The Hero's Journey is a quest that a character must take on and conquer if he or she wishes to ever see home again. It is a basic format that countless books, poems, and even movies follow - partly because this type of journey is something we can all relate to. It is a part of the human experience to want to be challenged and to grow into something that you never thought was possible. It is easy to relate to the Hero's Journey because it is something that we all go through as we face our own challenges and overcome them. Check out this video that breaks down exactly what the Hero's Journey looks like:
The Hero's Journey cycle:
The Hero's journey is best thought of as a cycle because it's character usually ends exactly where it started off - at home, although he or she is often drastically changed from the experience. This circular chart is a great way to think of the journey:
Image sourced from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Heroesjourney.svg/1000px-Heroesjourney.svg.png
Image sourced from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Heroesjourney.svg/1000px-Heroesjourney.svg.png
This video below is a fun little lesson on the different types of characters that often occur in a story that follows the Hero's Journey.