Situations 17&18
DARING ENTERPRISE AND THE HEALING JOURNEY

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

–HELEN KELLER

Daring Enterprise

Enterprise means an undertaking, especially one of some scope, complication, and risk.

This situation requires a Bold Leader, an Object, and an Adversary. Within Daring Enterprise are two types: the Personal and the Objective.

In the Personal Daring Enterprise, the Object is emotionally connected to the Leader. Something very personal is at stake for him. Think Search, Quest, Escape, and Rescue.

This type of Daring Enterprise is similar to a Quest where a hero pursues a desired object that is seemingly out of his reach. It’s as if his whole life depends upon him finding the object. The enterprise may be doomed to fail, but the hero pushes on because he is so personally connected to the Object and his desire for it is strong. This connection has to be great to motivate him to take risks.

There are several reasons why he may desire the Object sought:

He may have a sense of Honor, helping his friend or boss because they need his help. If it’s important to them it’s important to him.

He may have a sense of Duty, like a cop who takes risks everyday as part of the job, especially when a partner is in need. The Object may be a criminal.

He may have a sense of Powerlessness. Something like his child or a project of some sort is stolen from him and he wants it back.

He may have a sense of Entitlement. He may be an archeologist who has spent his whole life looking for an artifact and has given up a lot in the process.

He may have a sense of Freedom, like the men who carefully planned out their escape from Alcatraz. They were not fleeing the law like a fugitive in situation nine; they were on a quest for freedom and their lives were at stake.

The motivation here is always personal, hitting the hero right in the heart. He desires the Object, just as in the following Objective Enterprise, but he has personal reasons for finding it.

In the Objective Daring Enterprise the Object is not emotionally connected to the Leader. Think of a Gamble, a Treasure Hunt, an Investment, an Adventure, a War, and Politics.

The Bold Leader may want to take a Gamble because he wants an Object, but the reasons that motivate him are not personal and perhaps not noble. His whole life, or that of others, is not dependent upon him finding it; it is just something he wants at the time. Maybe he only wants it because his adversary wants it.

He may embark on the Daring Enterprise just to get the job done and become famous for having done it. He hasn’t invested himself emotionally in the Object. He takes a Gamble, wins or loses, and moves on. His motivation is usually for personal gain, in a somewhat greedy sense. For example:

He may seek something he believes will change his life, like a suitcase full of money, an ancient artifact he knows nothing about, or a mystical experience during an adventurous travel.

He may seek something he believes will give him immortality, like taking a stand in a war and going down in history books. (Think of Achilles in Troy.)

He may seek something he believes will give him more control, like a political position or weapons.

He may unconsciously have a death wish so he takes risks because he just doesn’t care anymore. (Think Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon.)

THE BOLD LEADER

The Bold Leader is a man with a mission. He knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it. No one can deter him from his path. They may try to throw doubts his way, and they can make fun of him, but nothing will change his mind.

If it’s personal, he needs this Object and can’t imagine his life without it. If it’s objective, he can’t imagine turning down a shot at adventure.

He lives for the adrenaline rush of risk taking. He craves it. Once he has made up his mind to embark on the Daring Enterprise the Object is always foremost on his mind. He becomes preoccupied with it. Family and friends know better than to bother him with mundane tasks of everyday life.

THE ADVERSARY

The Adversary is someone who is either jealous or envious of the Bold Leader and will stop at nothing to keep the Bold Leader from reaching his goal. Ultimately, the Bold Leader is the Adversary’s Object of obsession.

If he is jealous, he will want what the Bold Leader has—nice tools, great workers, financing, support, recognition and, ultimately, the Object. If he is the envious type, he will want to destroy what the Bold Leader has so no one can have it. He may even damage the Object—his envy is that destructive.

On the other hand, the Adversary is very similar to the Bold Leader in that he has an adventurous spirit and a willingness to take risks. He just lacks the moral fiber of the Bold Leader. There may even be a sort of respect between the two, as they know very few people would ever attempt to do what they do. And perhaps each one makes life more interesting and exciting for the other.

Whether Daring Enterprise is used as plot, subplot, or incident, the elements of the beginning, middle, and end are the same:

BEGINNING: A Bold Leader realizes there is an Object he desires. After careful investigation he thinks he knows where it is.

What type of Object is it? Person? Place? Thing?

How important is the Object to him? How will you show this?

Where is the Object?

Does the Object want to be found? If it’s a person, does he want to be rescued or helped? If it’s an Object, are there ancient spells upon it to keep thieves away?

Are there any people around trying to cast doubt on him?

When does the Adversary make himself known? How much power does he have?

Why does the Adversary work against the Bold Leader?

Is there more than one Adversary?

MIDDLE: The Bold Leader overcomes obstacles as he goes after the Object.

