by David Safford |
The Hero’s Journey is easily the most-used and most-loved storytelling structure in the history of humanity. It resonates with readers in ways that are as old as human D.N.A. itself.
If you want to connect with readers and engage them on a deep level, you would be at an advantage to study this storytelling method and use as much of it as possible in your writing.
One of the best ways to study and master the Hero’s Journey is by seeing it at work in another story. And in recent history, there is no clearer use of the Hero’s Journey than George Lucas’s space opera, Star Wars.
Let’s break it down, step by step.
by Joe Bunting |
What do JK Rowling, Christopher Paolini, David Eddings, and Terry Goodkind have in common? They all wrote bestselling novels starring orphans. And this isn’t unique to fantasy. Orphans in literature is a big theme!
Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain all used orphans as some of their most memorable characters.
And don’t forget Superman.
In this post, we’re looking at more than fifty fictional orphans, why authors love writing about them, and whether or not you should include them in your story.
by Sue Weems |
Some of the books that make the biggest impact on us as readers are the books we read as children and teens. If you want to write for teens, today we have some young adult YA writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing. Use one of these story ideas to write your own YA story!
by Joe Bunting |
The profession of writing has been around for thousands of years. You would think we would have figured out how to become one by now, right? However, the more you read, the more you realize no one seems to agree on how to become a writer.
Depending on who you listen to, becoming a writer is either the easiest thing in the world (“Just write!”) or a proposition so impossibly difficult that only a combination of talent approaching genius, luck, and years of expensive training (i.e. “Get an MFA!”) can turn your writerly dream into reality.
by Sue Weems |
Give these summer-themed writing prompts a try and see if you don’t find yourself enjoying these warm summer days even more!
Which prompt brings back summer memories for you?
by Sue Weems |
If you’ve watched any one of George Lucas’s Star Wars films, read or watched any of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books or films then you’ve experienced the hero’s journey. I’ve walked my creative writing classes through these stories numerous times, helping them identify and emulate the story principles.
Part of what makes these stories so compelling is that they follow a character from their ordinary life into an adventure they couldn’t have imagined, leading to personal transformation.
Try one of our 25 hero’s journey story ideas to write your own adventure!
