"Tie-ing" It All Together

It has been a while since my last blog entry. I have meant to make more updates, do more analyses with the Hero's Journey, but time has been limited. For one, I have discovered a new hobby: tie-making. Well, sort of a new hobby. As a middle school teacher, I love to wear unique, geeky neckties. I have several superhero ones, but I have always wanted a Batman one. I quickly found out that they are either difficult to obtain or are too expensive for my budget. So, I decided to act on my plan from several years ago. Using a tie pattern I had bought, I purchased some Batman fabric and made my own. It actually turned out okay, and so I attempted to make a few more. Actually, "a few" would be an understatement. In all, I've made 10 so far, all completely geeky, as you can see below.

Superman, Star Wars Tie Fighters, and Batman

Star Wars Characters, Death Star/AT-AT Blueprints, Star Trek, and Marvel Comic Book Words

Wolverine/Hulk, Classic Comic Covers, and Iron Man/Thor

I would love to make a Doctor Who one, but the fabric is a bit pricey. Even so, I am thinking of selling some on Etsy for fellow geeks.But more than neckties, I've been finishing up my latest novel, tentatively titled Legacy. It's a follow-up to another one I did called Redemption. My students had asked me to do a sequel, but I don't write with sequels in mind. Instead, I wrote a companion novel. The most difficult, yet most fun, part of writing a novel is tying it all together at the end, letting the reader see and understand how all the pieces fit together.

But of course, planning is what makes this possible. For my novels, I have begun to reference them against the Hero's Journey structure and the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet from the popular Save the Cat! screenwriting books. These help me to see where pieces of the plot fit best, as well as help me understand what is missing. Most importantly, it allows me to ensure that there is character transformation, the most pivotal piece of any story.

My books will be available on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle formats, tentatively slated for this summer.

The Fringe Series Finale

Warning: if you haven't seen the series finale of Fringe, stop here. There are spoilers ahead.

Fringe is over. Five years have passed, although it doesn't seem like it can possibly have been that long. Initially, I was excited to begin watching a new series by the creator of my then-new-favorite show, Lost. It sounded like it was going to be an updated version of The X-Files, another favorite of mine, and the show that inspired the kinds of stories I write (and plan to write).

However, at the time, I found watching it difficult. My wife was pregnant with our second child and was constantly tired, so it was up to me alone to pretty much put our toddler to bed, and by then, the show was over. Since we don't have a DVR or any service like that, I stopped watching. I hadn't grown hooked on the show by the first two episodes, so I figured I'd rent it on DVD.

Once I did, I was hooked. I watched all of the episodes back-to-back, then glued myself to the television for Season Two. There was so much that was excellent about this show: the strange science-based cases, the dynamics between the characters, Walter's randomness... and the Observers. The introduction of the Observers mythology carved the path for the show. September was such an intriguing creation that I couldn't help but ask questions and debate the possibilities.

I loved every minute of the show. To keep it alive in my mind when I wasn't watching, I bought all of the soundtracks for each season. I was nervous during the Fourth Season when Peter was removed from the timeline, but they quickly got back to the same dynamics viewers came to know and love. And perhaps this made us care for them more, as we realized what could have been lost.

As Season Five began, I found the initial episode depressing, feeling horrible for Walter and the Fringe Team. Waking up only to find the world a worse place to live than when they left it... what a horrible fate.

Yet fate has a way of changing. Which brings me to the final episode. I sat on the edge of my seat, eager to see how they would carry out their plan. I knew they would succeed; they had to. But it was the interlocking elements of the show that made it so powerful. Walter's conversation with Peter was heartbreaking: "You're my favorite thing, Peter." Thinking back to the first episode when Peter and Walter were at such odds, it is amazing to see such a transformation in both of them. And did it really surprise anyone? After all, the show is as much about their father-son dynamic as it is about the science and the Observers.

References to past episodes abounded. The way they stormed the Observers' headquarters by unleashing their past Fringe cases left me excited (and a little bit grossed out). And in its final moments, Fringe showed the audience what we knew all along: this is not just a show about action, it's a show about emotion.

