GESTALT STORY BUILDER

T H E  F O U R  Q U E S T I O N S

The Four Questions
1a. Who is the main character (Hero)?
Myja Beecham
1b. What is the main character (Hero)'s identity (whatever it is he sees himself as being)?
1c. What is the main character (Hero)'s essence/truth (whatever's left when identity is stripped, i.e., the "death" of one's identity)?
1d. What is the main character (Hero)'s wound (unhealed source of continuing pain)? The main character (Hero)'s driving fear is he will feel that pain again.
2. What is the main character (Hero) trying to accomplish?
- Professional (Visible Goal (Wish)/Ordinary World/Outer Journey): Get the bully, Dickie Sullivan, to leave him alone
- Personal (Visible Goal (Want)/Special World/Inner Journey): Figure out these new, powerful feelings of attraction he has to the girl in his class
- Private (Invisible Goal (Need)/Special World/Inner Journey): Stop feeling ugly and feel at peace in his own skin
3. Who (Nemesis) is trying to stop the main character (Hero)?
- Professional (Visible Goal (Wish)/Ordinary World/Outer Journey): Dickie "Sully" Sullivan
- Personal (Visible Goal (Want)/Special World/Inner Journey): 
- Private (Invisible Goal (Need)/Special World/Inner Journey): 
4. What happens if the main character (Hero) fails?
- Professional (Visible Goal (Wish)/Ordinary World/Outer Journey): Sully will bully and destroy the self-image and self-esteem of other classmates
- Personal (Visible Goal (Want)/Special World/Inner Journey): Will remain confused about thoughts, images, and feelings that are, after all, normal and natural
- Private (Invisible Goal (Need)/Special World/Inner Journey): Will be in danger of thinking he truly is ugly and of his self-image and self-esteem being eroded as he never learns to be comfortable in his own skin

S T O R Y  S Y N O P S I S

Story Synopsis: 

T H E  F O U R  A R C H E T Y P E S

Contour - The Four Archetypes

Act One

Hero as Orphan: Myja is literally an orphan, since his mother died four years ago when he was ten. He is also figuratively an orphan, since he feels his father, Don, is always away, which Don is, since he has to fish from 5am to, oftentimes, 6, 7, and 8pm. Myja is also an orphan in that, unknown to him, Don is not his biological father, rather James Myron Gustafson is up in Providence, with whom his mother had a one-weekend affair. Don's parents, Jake and Mandy, in whose house Don, his daughter Claire, and Myja live, are, in effect, raising the children.
Crafting the Orphan Statement

Act Two

Hero as Wanderer: Myja dons costumes in order to try out identities: "Beat Generation Myja", "Springsteen Myja", "Mohawk Myja". Simply goads Sully and his minions all the more. In an attempt to feel powerful, he is disrespectful to his father, mouthing off to Don, who cannot understand where this behavior is coming from.
Crafting the Wanderer Statement
Hero as Warrior: A drunk driver kills Mandy while she was on her way to complain to the principal about his so-called anti-bullying campaign. Myja wears a suit to the funeral, where he doesn't cry or even feels sad, but rather enjoys the flitting of a butterfly amongst the bountiful and copious flower arrangements. At home, in front of the mirror, he undresses down to the nude in the mirror and realizes that Gramma was the only who didn't give him flack not only about the mohawk but about any of the identities he tried on—she loved and accepted him unconditionally. He realizes in that moment that the only identity he needs is the head-to-toe one right there in front of him. He spends the afternoon boxing up the accoutrements of the costumes, and, when he comes to what he used to create his mohawks, he finally cries for the loss of his grandmother.
Crafting the Warrior Statement

Act Three

Hero as Martyr: Myja brings the box to school to donate to their ongoing clothing drive. Sully and company are, of course, on hand to taunt and bully him, but, this time, Myja is immume, because of his newfound peace. When Sully sees that he's lost Myja as a target, he turns his sites onto other kids, and Myja knows he has to take a stand to protect them and to save them from the years of hell he endured at Sully's hand. Unfortunately, _________ witnesses his violence against Sully and makes it clear she wants nothing more to do with him, that she feels Myja has stooped to Sully's level.
Crafting the Martyr Statement

T H E  F O R M U L A

T H E  C E N T R A L  Q U E S T I O N

The Central Question

S T O R Y

Important Resources

Christopher Vogler's The Hero's Journey
Michael Hauge's Six Plot Structure
​Michael Hauge: The 5 Key Turning Points
AboutEducation: The Hero's Journey
​CrackingYarns: A New Character-Driven Hero's Journey
Plot Points

