinary world is now far behind and impossible to get back to. The only way out is through. 

Tip: This section happens around the 40% mark. 

8. The Ordeal

The ordeal is the biggest test yet and a transformative event that affects how the hero goes forward on their journey. This confrontation has the highest stakes so far, and it’s part of the central conflict. It brings the hero to their darkest point yet, and results in a metamorphosis of sorts that allows them to push through to the other side. 

Campbell spoke of the ordeal in terms of death and rebirth for the protagonist. The hero uses all they have learned up to this point to push through the ordeal. A character close to the hero is often killed in this section, whether it be the mentor, a close ally, or a loved one. However, it’s not always a death. It could involve facing fears, going up against the biggest foe, or breaking through some seemingly insurmountable mental barrier. Whatever form the ordeal takes, the hero is broken down and comes out the other side stronger than before. 

• This section is a long one, taking nearly a fifth of the story. It should be dramatic, compelling, and speak directly to the heart of both the external and internal conflicts of the story.
• Don’t be afraid to make things hard on your characters in this section. Even though the reader knows the hero will prevail, they should be left wondering in this section. 

Tip: The Ordeal takes place from around the 50% mark. 

9. The Reward

Sometimes called “seizing the sword,” this is the point in the story where the hero gets what they came for. After facing the ordeal, they’ve earned something of value, a powerful object, new insight, vital information, or a skill they didn’t have before.

Whatever form it takes, the reward needs to matter. It should feel like progress and give the hero a real shot at defeating the antagonist when the time comes.

This stage also gives the reader a moment to pause. After the intensity of the ordeal, it’s a natural place to regroup. Some stories use this moment for reflection, while others mark it with celebration. Either way, the hero is standing at a milestone and they know it took sacrifice to get here.

Keep in mind:

• The connection between the reward and the final conflict should be clear. It’s not the end, but it is a turning point.
• The tone can shift here, even briefly. Let the characters (and readers) breathe before the next wave of tension builds.

Tip: This stage typically shows up around the 70% mark of the book. It also wraps up Act Two.

10. The Road Back

With the reward in hand, the hero begins the return journey (or at least tries to).

But the story isn’t finished. The consequences of the hero’s actions start to catch up. Obstacles reappear. Maybe the villain strikes back. Maybe the world they left behind no longer fits who they’ve become. Either way, the path forward is anything but smooth.

This is when the final confrontation begins to take shape. The hero knows there’s one more challenge and it’s bigger than any they’ve faced so far.

As you write this stage:

• Make sure the reader understands what’s at stake. The antagonist should feel more threatening now than ever.
• There should be a clear reason why the hero must face them, not just for the plot, but because of the person the hero has become.

Tip: This beat usually unfolds around the 75% mark.

11. Resurrection

This is the climax of the story — the ultimate showdown between hero and villain. The tension and the stakes are higher than they’ve been throughout the story. If the hero fails, the world as they know it will be forever changed for the worst. The hero uses all they have learned on the journey to defeat the antagonist. 

The hero comes out of the confrontation changed, transformed into a true hero. This should be a dramatic transformation, completing the resurrection started earlier in the story. 

• Like every other challenge, the hero needs to earn this victory by sacrificing something for it. In some stories, the hero may even sacrifice him or herself.
• By vanquishing the antagonist, the hero should find the strength or gain the knowledge to address their internal conflict in a satisfactory manner. 

Tip: This section happens around the 85% mark.  

12. Return With the Elixir

The last section of the story details the hero’s return from the special world to the ordinary world. Sometimes called the magic flight, the hero now has changed for the better. Show what new skills, items, knowledge, or understanding of the world the hero brings with them (the elixir). This “elixir” can often be used to help those the hero left behind in the ordinary world. 

In most stories, the hero will return to celebration. They’ve risked it all, saved lives, and learned important lessons. The people in the ordinary world are happy to have them back. The hero may decide to settle back into this world to use their newfound abilities. Or they may find they’ve outgrown it and have a taste for adventure.