As in any Hero's Journey, there is a final moment in which the Hero (or Heroine) has a "Resurrection" in which they apply all they have learned. And I'll admit, I got chills as I saw Olivia framed by the city behind her, facing off with Windmark. The car alarms sounded, lights flashed, and the city was drained of its power. Wow. A perfect Resurrection moment; Olivia always was the main hero of the story.

I think this is why Michael allowed himself to be taken by Windmark to Liberty Island. This way, Olivia would be dosed with Cortexiphan once more, allowing her to channel her telekinetic powers. Of course, it seems that Michael is imbued with different abilities than the traditional Observers. He is a supposed anomaly; perhaps he is an anomaly of the timeline, just as Peter was. Most viewers assumed that when Michael and Walter went to the future, it would mean no more Observers, and thus no more invasion, no more interference, etc. But this isn't exactly the case. Maybe it meant that the Observers were still created, but this time, they had emotions intact like Michael did. They still observed and interacted to some degree, but never had the inclination of invading the era that Season Five revolved around. Perhaps Michael is an anomaly in the sense that his creation is the product of his own interaction with the future; after all, he could remember both timelines when Olivia had asked him about it. Perhaps by being "outside" of time, he could not be affected by any paradoxes that would arise.

Of course, with time travel, everything gets tricky. I believe there are answers, ones the writers might reveal someday. And if not, Fringe is still an example of a wonderful story. I will miss it, and I think that the network made a mistake in cancelling it when they did. But maybe it's not over. Maybe in an alternate universe, my alternate self is still watching it.

And maybe there's an Observer standing over me, remembering that there's more than one of everything.

When Fiction Is Too Close To Reality

In the past few months, I've considered taking one of my earlier novels straight to the Kindle and eBook marketplace. It's not that I cannot find an agent; if I had the time apart from a full-time teaching job, I would invest it in just that. It's the subject matter of the novel that makes it a difficult sell, I think. It's not about vampires or an adventure full of harrowing events, nor is it a romance or a sci-fi survival story. And even though I have felt ready to tackle this new foray into publishing, I want to take a step back.

This is because my second novel, Redemption, is about a school shooting. I wrote it about four years ago, and it was inspired by the events of Columbine. I can still remember that day in April 1999 as I watched the television monitors of my college cafeteria, students streaming out of their school. When friends asked what would make other teens do such a heinous act, my first response was, "I'll be they were bullied, and this is how they were retaliating." It was the truth, as investigators would find out in the ensuing weeks and months. As a teacher, I know students are bullied. I also know that what happened at Columbine was wrong.

And so a few years later, I had the idea of writing a novel in which the protagonist meets a mysterious new student, one who seems to know a lot about others and who says that he is there to prevent a massacre from happening. The protagonist is doubtful until he is shown visions of what will happen. The book addresses the topics of cliques, bullies, and how teens react to it all. As the protagonist races to stop the event, he learns that it is more difficult than he intended. Hatred burrows deep, and once the seed is planted, it roots itself in the heart.

In an effort to capture an authentic teen voice and test it out, I had students read the manuscript and give advice. That's the great thing about teens... they're gut-wrenchingly honest. If they don't like something or it doesn't make sense, they will let you know. Fortunately, many of my readers loved Redemption, both males and females. I found that it was leading them to have conversations about the topic well after they read it, and parents told me that it affected their teens deeply. I think it's because it doesn't come with a happy ending. Just like in real life, we can't always stop the bad from happening. And like in real life, choices have consequences.

This year, my new students have asked to read it, having heard about it from their friends. But in the wake of the Aurora movie theater shooting, I declined. Eventually, I decided to let them read it, but only after having contacted their parents first. All of the parents have been supportive of their teens reading it, agreeing that it is an important and serious topic.

Yet with the recent events in Connecticut, I have realized that it's not the right time to release this novel. While the events in the book are not the same as what happened in Connecticut, it is too close to reality. Perhaps the time will be right eventually, and I will be able to share the story with a wider audience. But until that time, I must wait until the day when the plot will be closer to fiction than fact.

