Elixirs
Author Insights: You recently overcame a setback writing your exciting new dystopia, “Sector 12,” what can you tell us about it?
L. J. Bonham: Despite my detailed outline, I ran into a wall while crafting the Approach to the Inner Cave portion of the story.
AI: Approach to the Inner Cave? Sounds spooky.
LJB: I’m referring to the story archetype known as The Hero’s Quest as interpreted by Christopher Vogler. Once the hero has accepted the quest and passed from his or her ordinary world into the special world in which the quest takes place, the story enters the Approach phase where the hero discovers friends, allies, and enemies. These characters then move through a series of trials and challenges before arriving at the location (physical or figurative) that holds the hero’s goal. Vogler refers to this goal as The Elixir, the one thing that will bring goodness to the world, or solve the overriding problem in the story, if the hero can obtain it. The Death Star plans in Star Wars, A New Hope is an example.
AI: How did that affect “Sector 12?”
LJB: I had not yet defined the Elixir in the story and things ground to a halt as the characters grew nearer to the Inner Cave, in this case the villain’s fortress. Without an Elixir, it was impossible to develop the Approach’s final steps.
AI: How did you resolve this problem?
LJB: At the moment it is not fully resolved, but now that I’ve identified the problem, I can formulate a solution. The antagonist will possess the Elixir, the key to his overthrow. It will also fuel the conflict between the hero and his mentor which needs greater intensity. If I do this right, the Elixir will catalyze the hero’s personal growth. At the moment his quest is for personal revenge, but when I throw him into the story’s crisis, he will have to choose between his immediate needs and those of the oppressed world around him. When stories fail it is usually because the author did not pay sufficient attention to the critical phases and ingredients. Plot walls are often quiet reminders that you’ve neglected your story’s archetype.
L. J. Bonham: Despite my detailed outline, I ran into a wall while crafting the Approach to the Inner Cave portion of the story.
AI: Approach to the Inner Cave? Sounds spooky.
LJB: I’m referring to the story archetype known as The Hero’s Quest as interpreted by Christopher Vogler. Once the hero has accepted the quest and passed from his or her ordinary world into the special world in which the quest takes place, the story enters the Approach phase where the hero discovers friends, allies, and enemies. These characters then move through a series of trials and challenges before arriving at the location (physical or figurative) that holds the hero’s goal. Vogler refers to this goal as The Elixir, the one thing that will bring goodness to the world, or solve the overriding problem in the story, if the hero can obtain it. The Death Star plans in Star Wars, A New Hope is an example.
AI: How did that affect “Sector 12?”
LJB: I had not yet defined the Elixir in the story and things ground to a halt as the characters grew nearer to the Inner Cave, in this case the villain’s fortress. Without an Elixir, it was impossible to develop the Approach’s final steps.
AI: How did you resolve this problem?
LJB: At the moment it is not fully resolved, but now that I’ve identified the problem, I can formulate a solution. The antagonist will possess the Elixir, the key to his overthrow. It will also fuel the conflict between the hero and his mentor which needs greater intensity. If I do this right, the Elixir will catalyze the hero’s personal growth. At the moment his quest is for personal revenge, but when I throw him into the story’s crisis, he will have to choose between his immediate needs and those of the oppressed world around him. When stories fail it is usually because the author did not pay sufficient attention to the critical phases and ingredients. Plot walls are often quiet reminders that you’ve neglected your story’s archetype.
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