Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
In his book, The Writer’s Journey(third edition), Christopher Vogler writes, “The Ordinary World in one sense is the place you came from last. In life we pass through a succession of Special Worlds which slowly become ordinary as we get used to them.”
As writers, we often talk about creating story worlds. In reality, we create two. There is our hero’s ordinary story world, the world she lives in before the inciting incident launches her into her story. Once launched, she enters the Special World of the story we are writing.
Interestingly, in many novels, the worlds may be exactly the same in terms of geography, time, economics, politics, and a myriad of other details. The world moves from Ordinary to Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Special when our hero decides to embark on the journey to solve the story problem or answer the story question.
Then, even if she continues to live in the same house, work the same job, go to the same church, her world becomes Special. She is now on an adventure to resolve the story problem. And that story problem transforms her world from Ordinary to Special, whether it’s solving a murder, dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, or losing her spouse.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Think of the world of our lives. Everything is going along fine and then something happens. We lose a job or we get a promotion to a more challenging position, a loved one dies or a prodigal returns home, a car accident, a medical problem, a windfall. We win the lottery or we spend all our pay on lottery tickets and miss by one number.
Whatever it is, our Ordinary world becomes Special while we live through the changes until the Special World becomes Ordinary once again.
Can you think of a time when your own Ordinary World became Special? How can you use that experience to write a Special World for your characters?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