The Hero's Journey: Wreck-It Ralph

When I first saw the trailer for Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, I was excited to see all the video game references. The story of a Bad Guy desiring to be the Good Guy was an interesting approach, especially since it was done through referencing classic video games. Ralph goes on a true Hero's Journey in the story; it demonstrates that beneath the computer animation and funny jokes, there is a deeper story breaking through. If you have seen the film, read on to see how his Journey unfolds. But remember, there are SPOILERS AHEAD. See the film first and experience the Journey with him.


1. Ordinary World: Ralph's Ordinary World is inside his game, Fix-It Felix, Jr. For the past 30 years, he's been carrying on the same role of the Bad Guy. He smashes the building, Felix fixes it with the help of the players, and Ralph is tossed from the top of the building into the mud below. Felix receives a medal and the admiration of the building's residents while Ralph goes to live in the outskirts of the game's environment.

Later, Ralph is at a meeting with a bunch of other Bad Guys, including gaming icons such as Bowser, Dr. Robotnik, M. Bison, Zangief, and others. It is here that he reveals his frustrations and struggles with always having to be the Bad Guy in the game. He wants to belong, to be someone different from who he is. He wants to be the Hero for once. But as the other Bad Guys tell him, they can't change who they are; they can't mess with the program. They admonish Ralph not to "game-jump," as it can have devastating consequences for his own game. Defeated, Ralph goes back to his own game.

2. Call To Adventure: When Ralph arrives back in his own 8-Bit game, he is surprised that there's a party going on in the apartment building's penthouse. They're celebrating the game's 30th anniversary. Ralph invites himself in, only to be treated poorly because he's simply the Bad Guy. Felix is the one who wins the medals; Bad Guys don't win medals. One of the apartment-dwellers tells Ralph that if he can win a medal, he can join them in the penthouse.

3. Refusal of the Call: Of course, Ralph knows full well that this is impossible. He's the Bad Guy. He can't possibly win a medal. The only way he can get one is if he finds one somewhere. It is this desire to find an elusive medal that will guide his Journey. He heads to Tapper's to drown his sorrows.

4. Meeting with the Mentor: Ralph doesn't really meet a Mentor who will train and guide him. In a sense, the bartender at Tappers serves as a sort of Mentor as he gives Ralph advice, but a better fit for Mentor is an even more unlikely one; a soldier from the game Hero's Duty passes Ralph, nervously repeating his mission to destroy the cy-bugs in the game. When Ralph questions him about it, he learns that in this game, a Hero can get a medal. This is the prompting that Ralph needs to take the next step. He takes the soldier's suit and gets ready to go into Hero's Duty.

5. Crossing the Threshold: Deciding to game-jump, Ralph Crosses the Threshold by going into the game Hero's Duty. By taking this step into a new game to become a participant, he is stepping into the Special World, an upside-down world that is foreign from the one he knows back in his comfortable game. However, by crossing over, he is also putting his Ordinary World at risk. When players find out Ralph is missing from his own game, the arcade owner realizes it might be time to pull the plug from the old arcade game.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies:Ralph's first test is an antithesis from what he originally knows. Hero's Duty is completely different from simply climbing buildings and breaking things. He is led into battle against the cy-bugs by Sgt. Calhoun, and he quickly panics. Being inside a violent, first-person shooter is not what he had in mind when he enthusiastically dreamed of earning a medal. When the cy-bugs return to their beacon, Ralph follows them to their lair to obtain the medal inside. He gets it, but he inadvertently stirs the entire nest of cy-bugs. He escapes in a ship, entering the racing game Sugar Rush. However, he has also brought a cy-bug with him. This spells disaster, because cy-bugs are viruses that can spread through the entire arcade, destroying every game.

While in Sugar Rush, Ralph also meets Vanellope von Schweetz, who takes his medal and tries to use it to enter the race she has been banned from. Ralph explores this new land, learning what it and its citizens are like. In his search for the medal, Ralph finds Vanellope. He wants to give her a piece of his mind, but when he sees that she is being bullied for being a "glitch," he has compassion for her and befriends her.

