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)?
Luke Coyne, 21
1b. What is the main character (Hero)'s identity (whatever it is he sees himself as being)?
Young father, recent divorce, lifelong horse enthusiast, son, brother, uncle, failure as a husband
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)?
Lost little boy who needs his father
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.
His father died when he was 13.
2. What is the main character (Hero) trying to accomplish?
- Professional (Visible Goal (Wish)/Ordinary World/Outer Journey): decide what he's going to do with his life (job? college? loaf around? be a rich-kid dilettante on the horse circuit?)
- Personal (Visible Goal (Want)/Special World/Inner Journey): pick up the pieces of his life back home in Virginia, try to get back on track
- Private (Invisible Goal (Need)/Special World/Inner Journey): process and get past the anger and betrayal he feels at his father for leaving him
3. Who (Nemesis) is trying to stop the main character (Hero)?
- Professional (Visible Goal (Wish)/Ordinary World/Outer Journey): his own indecision; Mom (in the sense she probably won't stand for his loafing around or being a dilettante)
- Personal (Visible Goal (Want)/Special World/Inner Journey): Natasha and, especially, Nick, pulling at him emotionally and psychologically from California
- 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): 
- Personal (Visible Goal (Want)/Special World/Inner Journey): 
- Private (Invisible Goal (Need)/Special World/Inner Journey): 

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: 
Crafting the Orphan Statement

Act Two

Hero as Wanderer: 
Crafting the Wanderer Statement
Hero as Warrior: 
Crafting the Warrior Statement

Act Three

Hero as Martyr: 
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): ​​​​​​​​