Great books begin with great openings. It’s our first taste of a story that will excite, move, and enthrall us. And endings are just as important, providing the feeling that will stay with us after we close the cover. The key to a great beginning and a great ending is to make them partners! Screenwriters … More Imagine that! Opening and Closing Images
Today, we continue to unravel that most dreaded of all fantasy writing phenomena… EXPOSITION! Writers know that getting exposition onto the page can be a messy process–but maybe not as messy as cleaning up magical residue! Just ask Cara Moone, protagonist of Lee Edward Födi’s hilarious and heartfelt middle grade fantasy, SPELL SWEEPER. Födi takes … More Exposition 101 – SPELL SWEEPER
Today is Harry Potter’s 37th birthday and in homage to the birthday boy-who-lived and the continuing summer festivities marking the 20th anniversary of Philosopher’s Stone, I thought I’d look at one particular thing JKR does brilliantly in her plots. Now, at 37, HP might be in a mid-life crisis buying a Nimbus 3000 or something … More The Impossible and Inevitable Potter
Well, we’ve turned the page on 2016 and are getting into the swing of the new year, but if you’re still seeking fresh inspirations for 2017, I thought I would look back on three of the writing resources that I came to love last year. They’ve been useful for me—maybe they will be for you … More 3 Wonderful Writing Resources
Further Resources on the Hero’s Journey I hope you’ve found my summary of hero’s journey plot lines useful, but there is really no substitute for reading the experts. I’ve mentioned a few story theorists in these posts and thought I would provide a run-down of their work so you can learn more if you are … More Further Reading & Feminist Alternatives to the Hero’s Journey
Happy New Year to all! We have reached the 10th and final stage of a hero’s journey plot line and a fitting stage it is for January 1st because this is the Resolution. Over the course of the hero’s journey, the character has been thrust out of their Ordinary World with a Call to Adventure … More The Hero’s Journey – Resolution
Huzzah! We have reached the Climax, the grand hurrah, the big shebang, a moment so exciting that only funny-sounding words can express it! All the same, I’ll do my best in this post to articulate what goes on in the climax of a novel or film. To see how we got to this culminating moment, … More The Hero’s Journey – Climax!
The beginning of THE END! We enter the third and final phase of a hero’s journey plot line. Act 3 Propelling Event Climax (aka Death & Resurrection) Resolution So far, we have seen a protagonist, who was living life relatively normally in ACT 1, thrust into a new situation which they must navigate throughout … More The Hero’s Journey – Propelling Event
The Hero’s Journey – Reward Well that last post on the Ordeal was so frightening, I almost couldn’t go on! But after a bit of a break, the blog is now back as we surge toward the final stages of the Hero’s Journey. So far, we have seen how a character in their Ordinary World … More The Hero’s Journey – Reward
We really shouldn’t go in there—but we have to! We’re now well into the Middle Phase (Act 2) of a story. The characters have started to find their footing, acclimatizing to the new situation they’ve been put in. They have met new friends and foes and faced some initial challenges. Having overcome these early tests, … More The Hero’s Journey – The Approach
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