7. Approach: Ralph follows Vanellope to her home and learns more about her. She is a "glitch" and therefore cannot leave her game if she wanted to. She is an outcast much like him, and she is denied the ability to participate in the races. He decides to help her; they sneak into a mini-game and build a vehicle for her, and he teaches her how to drive and race. Things are looking up; Ralph thinks Vanellope will have a chance at winning.

8. Ordeal: The Ordeal for Ralph comes at a most difficult decision. King Candy comes to Ralph with the medal and says that Ralph must prevent Vanellope from racing. If she races and wins, she will become a playable character. This might sound good, but when players see her "glitch," they will think the game is broken. The plug will be pulled, and while other characters can escape the game, Vanellope will be trapped forever, gone when the power goes out.

Here, Ralph faces death on several levels. It is the possible death of the game itself, of Vanellope's dreams, and the death of Vanellope if the game's plug is pulled. Ralph makes the tough decision to wreck her vehicle so that she can never race. She does not understand, and it also results in the death of their friendship. She yells at Ralph, telling him he really is a Bad Guy.

9. Reward: Ralph's reward is the fact that he gets his medal. He has saved Vanellope, and he heads back to his own game, ready to celebrate with the others in the penthouse. But it is not to be. Everyone else has left, afraid that the game's plug will be pulled. Ralph has his Reward, but it's bittersweet. He feels like he was better off in the Special World.

10. The Road Back: Ralph looks out of his own game and sees the cabinet of the arcade game Sugar Rush. On it, Vanellope is prominently featured as a key player; this gets Ralph to questions everything King Candy has told him. He returns back to Sugar Rush and questions one of the king's servants about Vanellope, learning the truth. He finds Felix, who helps him fix Vanellope's car, and they enter the race. Vanellope begins showing her abilities and seems destined to win, but suddenly, an army of cy-bugs appear, having multiplied and mutated from the one Ralph brought into the game with him. If they spread throughout the arcade, all hope is lost, and the games will be corrupted with the viruses. The characters attempt to escape Sugar Rush, but Vanellope is unable to leave because she is a "glitch."

11. Resurrection:Ralph knows what he must do. He stays behind, desiring to sacrifice himself in an attempt to lure and destroy the cy-bugs. At the start of the story, he was told that he could not change who he was; he would always be the "Bad Guy." Now, he is proving that mantra wrong.

12. Return with the Elixir: Ralph saves the game and is, in turn, saved by Vanellope. She crosses the finish line, and the game is rebuilt with the help of Fix-It Felix. The game resets, showing Vanellope's true nature. Through the Journey, Ralph discovered who he truly is as well, and he gained a friend. Returning back to his old game, he now sees his duty as being the "Bad Guy" merely a role to play, but he does not let it define who he is deep down inside.

Guest Post At Save the Cat!

I have been fortunate enough to write the guest post at the site for the screenwriting book series Save the Cat! this week. Check it out!

The Hero's Journey Revisited

The Ordeal stage of the Hero's Journey has always been one that I've struggled with. According to Christopher Vogler's book The Writer's Journey, this is the stage where the Hero is in the Inmost Cave, where they face death. It's where the Journey could possibly end in disaster. If the Hero survives, they will have a renewed sense of purpose. I had always tried to relate the Ordeal to the climax of a story, but I knew something was "off." Vogler writes that the Ordeal is more of a "central crisis." In his book, he demonstrated that this stage typically happens in Act II. And this is where I have had to do some re-thinking.

Honestly, I lost sleep over it. I've found it effective to use the Blake Snyder Beat sheet from his book Save the Cat! to help see the structure more vividly. And so as I lay awake in bed one night, I tried to think about what beat best exemplified the Ordeal of the Hero. And at about midnight, it finally hit me.

