The usual pattern of the hero’s journey is this: The hero has a call to adventure, which is generally some kind of a mission on behalf of his community; the hero goes forth into a strange land where he or she learns new rules, is tested, encounters various archetypal characters (the woman as whore, the woman as goddess, threshold guardians, magical

The journey, of course, changes them. Still, the hero must participate. They must decide to take the journey. Bilbo leaves the Shire. Ulysses sets sail. Romeo scales the wall into Juliet’s courtyard. At some point in a story, the characters divide, and it becomes obvious who will be the victim, who will be the hero, who will be the villain, and who

the story shape is structured around how they find, retrieve and finally master the quality in their life that has eluded them.