Overdevelopment of the Monomyth

Damn damn damn. As a classicist and devotee' of Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces, I intentionally developed my Asphodel series using the hero's journey as a plot signpost for the story.

Signpost for me. I don't have a chapter entitled "The magic flight."

At any rate, not too long ago I scrapped the last book and half to change the path of the MC. At the moment, I am working on the final *eighth* book of the series (all contracted) and I've run into a problem. A big one. Keep in mind that the third book comes out in a month so nothing in those three books can be changed at this point. My heroine has successfully managed all of the milestones of the journey until now.

She has not lost her ego. I can't get rid of the damned thing! This heroine is not your stereotypical fantasy heroine by a long shot. I've given her such a huge supporting cast and way too many resources so that now I can't take her ego away from her without destroying a good portion of what I have done (and already with the publisher). I'm not even talking about magic, I'm talking about her socio-political influence and the allies she's created over the last--what? 3/4 of a million words!

I've overdeveloped the goshdarn thing.

My hope was that by submersing the monomyth within the boundaries of a laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge epic it would remain as a psychological guide for the reader and keep them familiar enough with the earmarks of the journey to accept the liberties I took with traditional epic fantasy writing and characters. I'm terribly afraid I've done such a thorough job of that that I can't get the character to the actual verge of an apotheosis.

So after all that build up, here's my question--does this mean I have to kill off most of my supporting cast in order to nudge my MC back along the hero's journey? Or am I overlooking something in favor of tearing my own hair out? Any thoughts?

Heh. The whole world is pissed off at her and half of the underworld is too. I expended a lot of energy toughening this character up. I'm not into omnipotent heroes, so as I increased her socio-political powers, her physical strength decreased accordingly. So now she's very weak physically and more powerful than ever in every other way possible.
So her reputation doesn't matter to her one darn bit.

*kicks self*

Would a trashing of ye olde reputation actually produce a viable enough loss of ego, though? *ponders*

It would have to be something truly spectacular...

*ding!*

There's my answer. I just need to rewrite and strengthen the *captured by baddie and isolated from backup* part I already have and diffuse her from that point on.

As for the apotheosis, I realize that it can be used to signal a more realistic end to the character's journey but the major sub-theme I explore in all my work is the interchangeable relationship between god and man.

Don't ask me why, the muse makes me do it.

This character's apotheosis will closely mirror the Odyssey because the story is a retelling of the Trojan War myth in a traditional fantasy setting. The first four books are based upon the Iliad, the second four the Odyssey. *sigh* I'm just weird that way. So while I'll stop short at actual deification, there is a conclusion where she does move beyond the plain of adventure.

But thank you! You directed me straight to the thing I couldn't dig out of my befuddled brain!

Thanks for your suggestion! It's not like I can rid her of all her ego; I don't have a choice. She'll slit my throat if I argue with her too much.

I've discovered while writing this story that there are different ways to bring a character to hubris. For example, at the moment this MC has all kinds of power--but the place that she needs to go is on top of a mountain and she can't climb it. The other people with her could climb it, but without her they'd all die. So she's stuck, defeated in one way by a big pile of rock and in another by her own frailities.

But there's a particular level of surrender of ego that I need to get her to if the final stages of the hero's journey are going to ring true. What I need to discover as I write my way through this (got 5k deeper last night) is how to peel those levels away from her without weakening the strength of the plot. It's a definite submission, a capitulation on the part of the character to her fate and/or destiny.

No no--don't start thinking that way. I purposely modeled my story around the Campbell structure because I wanted it to have the feel of a Greek epic trapped within a fantasy setting. Good grief--my characters fight the Trojan War again. DON'T overanalyze your work just because some crazy lady with 100k words to go has an obsession with the classics.

If it makes you feel better, I don't outline. *grin*

*surpresses the urge to post buy links*

Don't look down.

No, I stole from Homer. There's a difference. You've read the first two books at least, Erin. have you seen Homer yet?

*ding! you wanted to beta...*

But wouldn't that be an extension of the ego I need to subdue?

*scratches head*

Hmmm. On first glance I'd have to say that it would work but for someone else's story. This part of the story takes place fifteen years after the first series. Her reputation is already distorted--both positively and negatively depending on what part of the continent you live on. She's been the main drive behind the reconciliation of several races and not everyone is happy about it. By the same token, she created a coalition strong enough to find correct the political division left behind after the first Ilian (Trojan) War. She's a polarizing character in her own world for leading the movement that shatters an established societal structure.

As a result, she's ended up pretty immune to public opinion. She an event-making hero instead of a hero made by events.

They all have the same goal and are agreed on the course they have to take. Despite the 'little' arguments (like who takes which army where) they're all on the same path.