The Hero's Journey

Last week some of you asked me to write a blog on the hero's journey-what it is and why and how to use it.
From wikipedia: Joseph Campbell's...the hero's journey, refers to a basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world. Campbell held that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures and stages, which he summarized in the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces:

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A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

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Basically Campbell and other scholars detected a pattern in story telling that crossed cultures, times and regions. Writer's can make use of this pattern when plotting their novels no matter what the genre. It is, in fact, a great plot device and a way of looking at the overall character arc for your book. Campbell lists 17 steps. My goal is to show you those steps and to break them down into writing plot points and ways of looking at your overall story arc. (Next week we'll use the steps to look at your overall emotional arc-something that works well for romance authors.)
All 17 steps can be found at maricopa.edu.
I am not going to list them here because it would make the blog to long. So click on the link and take a look.
In the hero's journey, a story is broken down into three acts. The first act has five stages, the second act has six stages and the third act has six stages. Think of each stage as turning points in your book. If you like to outline, you'll love the hero's journey. If you don't like to outline, you can use this information to revise your book and write your synopsis or help you through a sagging point. I am going to paraphrase from here on out.
Act one is the first third of your book. As I said last week every good story begins with the ordinary world, but at a point where hints of the need for changes to come appear. Think of Harry Potter and how it opens with the morning of his cousin's birthday. Harry is roused from his tiny closet under the steps to cook breakfast and then it's off to the zoo where Harry reacts to his cousin's teasing a snake by making the glass disappear and reappear. (Hints of magic to come.) We see not only Harry's ordinary world, but why change has to happen in the way he is treated and hints of things to come in his uncontrolled magic and being able to understand the snake. The next step is the call to adventure. This is clear in the letters that appear for Harry from Hogwarts. The refusal of the call brings tension to the story and the letters remain unopened. So a magical helper appears and Harry chooses his adventure and is whisked off to school. The next step is Diagon Alley where Harry clearly leaves his ordinary world and discovers a whole new world. The first act ends in a low point or a point of terrible transformation which holds the potential for what will come next. Remember you want the reader to keep turning pages.
Act two has more stages and should be the next third or perhaps a full half of the book depending on your personal structure. This is where the main action happens. If you are plotting an outline these stages will keep you from the dreaded sagging middle. In this portion of the book are tests and trials (Plan them in sets of three) for your hero/heroine-often the hero fails these tests creating tension. The next step is when your hero experiences or encounters an unconditional love-it could be love of self or love of friend or true love depending on your story. It gives the hero a reason to continue and a reason to change themselves. (Think about Harry's new friends.) Next are temptations that may lead your hero off his chosen path. These can come right after the failure of a test creating tension and making the reader wonder if the path will change or be given up all together. Next your hero must confront whatever holds the ultimate power in their life. George Lucas did this quite literally in the scene in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker faces Darth Vader and discovers the villain is his father. This is a necessary step and the lowest point in your book. It is the heart of the character's transformation. Follow this monumental moment with a period of rest of the character and a time for the reader to catch their breath. The second act ends with our hero achieving the ultimate goal of his quest. The hard work pays off but the story is not over yet.
Act three can be the last third of the book but should move very quickly. It begins with the refusal to return to the ordinary world. Why go back? Sometimes there is a compelling reason to return- our hero must bring his new achievement back to save his baby brother from death. Sometimes our hero is compelled to return by guides because the hero himself doesn't understand the need to return to ordinary world. But the return must be made to complete the circle. The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom you have learned on the journey. Remember when Harry returns to his aunt's house he is no longer living in the cupboard under the stairs. He is too powerful now and things have changed. The final steps show our hero now comfortable with his new self and living his happy ever after...until the next call to action. The end.
Many speakers will give examples from classic movies, i.e., The Wizard of Oz and the original Star Wars. I used bits from Harry Potter. If you really want to understand the hero's journey, print out the steps and watch these movies and try to identify the steps in the acts. Then return to your work in progress and see where your plot and character development fit the pattern or fall short.
Remember: this is only a useful tool for plotting NOT a rule that must be followed. Steps can be skipped and/or rearranged to suit your individual story. Cheers~

Where to begin...

