How to Use the Hero’s Journey to Start Writing a Book
Why Use the Hero’s Journey to Start Writing a Book?
So you want to write a book, but you’re staring at a blank page and wondering where the story is supposed to begin. Or maybe you’re halfway through chapter three and already feeling stuck. That’s where the hero’s journey comes in.
Writers across genres use this classic structure to kickstart their stories, unlock their plots, and guide their characters through meaningful arcs. And now, you can too.
This article will walk you through how to start writing a book using the hero’s journey steps, with breakdowns of two bestselling novels and a free downloadable worksheet at the end.
What Makes It Work So Well
The hero’s journey works because it is a structure that has evolved over thousands of years of storytelling. This structure can be found in the myths of ancient Egyptians and Sumerians, and it survived into the modern day because it mirrors the development of human psychology. A character begins in a familiar place, gets pushed out of their comfort zone, and returns transformed. That pattern is baked into the human experience, and so it is baked into our storytelling.
There are numbers to back this up. George Lucas studied Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces before writing Star Wars, and made a billion dollars. J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book fits this shape like a glove, as does Sarah J. Maas’ modern fantasy phenomenon A Court of Thorns and Roses.
If you’re unfamiliar with the hero’s journey steps, or you want a full breakdown of what each one is, check out my other article What Is the Hero’s Journey? Definition, Steps, and Modern Examples.
How the Hero’s Journey Can Jumpstart Your Outline
Whether you're outlining from scratch, trying to fix a chapter that isn't working, or brainstorming what happens next, the hero’s journey gives you something solid to build on.
Each of its twelve steps asks a question. What does your character want? What challenge pulls them forward? Who helps them grow? What do they have to face to earn their transformation?
And the best part is, you don’t have to get it perfect on the first try. A rough sketch using these steps can unlock ideas and connections you didn’t know were there. It turns chaos into progress.
Try the Template I Use for Every Story I Write
I’ve created a one-page worksheet that breaks down the hero’s journey steps into a simple, fill-in-the-blank structure. You can use it to brainstorm your next story, fix a sagging middle, or figure out what your protagonist actually needs to do.
This is the same format I use when I start a new outline. Why do I use an outline when I start writing a book? Because it helps me get to the fun part of writing faster, and helps avoid fewer mistakes along the way.
You can find the free download link to my personal Hero’s Journey story template at the end of this article.
Example Novel Outlines Using the Hero’s Journey
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Here’s an explanation of how Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone fits into the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey!
Ordinary World: Harry lives a miserable life with the Dursleys.
Call to Adventure: Letters from Hogwarts start arriving.
Refusal of the Call: The Dursleys try to keep him from going.
Meeting with the Mentor: Hagrid shows up and tells him the truth.
Crossing the First Threshold: Harry enters Diagon Alley and buys his wand.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies: He meets Ron and Hermione, starts classes, and clashes with Snape and Draco.
Approach to the Inmost Cave: The trio discovers the mystery of the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Harry visits with his dead parents in the Mirror of Erised.
The Ordeal: The trio face magical obstacles to reach the Stone.
Reward: Harry finds the Stone in his pocket and meets Voldemort’s shadow.
The Road Back: He wakes up in the hospital wing, changed by the experience.
Resurrection: Dumbledore explains what happened and how Harry survived because of his mother’s love.
Return with the Elixir: Harry goes back to the Dursleys, but now he has a place where he belongs.
Confused about these steps? Check out my last article for an in-depth explanation!
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Here’s a breakdown of the story structure for the modern romantasy bestseller A Court of Thorn and Roses.
Ordinary World: Feyre struggles to keep her family alive in a bleak human village.
Call to Adventure: She kills a faerie wolf and is taken to Prythian.
Refusal of the Call: She’s trapped and distrustful of Tamlin and the Spring Court.
Meeting with the Mentor: Lucien offers advice, and Tamlin begins to open up.
Crossing the First Threshold: She decides to stay and starts to explore the fae world.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies: Feyre navigates court politics and uncovers dark secrets.
Approach to the Inmost Cave: Feyre grows closer to Tamlin, and wants to help him fight the blight.
The Ordeal: Rhysand threatens, and summons Feyre and Tamlin Under the Mountain.
Reward: Feyre and Tamlin get it on, and Feyre is sent home to her family.
The Road Back: Feyre returns to the world of the fae and faces trials Under the Mountain.
Resurrection: Feyre is literally resurrected and made into a High Fae.
Return with the Elixir: She’s free, powerful, and finally in control of her own fate.
The Hero’s Journey Template for Writers
Download Your Free Worksheet
If you want to write a story with real momentum and emotional payoff, this worksheet will help you get there faster. It breaks the twelve steps into fillable boxes, with short explanations and creative prompts.
You can use it to start writing a book from scratch or to repair a story that’s stalled out. It’s free to download here.
How to Customize the Steps for Your Story
You don’t have to follow the hero’s journey steps in order or stick to it rigorously. What matters is that each beat reflects change, challenges our hero, and progresses them towards their final form. If the structure helps you unlock that, you’re on the right track.
Start with what excites you and build around that. Don’t get hung up on doing it “right.” Use the template to get something on the page—and revise later.
How to Outline Your Own Plot in 15 Minutes
Set a timer for 15 minutes and go through the template, filling in each section with a beat of your story. The goal here is to write down the first thing that comes to mind. It might be a little bit crap, but that’s fine, because guess what: You can do this again!
Hopefully, something you wrote down resonates with you. It always does for me. And, having all the beats laid out like this gives me a target to shoot for. If you struggle with the existential angst of the blank page, this Hero’s Journey story template can help you start writing a book in just 15 minutes.
For more articles breaking down story structures and how you can use them to up your game, you should check out my blog, Story Structures.