Act One

Orphan

→ Ordinary World

→→ Outer Journey #1: Setup

→→ Inner Journey #1: ​Lives completely within identity

I Don't Get No Respect
→→→ Plot Point #1 (OJ: Ordinary World/IJ: Limited Awareness): 
→→→ Plot Point #2 (OJ: Ordinary World - cont'd/IJ: Limited Awareness - cont'd): 
→→→ Plot Point #3 (OJ: Ordinary World - cont'd/IJ: Limited Awareness - cont'd): 
You Know What Your Trouble is?
→→→ Plot Point #4 (OJ: Ordinary World - cont'd/IJ: Limited Awareness - cont'd): 
→→→ Plot Point #5/Inciting Incident (10% Turning Point #1: Opportunity—OJ: Call to Adventure/IJ: Increased Awareness): 

→→ Outer Journey #2: New Situation

→→ Inner Journey #2: Living Within Essence

Calls & Busy Signals
→→→ Plot Point #6 (OJ: Refusal/IJ: Resistance to Change): 
→→→ Plot Point #7 (OJ: Meeting with the Mentor/IJ: Overcoming Resistance to Change):  
→→→ Plot Point #8: 
Through the Looking Glass
→→→ Plot Point #9: 
→→→ Plot Point #10: 
→→→ Plot Point #11: 
→→→ Plot Point #12 (25% Turning Point #2: Change of Plans—OJ: Crossing the Threshold/IJ: Committing to the Change): 

Act Two

Wanderer

→ Special World - Descent

→→ Outer Journey #3: Progress

→→ Inner Journey #3: Moves towards Essence without Leaving Identity

Kick the Dog
​→→→ Yes #1 (OJ: Test Allies, Enemies/IJ: Experimenting): 
→→→ No #1 (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​
→→→ Yes #2 ( (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​
→→→ No #2 (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​
→→→ Yes #3:  (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​​
→→→ No #3  (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​​
Which Way Is Up?
→→→ Yes #4  (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​
→→→ No #4  (OJ: Test, Allies, Enemies - cont'd/IJ: Experimenting - cont'd): ​​​
→→→ Yes #5 (OJ: Approach to Inmost Cave/IJ: Preparing for Major Change): ​​
→→→ No #5 (OJ: Approach to Inmost Cave - cont'd/IJ: Preparing for Major Change - cont'd): ​​​
When Life Gives You Lemons...
→→→ Yes #6 (OJ: Approach to Inmost Cave - cont'd/IJ: Preparing for Major Change - cont'd): ​​
→→→ No #6 (OJ: Approach to Inmost Cave - cont'd/IJ: Preparing for Major Change - cont'd): ​​​
→→→ Yes #7 (OJ: Approach to Inmost Cave - cont'd/IJ: Preparing for Major Change - cont'd): ​​
→→→ No #7 (50% Turning Point #3: Point of No Return—OJ: Ordeal, Death, and Rebirth/IJ: Big Change): ​​​

Warrior

→ Special World - Initiation

→→ Outer Journey #4: Complications & Higher Stakes

→→ Inner Journey #4: Fully Committed to Essence, but Growing Fear

...Make Lemonade
​→→→ Yes #8 (OJ: Reward/IJ: Accepting Consequences): 
→→→ No #8 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​
​→→→ Yes #9 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): 
→→→ No #9 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd)​: ​​
→→→ Yes #10 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​
→→→ No #10 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​
...Inside the Whale
→→→ Yes #11 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​
→→→ No #11 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​​
→→→ Yes #12 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​​
→→→ No #12 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​​​​
Death and Rebirth
→→→ Yes #13 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​​​​
→→→ No #13 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): 
→→→ Yes #14 (OJ: Reward - cont'd/IJ: Accepting Consequences - cont'd): ​​​​​​​
→→→ No #14 (75% Turning Point #4: Major Setback—OJ: The Road Back/IJ: Rededication to the Change): ​​​​​​​

Act Three

Martyr

→ Ordinary World

→→ Outer Journey #5: Final Push

→→ Inner Journey #5: Living one's truth, with everything to lose

What's the Worst that Can Happen?
→→→ Big Yes (OJ: Resurrection/IJ: Final Attempt): ​​​​​​
→→→ No (OJ: Resurrection - cont'd/IJ: Final Attempt - cont'd): ​​​​​​​
Good Guy vs Bad Guy Over Stakes
→→→ Big No (90-99% Turning Point #5: Climax—OJ: Resurrection - cont'd/IJ: Final Attempt - cont'd)​: ​​​​​​​

→→ Outer Journey #6: Aftermath

→→ Inner Journey #6: Journey complete, destiny achieved

→→→ Final Yes (emotional response—OJ: Return with the Elixir/IJ: Mastery): ​​​​​​​​