I have a confession to make. I can listen to workshop after workshop and read up on a subject and, even though I can spout all the proper words, and help others with revisions, sometimes I simply don't "get it" in my own work.
Here's my example: I wrote a book years ago that made me tingle. It was a pure paranormal roller coaster ride-before paranormals were hot. I wrote it on a whim and in 30 days, since I was published in sweet historical romance and had a deadline on another book. Still this story pulled and tugged and I had to get-it-out. Once I finished my deadline book, I went back and revised the paranormal and queried it. I found a NY editor who loved it as well. She kept it with promises of copy edits and taking it to her editorial board. But after two years she ultimately failed to sell it to her board. So, the book sat until I decided that there was something there and queried it out to agents. I found a NY agent who loved it and convinced me it was going to be huge. Unfortunately the paranormal tide had yet to turn and after 7 rejections said agent lost interest in both the book and me. BUT-(here's my point.) This time I had the advantage of reading publisher rejection letters. They seem to be more helpful when telling agents why they are rejecting a book. The one comment that stuck with me was "There is not enough world building." Of course, my thought was this: "Its set in Kansas, what's to world build?" I puzzled over this for years as the book sat and I wrote other stuff.
Then a year or so ago the word went out that YA Paranormal was huge. So, I returned to this book and re-read it and discovered that book 2--yes, NY agent had me write book 2--was more YA than single title adult. I spent the time to re-write book 1 with a YA bent-it was already snarky and a coming of age story so that changing it to YA was not a big problem. I then tested the waters by sending it out to various agents- most of them agreed that the YA paranormal market was saturated and this story was now nothing new. But one beloved agent said this to me: "There isn't enough world building in this story." Gah!
She hit that sore spot. What do they mean? I've researched the topic. I've gone to seminars. Its Kansas, what's to world build? (Sometimes my brain can be stubborn.)
This last residency week at Seton Hill University's MFA program, I signed up for a course in World Building YA given by Shelley Bates. (No, not paranormal but any kind of YA.) I was determined to try to figure out what was missing from the novel.
When Shelley launched into the subject of her latest Amish YA and how she built the world around her heroine. I carefully compared how she constructed her world to how I constructed mine and it hit me like a fast pitch softball. duh.
I started my story at the first turning point in a moment of trauma and breathless action-where the heroine's stepmother is murdered by a nightmarish demon hound and how she uses her "imagination" to escape only to discover that her reality has changed and her choices become terrible-save herself or save the world; believe the men who try to guide her in the outrageous new reality or believe the smooth talking devil who tells her she is merely having hallucinations and needs a doctor's help.
I was certain this was the perfect place to start with serious action and the call to adventure.
If you've ever read the Hero's Journey you probably already see what I did wrong. And in fact I had listened to yet another workshop on the Hero's Journey just the day before and had not put it together... What did I do wrong?
I did not start with the ordinary world.
It's that simple. I felt like a dunderhead. I know and have given talks on the Hero's Journey. (If you haven't heard of this, let me know I'll write a blog.) I have given talks on how the first two minutes of a movie always give the viewer the ordinary world before the first turning point so that they can relate to the protagonist and understand how important the call to adventure is and why the protagonist is forced to choose it.
In this case I skipped the ordinary world thinking that starting at this powerful point of action would suck the reader in like a vacuum. It was a vacuum alright, an empty space where the reader had nothing to compare with the problem.
Even crazier is that in book 2 I start with the ordinary world, but, of course, no one ever read that story since book 1 failed to sell.
So there it is--my example of how sometimes it can take years, a few subtle clues and tons of rehashing of writing craft before you can see why a book failed to sell. And yes, I'm going to go back and rewrite the opening of this book if for no other reason than to practice world building. Maybe someday this book will sell and someone will get to read book 2. Meanwhile, I am happy knowing that I finally figured out what I could do to make the story better. And that, after all, is what being a writer is all about. Cheers~