• Re-establish the hero’s internal conflict and show how solving it has changed their view and life, completing the character arc. 
• If you’re writing a series, provide a hook for the next story here by hinting at another conflict the hero will need to deal with. 

Tip: This section happens around the 95% mark and finishes out the story! 

Examples of the Hero’s Journey from Famous Works

In George Lucas's Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we can see the Hero's Journey in action. We also see it in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hunger Games. Let’s take a look now.

Star Wars: A New Hope

1. Luke Skywalker — an archetypal hero — in his Ordinary World, living with his aunt and uncle, hoping for adventure. 
2. Luke’s Call to Adventure comes when he activates a hidden message from Princess Leia that R2D2 is carrying for Obi-Wan Kenobi. 
3. Luke initially Refuses the Call — until he returns home to discover his aunt and uncle have been killed by Imperial forces.
4. While Luke has already met his Mentor (Obi-Wan), the active mentoring really starts after Luke's home has been destroyed and the only family he's ever known killed.
5. When Luke, Obi-Wan, and the droids step into the dangerous Mos Eisley Spaceport, it signifies the beginning of Luke's heroic journey and the Crossing of the Threshold. 
6. Luke and Obi-Wan hire a couple of Allies, Han Solo and Chewbacca, to transport them off the planet. Once on the Millennium Falcon, Luke's Tests begin. 
7. The Approach to the Inmost Cave happens when the Death Star captures the Falcon in a tractor beam and pulls them in. 
8. The Ordeal happens while Obi-Wan goes off to try and disengage the tractor beam. Luke, Han, and the others rescue Princess Leia. Obi-Wan confronts Darth Vader and sacrifices himself so the others can get away. 
9. With the Rewards (the Death Star plans and the princess), Luke thinks he should be able to defeat the Empire. And while Obi-Wan's death weighs on him, he can see success ahead.
10. The Road Back is interrupted as the Falcon is attacked. They have no choice but to go to the Rebel base to deliver the Death Star plans, even though they’re being tracked.
11. As the Rebels are attacking the Death Star, Obi-Wan's voice speaks to Luke, telling him to use the Force. Luke does, using all that he's learned and finally “sacrificing” his old self, embracing the Force and “Resurrecting” as a true hero. He fires and blows up the Death Star.  
12. Luke Returns to the Rebel base triumphant. Both he and Han Solo receive medals and accolades for delivering the (temporary) blow to the evil Empire.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

1. We get to see Frodo’s idyllic Ordinary World in the Shire. The idea of adventure is attractive to him, but not overly so.  
2. Frodo’s Call to Adventure begins after Bilbo disappears, leaving behind the Ring, which Gandalf entrusts to young Frodo. 
3. Frodo Refuses the Call not just once, but repeatedly throughout the story. He feels he is not the one to be entrusted with such a job of carrying and disposing of the Ring. 
4. Gandalf acts as Frodo’s Mentor, instructing him on what he must do to protect the Ring and, in so doing, protecting the Shire. 
5. Frodo and Sam quite literally Cross the Threshold as they leave the Shire after splitting from Gandalf. 
6. Frodo and Sam run into Allies Merry and Pippin on their way toward Bree. They are also Tested by Enemies as they’re pursued by the Nazgûl. These tests continue until the group gets to Rivendell. 
7. The Approach to the Inmost Cave is the group’s approach to the Mines of Moria — literal caves. 
8. The Ordeal happens inside the Mines of Moria as the group is attacked by orcs and then Balrog, which Gandalf fights off, falling down into the depths and presumed dead. 
9. The Reward is sparse in The Fellowship of the Rings. Gandalf is gone, and the group escapes with their lives. 
10. The Road Back isn’t signified in this story by a turn back to the Ordinary World. Instead, it’s Frodo’s stay in Lothlórien, where he sees the stakes of his failure in a vision. 
11. The Resurrection is the climax of the story, where the Uruk-hai catch up with the group and Boromir betrays Frodo, trying to take the ring from him. Frodo realizes he must travel alone to Mordor. 
12. The Return with the Elixir portion is Sam’s refusal to let Frodo journey alone. Frodo pulls him into the boat and they cross the river together. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship are determined to save Merry and Pippin. To be continued . . . 