I think the Ordeal usually is best seen toward the end of Act II, and in Blake Snyder's breakdown, it's close to the All Is Lost moment. The Ordeal is typically where the Hero experiences death of some sort. It could be physical, symbolic, or even a fear. But it's a major step for them to overcome if they are to prove that they're worthy of finishing the Journey. It's the "ultimate test." Of course, it might fall somewhere within the end of Snyder's "Bad Guys Close In" beat or even the "Dark Night of the Soul," but it's there.

As soon as I realized this, it made sense. Usually, the Ordeal represents the Inmost Cave, the place where the Hero faces death or their fears. And so we usually see this moment in some kind of enclosed space to represent the Cave. For Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is the Well of Souls, where Indy faces not only death and the end of his Journey, but also his worst fear... snakes. In Iron Man, the Ordeal is when Tony Stark learns that his business partner, Obadiah Stane, has betrayed him. He temporarily paralyzes Stark and removes his "heart," a sure sign of death. If these Heroes survive, they will be further committed to the Journey.

When the Hero receives their Reward and survives, they recommit themselves to the Journey. This is the Road Back. As Blake Snyder would see it, this is the Break Into Three and the beginning of the Finale. It is through the Finale, during the climax, that we see the Hero Resurrected. It's where the Hero digs deep down to show what he has learned.

Having realized this, I knew that I needed to revise some of my Hero's Journey posts But at least now I have a better understanding of the Journey and a larger appreciation for all it entails.

The Hero's Journey: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy stands as one of the best set of superhero films ever made. I remember when Batman Begins came out; I didn't go see it at the theaters, as I figured the story wouldn't be anything new or great. I was wrong.

The film was excellent, offering a deeper look at Bruce Wayne's origin story and the issues he faced on a personal level. In that film, he underwent the Hero's Journey of self-discovery and overcoming his fears. But what makes the Nolan Batman films different from other superhero movies is that they are more complex. In fact, each movie warrants repeated viewings to soak in the nuances of the plots. The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint in this area. Skillfully weaving together the plots of all three movies into one cohesive, three-act story, the movie does what few other sequels manage to do: offer a satisfying story experience.

And while we know that Bruce Wayne undergoes the Hero's Journey in the first film, he also undergoes a different journey in the subsequent stories. Nolan has said that the theme of the first movie was about fear. The second was about chaos, and the third is about pain, both physical and emotional. The same can be said of Bruce's journeys. In Batman Begins, he undergoes a journey of self-realization and overcoming his fear. In the second film, his journey is a bit different, and focuses on how far he is willing to go to stop evil. As Harvey Dent said, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." His journey was one of discovering how he can be the hero Gotham needed without becoming the villain.

The Dark Knight Rises also contains a Hero's Journey. This time, I believe it is one of overcoming pain and struggling with his destiny as Batman. The second film masterfully ends on a depressing note, one which carries over into the start of this film. So if you'd like to explore his journey in this final chapter, read on, but only if you've seen the third movie. Be warned: there are SPOILERS AHEAD.

One final note: this film is very complex in its plot and the amount of characters, but for the sake of brevity, my analysis is only focusing on the immediate circumstances of Bruce Wayne's life and how the events and characters help shape his journey.


1. Ordinary World: It has been eight years since Bruce Wayne gave up being Batman. Taking the blame for Harvey Dent's death, he himself struggles with the guilt of what it has cost Gotham, and he has become a recluse, not even bothering to come out from Wayne Manor. Whereas in the past, he lived the life of a billionaire, now he does not even take part in Wayne Enterprises, a fact that unbeknownst to him has affected the company financially.

2. Call To Adventure: When the mercenary Bane escapes a CIA transport, he and his minions create an underground army in Gotham City's sewer system. Commissioner Gordon and other police officers attempt to investigate, and Gordon is injured while escaping. Police officer John Blake pays a visit to Bruce Wayne at his house, indicating that he knows Wayne is The Batman, and that Gordon needs his help again.

3. Refusal of the Call: Bruce Wayne listens to Blake's story, but he does not want to be The Batman again. He has given up that life, and Gotham is a better place now. Batman is a wanted criminal, and he cannot fight as Batman anymore. Bruce trusts that the police will take care of everything, but Blake protests.

