Online Author Visit: Character Development and The Hero's Journey at the Beacon School

I have always been fascinated with The Hero's Journey (John Campbell, 1949) as a framework for understanding and writing stories as well as developing character. Based on the writings of John Campbell, the Hero's Journey is a pattern that is present in all myths and religions of the world. Many writers and storytellers make use of it to craft stories and works of fiction. Thus, in my Author Visit at the Beacon School a few weeks ago, I started the grade 8 students with a priming activity on The Hero's Journey.

Good timing! According to the English Teacher, they are to begin with Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing where characters are flawed and blessed with the will to overcome them. The Hero's Journey, though plot driven focuses on the character and how he/she responds to events and people of his/her world.

For my input session, I first defined what I believe stories are and moved on to present the Hero's Journey connecting it to my views as an author. I then presented a compressed framework I use to develop character. For this, I made use of Nico, Daddy Elephant, Ate and Ino putting emphasis that what they go through is either determined by events and their relationship with other characters. I ended my session with three tasks that students can do on their own.

A few hours after, I received an email from the English teacher and the school's librarian saying how inspired everyone was to begin their own stories. This feedback from the learning community is a ray of light in this difficult time.

Let's carry on!