The Hunger Games

1. We see Katniss Everdeen living in her Ordinary World (District 12) with her mother and sister. It’s a bleak, depressing world, but it’s her Ordinary World nonetheless.
2. After Prim, Katniss’s sister is called for Tribute, Katniss volunteers in her stead. This is the Call to Adventure. 
3. This is one example of a story with no real Refusal of the Call. She may not want to take part in the Hunger Games, but she makes the decision and sticks with it to save her sister. 
4. Katniss meets Haymitch, her Mentor. Though a drunk, he guides her on the politics and gives her tips on surviving the Games. 
5. Katniss Crosses the Threshold when she’s put on the train to the capital, leaving her Ordinary World behind.
6. The Tests, Enemies, and Allies section starts when she has to navigate the preparation for the Games. She meets Rue and has Peeta as an ally, as well. The Careers are clearly enemies to contend with later. 
7. Katniss Approaches the Inmost Cave when the Hunger Games begin. 
8. The Ordeal is plain to see as the Games commence, and Katniss struggles to stay alive amid the chaos. 
9. The Reward comes when only Katniss and Peeta are left alive in the arena. They don’t have to fight, thanks to a rule change; they can both claim victory. 
10. It looks good for Katniss and Peeta until the Capital changes the rules again, putting an obstacle in the path of the Road Back. Suddenly, they’re forced to decide which of them gets to live. 
11. The Resurrection portion of the story plays out as Katniss and Peeta threaten to kill themselves, leaving no winner and possibly sowing the seeds of revolution. The Capital changes the rules again, allowing both of them to claim victory. 
12. Katniss gets to live, Returning from the Games as a hero. One who just may be able to make some real change to her Ordinary World.  

Bonus Option: Use the Hero's Journey in a Series

If you're planning a multi-book series, there's another way to use the Hero’s Journey that goes beyond a single storyline. Instead of applying all twelve steps within one book, you can stretch them across an entire series — giving each step more room to breathe.

For example, you could structure a twelve-book series with one Hero’s Journey step as the focus of each installment. Or condense that into six or even three books, depending on your pacing and plot.

The original Star Wars trilogy does this really well. A New Hope hits all twelve stages in a single movie, but it also represents the first few steps of the Hero’s Journey when viewed as part of a larger arc. The Empire Strikes Back picks up the middle stretch. Return of the Jedi finishes it out. From that wider lens, each movie becomes a major phase in the character’s transformation.

It’s a great reminder that the Hero’s Journey isn’t limited to standalone stories.

You can zoom out and use it to guide long-term character growth across an entire series.

What Stories Work With the Hero’s Journey?

Now that you know what to look for, think about some of your favorite stories. See if you can see the beats of the Hero's Journey in them. From Harry Potter and Toy Story to the Lion King and The Hunger Games, you'll find evidence of this story structure.

Its uses aren't just for adventure stories, though. With a little tweaking, a sweet romance story could also follow this template pretty closely. The point of the Hero’s Journey plot template isn’t to lock you into a formula that you can’t deviate from. Instead, it’s a tool that can guide you along. When you know the tropes of your genre, you can marry them with the major beats of the Hero’s Journey to come up with a novel readers will love. Remember, however, that writing an incredible novel is only part of the battle to find loyal readers- it's also important to have a strong marketing strategy so people can actually discover your book, as outlined in my free e-book on how to become an Amazon bestseller.

To make story beats easier, I recommend giving Plottr a try. It’s a great storytelling tool for writers that can help keep you on track using structures like the Hero’s Journey, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, the Three Act Structure, and more. 

Check Out Plottr Here