In constructing a story, I plan on following the following patterns:
The Hero's Journey: The Hero's Journey
The Villain's Quest: The Villain's Quest
My question is, what would be the structure of "The Guardian's Journey"?
By guardian, I mean a character that watches over and guides the hero, and even the world.
A good example of this is Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings", or Sider Ament from "Legends of Shannara: Bearers of the Black Staff".
Answer
I don’t think there is an archetypal “Guardian’s Journey” in the same sense that there is a Campbellian “Hero’s Journey”. Your Guardian character can be a static force in the story, or could learn from his/her experience guiding the Hero to be an even better Guardian (Gandalf), or become disillusioned about the whole Guardian role (Saruman), or... whatever works best with your main plot line.
PS: Before you invest too many brain cells in making your story comply with “The Hero’s Journey” archetype, you should read these cautionary words from Film Critic Hulk.
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