The Master's Program overview

I spent last week in Pennsylvania at Seton Hill University's Residency for their MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. It was the third out of five for me. (I am the last of the MA program. Most will have six residencies for the MFA.) It is a jam packed week of writing courses, critiques and meetings with published authors who are mentors/advisers and an afternoon with a guest speaker. This time the guest speaker was David Morrell author, best known for First Blood (Rambo) and his newest book Shimmer.
I got to see old friends and make new. It was great to meet my blogger friend Anita Miller, although I didn't get much time with her as it was constant go, go, go for me. (Anita blogged about her experience, too, so click on over and see the program through her eyes as well.)
On Tuesday night there was a welcome reception and introductions. Then Weds, we opened by discussing the general reading book, Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. The program asks us to read a book in a different genre every residency so that we can get a good feel for all genre fiction. My first residency we read YA, my second it was Science Fiction, this time Romance and for January's residency it will be Horror. This allows the student to understand the conventions, similarities, and difference in genre. That afternoon was spent discussing readings in the genre of choice for your thesis. In my case, mystery, the book was a classic whodunit by Margery Allingham. That evening was spent with our mentor/adviser discussing our thesis.
Thursday for me was a morning of three student presentations- as part of the program you learn teaching techniques and must give a workshop and then are given hints and helps on how to perfect your speaking style. The workshops were very interesting and I'll speak on them in another blog. The afternoon was spent in a module about clues and red herrings in mystery stories- fabulous, then more mentor meetings in the evening.
Friday was student critique workshops in the morning and the afternoon module was finding plot ideas and twists in news stories-great! (another blog) That evening was a wine social and book signings by alums of the program.
Saturday we were all starting to drag a bit-the days run 9 am to 9 pm. More student critiques followed by the afternoon with the guest speaker who talked about where the book business began and where it is going. Also about finding your light in your writing and more. That evening was another hour by the guest speaker then a books signing and reception.
Sunday morning for me was a wonderful module on World Building in YA followed by more student critiques in the afternoon-my ten page scene was the very last one. Even though everyone was on their last leg, I got some really solid comments. The day ended with a 4 pm good bye reception. Then it was off to the Pittsburgh airport, where my flight was delayed due to bad weather. I finally arrived home at 12:30 a.m. with an armful of information and an exhausted brain. But it was all very much worth it. Cheers~

New design and blog award

Last week the lovely Sia Mckye awarded this blog the Meat and Potatoes blog award. It tells you that the blog content is more than fluff but offers some solid information. Sia passed this award to five bloggers and I in turn am to do the same.

"This prestigious award goes to a particular group of wise and experienced bloggers who have proven themselves over the course of time, trials, and tribulations.

If you're looking to follow someone’s guidance for writing, publishing, promotion, and thought provoking articles, then I suggest you look at this group:

1) Marilyn Brant's warm and witty outlook on publishing and great marketing advice at Brant Flakes.
2) The absolute fabulous and right on multi-published authors over at Boxing the Octopus.
3) The tongue-in-cheek Joel Stickley at How to Write Well Badly.
4) Homey romantic fun at author Linda Kage's Blog Page.
5) Amazing over caffeinated author Talli Rolland from across the pond.

If you get a chance pop in and say hi to these bloggers- follow them and you won't be sorry you did.

