The Writer’s Journey

Mapping the Hero’s Journey

June 12, 2024
Season 3
Episode 2
 01:04:41

We’ve officially started our new book, Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. And boy is there a lot in the first two chapters!

First (or first after Kim’s rant) is an overview of the Hero’s Journey, yes, dear listener, we cover all twelve steps. And as examples for those steps we turn to… The Hobbit (the OG book version, not the movie). After that, we move to archetypes, what they are and what they mean for your story.

It’s a very informative episode. Also, check out our show notes.

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The Writer’s Journey. Let’s Do This.

May 29, 2024
Season 3
Episode 1
 01:03:50

We’re on the last chapter of Judith Barrington’s book, Writing the Memoir, “Practical Advice on Critique Groups,” plus the dos and don’ts of giving and getting feedback. It’s practical and useful and everything we’ve come to expect from Barrington. But before we close the book on memoir, we give our final takes on the book along with what chapters we think are mores useful.

And then …. something new.

Our new book is Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. Written back in the late 90’s, this book brought the Hero’s Journey mainstream for scriptwriters, and also, as the subtitle promises, for writers. Before we jump into the book proper, we take a moment to consider its introductions (there’s two of them) and the promises they make. Get ready for the snark, but also an examination on the mythic structure plotting approach to your writing.

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Female Shapeshifters and Other Questionable Archetypes

July 24, 2024
Season 3
Episode 8
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:57:10 Comments Off on Female Shapeshifters and Other Questionable Archetypes

Everyone who’s read a blog post on the Hero’s Journey can spot the Hero and Mentor archetypes, but what about a Threshold Guardian, or Herald, or elusive Shapeshifter? Are...

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Workshop with Elana Gomel: What to do if your Hero is a Girl?

July 17, 2024
Season 3
Episode 7
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:36:01 Comments Off on Workshop with Elana Gomel: What to do if your Hero is a Girl?

In response to Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousands Faces, aka The Hero's Journey, folklorists and academics (many of them female) countered some of the major steps and archetypes...

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The Mentor Behind Every Great Hero

July 10, 2024
Season 3
Episode 6
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:55:57 Comments Off on The Mentor Behind Every Great Hero

The Mentor -- arguably the second most identified archetype from The Hero's Journey (after the eponymous hero). In his book, The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler has a lot to...

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Workshop: Renee Creates a Monster-Hero

July 3, 2024
Season 3
Episode 5
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:49:43 Comments Off on Workshop: Renee Creates a Monster-Hero

Last episode we explored the concept of the hero archetype as presented in Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey. But analysis is one thing; we wanted to see if we...

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What Makes a Hero

June 25, 2024
Season 3
Episode 4
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:52:40 Comments Off on What Makes a Hero

Whether every protagonist is a Hero is open to debate (and debate it we do in this episode) but on it we can agree that the vast majority of...

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Workshop: Mapping Kim’s Novel to the Hero’s Journey

June 20, 2024
Season 3
Episode 3
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:26:39 Comments Off on Workshop: Mapping Kim’s Novel to the Hero’s Journey

Writing Workshop with Kim & ReneeThe Writer’s Journey Subscribe to our Newsletter The Hero’s Journey Study Guide The Writing Workshop Exercise Map your Novel according to Vogler’s The Hero...

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Mapping the Hero’s Journey

June 12, 2024
Season 3
Episode 2
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 01:04:41 Comments Off on Mapping the Hero’s Journey

We’ve officially started our new book, Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. And boy is there a lot in the first two chapters! First (or first after Kim’s rant) is an...

Play Episode

The Writer’s Journey. Let’s Do This.

May 29, 2024
Season 3
Episode 1
 admin Featured, The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 01:03:50 Comments Off on The Writer’s Journey. Let’s Do This.

We’re on the last chapter of Judith Barrington’s book, Writing the Memoir, “Practical Advice on Critique Groups,” plus the dos and don’ts of giving and getting feedback. It’s practical...

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Musing: Memoir’s Secret Ingredient

March 13, 2024
Season 2
Episode 18
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:57:01 Comments Off on Musing: Memoir’s Secret Ingredient

We’ve gotten to the part of Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir where she covers the actual writing of...

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You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir)

February 28, 2024
Season 2
Episode 17
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:59:56 Comments Off on You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir)

Readers seek out memoirs because they want true stories. But the truth, according to Judith Barrington in her book...

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Finding Your Memoir’s Form

February 14, 2024
Season 2
Episode 16
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:52:11 Comments Off on Finding Your Memoir’s Form

Chronological, essays, skipping through time, interspersed non-fiction — there are so many forms that memoir can take. Judith Barrington...

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Making Your Memoir Matter

January 31, 2024
Season 2
Episode 15
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:54:34 Comments Off on Making Your Memoir Matter

Baring one's soul in a memoir is hard work. Convincing others to care is one thing, but to engage...

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Truth VS Narrative in Memoir

November 30, 2023
Season 2
Episode 14
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 01:00:15 Comments Off on Truth VS Narrative in Memoir

We’re starting a NEW BOOK - Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir. And what better place to start than by...

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Bye Bye Birdy

November 17, 2023
Season 2
Episode 13
 admin Bird by Bird, Featured, Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:53:15 Comments Off on Bye Bye Birdy

How do you tackle one of the most famous writing craft books, you take it “Bird by Bird.” That’s...

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Why Do You Write?

November 1, 2023
Season 2
Episode 12
 admin Bird by Bird 00:51:59 Comments Off on Why Do You Write?

Well, why do you? The answer for most authors is to get published. But is that the only...

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What To Do When You Have Writer’s Block

October 5, 2023
Season 2
Episode 11
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 01:02:49 Comments Off on What To Do When You Have Writer’s Block

Anne Lamott (in her Bird by Bird book) says the dreaded writer’s block isn’t about being blocked, it’s about...

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Writing Groups: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

September 20, 2023
Season 2
Episode 10
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:47:16 Comments Off on Writing Groups: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Behind most successful authors there is a writing group (at least according to their novel's acknowledgment section). But how...

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Writing Advice from the 90s

September 6, 2023
Season 2
Episode 9
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:37:01 Comments Off on Writing Advice from the 90s

Some advice is timeless, some is not. In this episode, we evaluate writing techniques from Anne Lamott's book...

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Shut (those voices in your head) Up & Write

August 2, 2023
Season 2
Episode 8
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:45:06 Comments Off on Shut (those voices in your head) Up & Write

Sometimes just showing up isn’t enough. You’ve set time aside for writing and instead of your story unfurling on...

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Beyond Butt In Chair

May 31, 2023 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:52:25 Comments Off on Beyond Butt In Chair

We’re onto the second section in Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird — The Writing Frame Of Mind — and...

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What to do when your Novel is a Beautiful Mess

May 17, 2023
Season 2
Episode 6
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 01:00:52 Comments Off on What to do when your Novel is a Beautiful Mess

Even published authors have problems getting the magical stories in their heads into finished manuscript. But Anne Lamott’s account...

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Getting Your Novel Right — Scene Setting and Reworking

May 3, 2023
Season 2
Episode 5
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:40:56 Comments Off on Getting Your Novel Right — Scene Setting and Reworking

We’re covering two different topics from Ann Lamott’s book Bird by Bird. First off is scene setting, both its...

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Character Driven Plot, plus Dialogue!

April 19, 2023
Season 2
Episode 4
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 01:13:35 Comments Off on Character Driven Plot, plus Dialogue!

We’ve gotten to some hearty chapters in Ann Lamott’s book Bird by Bird. First up is plot, which “grows...

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