4. Meeting with the Mentor: Bruce eventually meets with Gordon at the hospital with a mask on, and Gordon says that the city needs Batman again. Bruce is still reluctant to get involved, but Gordon's words push him toward investigating. Alfred also serves as a mentor figure to him, as he always has; even John Blake is somewhat of a mentor figure, prompting him to action. Having spoken with Commissioner Gordon, he decides to try and investigate the situation a bit more closely. He meets with Lucius Fox, who not only shows him the newest gadgets he has been working on in the off-the-books Applied Sciences division, but Fox also informs him of Wayne Enterprises's ailing financial situation.

5. Crossing the Threshold: When Bane and his fellow mercenaries take over the Stock Exchange, stealing key financial records and information, Batman re-emerges on the scene after eight years of absence. The police pursue him instead of Bane's men, hoping to catch him and hold him responsible for his role in the death of Harvey Dent. But one thing is clear: The Batman is back. Bruce Wayne has "re-entered" the Special World of fighting crime as a masked vigilante.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: Bruce Wayne undergoes many tests of his strength and commitment, such as when Wayne Enterprises goes broke due to possible investment fraud. His friend and caretaker Alfred argues with him about his desire to face his new enemy, Bane. Alfred does not feel that Bruce is ready to fight him, and leaves Wayne Manor rather than watch him die. Even so, Bruce has allies in Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon, as well as John Blake. Fox suggests that Bruce speak to Miranda Tate, a friend of the company, and show her the fusion reactor they were developing. Later, Bruce is double-crossed by Selina Kyle, who leads him to Bane in a trap to save herself. Batman fights Bane and is brought to near-death, with Bane breaking his back.

7. Approach: As Bane executes his plan of holding Gotham hostage while exiling Bruce to a prison that resembles a well, and from which there is only one nearly-impossible escape, Bruce tries to learn more about Bane from the prisoners. Because this journey is about facing pain, Bruce must overcome his physical pain as well as emotional pain if he is going to save Gotham from destruction. If he cannot do this, Gotham will be destroyed in five months by the device. Bruce speaks to the prisoners about escaping, and the former prison doctor helps to heal his back in a painful process.

8. Ordeal: Bruce tries to escape the prison, but fails until he learns to fear death. Once he has done this, he "rises" and escapes. He faces death and his greatest fears in the Inmost Cave.

9. Reward: Bruce is free and can now complete his Journey.

10. The Road Back:Bruce returns to Gotham. Having now trained himself and prepared to face Bane again, Bruce must face his greatest challenge. Along with an army of police officers, he faces Bane and his minions. He faces death as he confronts Bane, fully aware that Bane is a worthy adversary. Bruce is able to defeat Bane, and he is able to stop the bomb from going off immediately. However, the bomb can still detonate, and he must find it. He needs to return to the streets of Gotham once again. With the help of Commissioner Gordon and other allies, Bruce finds the device, but they are unable to deactivate it.

11. Resurrection: Bruce must show, once again, that this journey has truly changed him. Gotham will never be the same, but to preserve it, Bruce must make the most difficult decision yet. He has faced fear and death, and now he must embrace it. He must make a sacrifice. He faces death one final time, sacrificing himself and the symbol of The Batman.

12. Return with the Elixir: But we learn that it is not truly the end for Bruce. He is literally "resurrected" when we learn the true consequences of his choice and what it means for him. Bruce Wayne is also symbolically resurrected after his sacrifice when he leaves behind everything from his diminished fortune. His home becomes a new center for orphaned boys, and he passes on the crime-fighting responsibility to Blake. The symbol of The Batman is powerful and unites Gotham. Whereas the old Bruce Wayne felt the need to continue being The Batman until Gotham was free of crime and corruption, this "new" Bruce Wayne understands that after what has happened on this journey, he can entrust Gotham to the citizens and law enforcement officials. While Bruce himself does not physically return, he has given Gotham an elixir in the form of a symbol. It is a symbol of courage and of hope. It is the symbol that is projected from the searchlight. The legacy of The Batman.

Note: this post was revised and updated on 8/28/12.