One of the greatest challenges of writing better stories is knowing exactly which scenes to write. The best scenes focus on the core elements of conflict — which means before you can write amazing scenes, you have to find the conflict in a story.
Strong scenes come from strong plans. And visualizing the conflict between your characters is a great way to do just that.
It’s practically inevitable. You’re rockin’ and rollin’ through your writing, feeling invincible, and then you reach a sudden halt: You’re blocked. The words won’t come. It seems like there’s nothing more, and yet you’ve got things to do! Deadlines to meet! Dreams to fulfill!
It can seem impossible. But never fear: it can be done.
Here’s how to write a book when you’ve got writer’s block.
The time has come to pen the ending of your Hero’s Journey. The dust may have settled by this moment in your book—but that doesn’t make it any less important. This is the moment in a hero’s journey called the Return with the Elixir.
But you might be thinking, “I hate endings!” For some writers, this is a painful truth of storytelling. Finding the right ending—or rather, any suitable ending—can feel impossible.
Thankfully, the Hero’s Journey, as researched by Joseph Campbell, provides a clear roadmap for concluding your epic journey, saving you much of the headache that often comes with crafting the perfect denouement.
Here’s how you write it.
Ultimately, heroes confront death. They rise against the most powerful villains and the worst sources of evil imaginable.
And on their journeys, they often suffer the consequences of tangling with these bad guys.
But not all heroic journeys require villains on the scale of Sauron and Voldemort and Emperor Palpatine. Some villains are local bullies, arrogant coworkers, and voices of doubt in our heads. And even these villains require heroic efforts to overcome.
It’s time to tackle a difficult yet important step in your heroic story: the Resurrection.
If you get this step right, you’ll have a story on your hands that readers won’t be able to get enough of.
Let’s dive in!
Have you ever heard of a fake-out ending? Maybe you’ve come across it when discussing how to tie up your story after the climax, or you’ve seen it as part of the road back moment in the Hero’s Journey.
Every story has that moment when everything seems okay. The dust has settled. The hero has their object of desire in hand. And for a moment, there’s peace.
But then all hell breaks loose.
This is the fake-out ending: that classic neck-breaking part of the story that thrills readers and audience members practically every time—grabbing them at the exact moment they thought everything was okay.
Here’s how you can write the fake-out ending during your protagonist’s road back, Hero’s Journey-style.
