Exploring Home

What does home mean to your characters? Especially to your protagonist? It seems like home has a lot to do with the best stories. My script writing professor once told me there's only two stories in the world: someone leaves town or someone comes to town. There might be a bit more nuance, but really, it's about leaving home, defending home, or trying to get home.

Obviously there are stories that don't include this. People can write whatever they want! But there's a reason the Hero's Journey is so popular (either as a guide or a warning). An important step in the Hero's Journey, as described by Josesph Campbell, is Separation. In fact, that's the entire first act! The hero has to be pulled away from their home, from their comfort zone. Whether it's the Call to Adventure or the Road of Trials, it's all leading up to Crossing the Threshold, the moment the Hero can't turn back.

So what makes home? It's obviously important if so many stories give it such a focus. Well, while acknowledging that not all stories have a literal separation from home, sometime that "home" can just be the known, the familiar. Sure, your house is your home, but so is your hometown. Your school can be your home, or perhaps a friend's house where you feel comfortable. The point of the story is to take your protagonist and separate them from that safe, comforting feeling and thrust them into the unknown.

What do you think? Do you know any good stories that don't separate their protagonist from a "home?" Or perhaps never give them one to start with?

​DFTBA