Hi everyone I am writing about a real person, but in a fictional way, as in I want to structure the story to fit an alchemical process. It will be accurate about the person, but written as a story. I'm not new to writing, having written dissertations, essays, etc, but I've never finished a book, I always seem to get caught up in a tangle with structure, so wondering if anyone can help me. Is anyone really familiar with alchemical or hero's journey structures (also how these 2 overlap). My character has had a fabulous and very colourful life but I'm struggling to understand how to structure that for the story, using an alchemical process structure. For example, those who understand alchemy, this person's birth is pretty much the calcination process in that they nearly died and there were later effects. But I think the calcination process in a person's story comes later, when they are around the age of a teen and get the call to adventure and have to show courage? And if so how to get the whole birth thing in because it's crucial to this person's story. In other words, has anyone else tried to do this and how to create this structure when elements of the real life story don't fit. I'm not writing this well, lol. I'll see what responses I get and I may be able to clarify what I mean. Thanks
Also has anyone come across any clear and simple info on how the Hero's Journey and the Alchemical Process overlap? There are many overlaps and I've mapped it all out myself before but then moved house and can't find it.
The story doesn't have to begin with th person's birth, unless you want it to. Most stories begin when the main character is already an adult or teen. I'm not familiar with the stages of alchemy as a story strucure, but it's an intriguing idea. I am a little familiar with alchemy itself (not much), mostly in the spiritual sense. The goal wasn't really to turn base metal into gold, but to transform the alchemist's soul to a more pure and spiritual form. At least that was the goal for some of them. Here's a list of the stages: The Stages of Alchemy @ The Alchemist.com It starts with the Calciantio, so you could begin with the birth if you want to, or just have it be when the story really starts to take hold of the character's life at whatever age.
