The Story Vehicle
The most common format for a story is the three-act structure. This is by no means the only structure, but it seems to be the most common structure. For example, some of Shakespeare's plays use different structures, such as five- and seven-act ones. However, most modern stories conform to the more common three-act structure, and that's what we'll concentrate on here.
The hero's journey is often used in a circular story form split into three acts. This does not mean that all stories return exactly to their starting point and circumstances. Often the manifestation of the circular form means that the hero's special world becomes his new ordinary world. How the hero's journey is related to the circular form is shown in Figure 4.9 ...
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