Does the Object’s location play a role in creating obstacles?

How many resources will the Bold Leader need to get the Object?

Are there any secondary characters working against the Bold Leader? Friends or family who don’t support him?

Does the Bold Leader become more determined to reach the Object when met with obstacles or does he have moments where he is about to give up?

What kind of unexpected obstacles can you add to spice things up? Throw some obstacles in the Adversary’s way, too.

END: The Bold Leader finds the Object. It was everything he dreamed it would be, or the victory is bittersweet as he realizes it doesn’t bring him what he wanted.

Is this a happy ending? Or does the Bold Leader realize the Object can’t bring him happiness?

Will the Bold Leader decide to leave the Object where it is? Or take it with him so he can reap the benefits? Does he abandon his original goal for a new one?

What happens to the Adversary? Is he still trying to get the Object, vowing to return again someday when the Bold Leader least expects it?

How does the story change the life of the Bold Leader? What happens to all those who helped him achieve his goal? Does he abandon them?

“Without inner peace, it is impossible to have world peace.”

–THE DALAI LAMA

The Healing Journey

Healing is defined as restoring to health, to repair or cure someone or something.

The Healing Journey is when the Bold Leader becomes the Healer, whose motive is to heal herself or others. It is an inner journey of sorts to possibly find, preserve, or grow the self.

Whether she realizes it or not her actions help the community as a whole. As one person heals, others are influenced as they see firsthand that one can live a better, happier life.

She may want to find answers to the meaning of life or find a cure of some sort for whatever ails her or her community. Her search is not for material possessions, personal gain, or vanity but for a deeper sense of self or a better way of life. She knows there is something more to life and she sets out to find it. She may never know where the Object is but she is going out there to find it anyway. She may:

go back to school

open a healing practice

see a psychologist or doctor

travel to the rainforest to seek a cure

take a sabbatical to get a much-needed rest

offer self motivation seminars in the city

go on a peace mission

write an inspirational book

The drama and conflict come from her inner struggles with her decision to heal and how she follows through with it. People are generally not supported by family and friends when they embark on a journey such as this. This type of journey causes others to take a serious look at their lives and what they are doing or not doing for themselves as they watch the hero change her life and help others.

She will invariably doubt her decision and wonder if she is going mad. Everyone around her may have money and material possessions and seem happy. Why couldn’t she be happy with those things? But she presses on and makes changes every day, doing things a little different than before, taking back her power and loving it!

Whether The Healing Journey is used as plot, subplot, or incident, the elements of the beginning, middle, and end are the same:

BEGINNING: A Healer sees a problem with herself, or others, that needs healing. She decides to do it.

What is the problem? Is it with her or others? (Evelyn Couch, in Fried Green Tomatoes, is very unhappy with her life.)

What is the theme?

What motivates her? Is a family member involved, or is she just the type of person who would do this?

Will others support her right away?

Will she meet with resistance right away?

Are there other characters around who can help her?

What resources does she have? Her looks (Erin Brockovich)? Her mind? Her contacts? Her family? Money?

What skills does she have?

MIDDLE: The Healer takes steps to heal the situation.

What steps can she reasonably take? Unreasonably?

How far do you want her to go?

How can you make things difficult for her?

What type of obstacles will she face? If the Healer is a woman, will her sex be an obstacle, or vice versa?

Do other situations come up to be healed?

What does she have to sacrifice? Time with her family? Her reputation?

Does she lose allies?

END: The Healer is successful, at least in doing the work needed.

The Healer does the work needed, but is she completely successful all the way around? (She could stop waste dumping in her town, only to find out there is a much larger problem.)

How have others around her changed from this? Is anyone really helped?

Have you brought the theme through the entire situation?

Does she do it all on her own or do others come out at the end to help?

If she is healing herself, how much has she changed? Or does she go back to the way things were because her friends and family don’t like it and she has no where else to go? Will she be ostracized? Is healing unacceptable for her?

EXAMPLES

A Bug’s Life, JOHN LASSETER AND ANDREW STANTON

DARING ENTERPRISE AS PLOT— A misfit ant, looking for warriors to save his colony from grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troop.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, STEVEN SPIELBERG

DARING ENTERPRISE AS PLOT— Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can get it.

Smoke Signals, CHRIS EYRE

HEALING JOURNEY AS SUBPLOT— The story of two Native American boys, Victor and Thomas, on a Healing Journey. Through storytelling, Thomas makes every effort to connect with the people around him. Victor, in contrast, uses his quiet countenance to gain strength and confidence. When Victor’s estranged father dies, the two men embark on an adventure to Phoenix to collect the ashes.

Erin Brockovich, STEVEN SODERBERGH

HEALING JOURNEY AS PLOT— An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply. She finds self-esteem and life purpose.