Biography as a Hero’s Journey

“Life is a heroic venture.” Andreas Maeckler

Some people, when they encounter the concept of the Hero’s Journey, think it’s about putting on a fancy dress costume and turning up at some event as Superman or Wonder Woman. That’s also a nice form of the Hero’s Journey. There are actually a few exercises in this writing course where you can assume the role of your favourite hero or heroine: some men might like to see themselves become a James Bond or Robin Hood, women might imagine themselves playing the role of Joan of Arc or Florence Nightingale. However, we intend to pursue this topic more comprehensively, all the way to actual help for overcoming life’s challenges.

What to do in a crisis when the meaning of life seems to be lost? Heroes set off and embark on a journey. Every Hero’s Journey is also a search for the meaning of one’s own life! Use this writing course to trace your life goals in your biography project in an almost playful and fairytale-like manner. Along the way you will encounter exciting figures and symbols: gods and angels, seekers, warriors, dancers and mockers, the witch, the jester … and many other fascinating characters! Night sea journeys and sunny uplands await you, hells and heavens – and the best thing is: all of this is hidden inside you, in your life story, even if it is unconscious, dressed in mythological garb. But don’t be afraid! Have you ever looked at your life from the perspective of the tortured Prometheus, who knows that Hercules will soon set him free? Setting and achieving positive life goals is part of the basic principles of the Hero’s Journey as we practise them in this course, so that you can biographically come into – or rediscover – your own strength.

We will look at your life as a developmental journey that is about departure, adventures and struggles, transformation and returning as a “new person”. This biographical writing course will help you interpret your life positively even in the midst of loss, suffering and pain. You will be amazed at how archetypally rooted your life story, your feelings and thinking can manifest!

Are we not born to prove ourselves?

The Wikipedia article on the Hero’s Journey describes it as a “common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed”. This concept, which owes a particular debt to the American mythologist Joseph Campbell, has become highly influential in both therapy and literature.

My aim in developing this writing course has therefore been to support you in identifying the strong, heroic aspects of your life and to place them into a biographical structure. By the time you have completed your mythological exploration, you will be very proud of these self-portraits as panoramas of your life.

Participation fee

The monthly participation fee is USD 39.00 and you can cancel any time you wish. I am no friend of small print, long-term contractual obligations and hidden fees, so you won’t find any in my terms and conditions! Alternatively, you can also order the complete course (33 biography worksheets) for USD 241.00.

Participation fee in your country

Index of 33 biography assignments

Part I: Finding the hero inside yourself

No. 01: Living on in your own biography – why you can interpret your life story as a Hero’s Journey
No. 02: By way of introduction – the basic structure of the Hero’s Journey
No. 03: The archetypal ensemble of figures in the Hero’s Journey
No. 04: The birth of the hero – how you came into the world!
No. 05: Nomen est omen – the heroes’ names
No. 06: Writing craft: Basic rules of vivid storytelling (part 1)
No. 07: Writing craft: Basic rules of vivid storytelling (part 2)
No. 08: The hero’s first memories
No. 09: Childhood and youth
No. 10: First battles and conquests
No. 11: Text work: Karl May – My childhood
No. 12: Stars and heroes – the important people in my life
No. 13: Reflections – how we find ourselves in heroes
No. 14: Writing craft: Headlines and beginnings

Part II: Achieving life goals – the 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey

No. 15: Writing craft: How to shape the manuscript and create the structure (plot) of your heroic biography
No. 16: Practical example: Karl May’s hell and Hero’s Journey
No. 17: Stage 1: The familiar world
No. 18: Stage 2: The call, the challenge
No. 19: Stage 3: Refusal to leave the familiar world
No. 20: Stage 4: Friends and allies – the mentor
No. 21: Writing craft: The art of characterisation
No. 22: Writing craft: Writing dialogue
No. 23: Stage 5: Journeying to the point of no return
No. 24: Stage 6: Proving yourself: Overcoming obstacles and resistance
No. 25: Writing craft: The tension of resistance
No. 26: Stage 7: Approaching the key battle, the day before the final
No. 27: Stage 8: The key battle, the ultimate test
No. 28: Stage 9: Victory – the hero’s reward
No. 29: Stage 10: Return home
No. 30: Stage 11: Back in the old world, but no longer the same
No. 31: Stage 12: The task is solved, the circle complete
No. 32: Revising your texts
No. 33: Conclusion of the course with further reading and feedback sheet

Subject to change without notice, 31 May 2022