In other news I've updated both my blog design and my website for the summer. Pop on over to www.nancyjparra.com and let me know what you think. Cheers~

Villians and heros

Recently I sat in a workshop and the exercise was to write an opening paragraph for a scene or novel. When we were done, we were to read it to our neighbor and discuss what kind of opening it was and why it worked or didn't work. I wrote the scene from my hero's point of view. When I read it to my neighbor, they loved it and thought he was an awesome villain. Hmmm, perhaps I had gone a bit too far on the bad-ass attitude. I didn't explain to them that this was my hero. The workshop went on, but I've thought long and hard on that moment.
Across genre's some of the best heroes have been villains and some of the best villains have been heroes.
What romance reader doesn't like a little bit of bad in their hero. Why? Because if he did everything the nice way there would be no tension. Without tension there is no conflict, no jazz, no thrill and no sex appeal.
What mystery reader doesn't like to pit their hero against the worst possible villain? Again, tension is built in when the worst possible-or alpha- villain is pitted against your protagonist. Who will win? Can you defeat someone smarter than you? What about someone crazier, or lacking moral direction, a loose cannon if you will?
Think of Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in Batman. He didn't care about anything but chaos. Or Dexter- the serial killer who goes after serial killers.
As a writer we want to create characters that cause tension and excitement in our reader. A page turner is when the reader can't tell who is going to win in the end-even though they are within the "safe" confines of genre-where the detective brings the bad guy to justice and the hero and heroine have happy endings. If you can write a scene or story where the hero is pitted against a villain of equal or greater intelligence you've created a page turner that your reader will want to return to again and again.
Keep in mind that alpha villains don't have to be powerful men or wicked women. They can be as awful as a small girl with no remorse or empathy- think about the character of Briony in Atonement. The creepiest part of that whole story is that even though she had ruined lives there was no recognition of why it was wrong and no remorse.
So, who is your favorite villain in a book or movie and why? Who is your favorite hero and why? Do they have anything in common?
Cheers~

Pitches

The latest trend in writers marketing is to tell everyone they need an "elevator" pitch. A short (15 words or less) pitch that you could use if you ran into an editor in an elevator. Something to get their attention. I worked hard on this-thought I had a great one for a Women's Fiction novel I wrote.
Here's the pitch:"A convention services manager discovers a family secret that complicates her happy ever after."
And the title: "If the Shoe Fits--sometimes the last thing you need is a fairy godfather."
I was prepared. So I went in for a pitch session with an agent. I gave my well polished pitch. She paused, blinked and said. "Okay, so tell me more."
I drew a complete blank. "Um, well, um." Wait...aren't they supposed to ask more specific questions about the book? "Um, well, okay... it's a Cinderella story--"
She cut me off. "Sorry Cinderella stories are over done. No one will buy it."
I swallowed. "Well, it's really and anti-Cinderella story. You see, the twist is that the Fairy Godfather gums up the works and the girl has to take her own life into her hands if she wants a happy ever after."
Agent frowned. "I don't get it."
"Okay..." My mind scrambled. "You see the heroine hasn't moved on since her mother's death. One day at the worst possible time, she discovers she has a fairy godfather who wants to change her life and give her a happy ever after."
"Cinderella stories are over done," Agent dismissed my pitch.
"No, see, the godfather tries to get the heroine to live the life he wants for her and she must learn to finally stand up for herself and live the life she wants for her."
"But," the agent says, "Why would you not want a fairy godfather?"
I stared at her, knowing I had lost all hope at this point. "This is really tough," I mutter.
"Why don't you tell me about something else you have," the kind agent says.
I didn't have any other elevator pitches ready. I swallowed. "But, this is the best book I've ever written."
Ding.
"Writers, your time is up. Please finish up and allow the next set of people in." The moderator announced.
I stood, shook the agent's hand and thanked her for seeing me. She handed me her card and said it was nice to meet me.
The point to this little story? You can write a good story. You can follow all the latest "rules" and write a good pitch. But that doesn't mean you'll always be fully prepared for what happens next, especially when the editor/agent doesn't get what you're trying to say. So, my advice, learn about pitches, do your best to write one, then realize that we're all human and even published authors can gum up a good appointment. Give yourself a break. And most important, try, try again. Cheers~

Writing is a mind game

Sally won four contests and finaled in five. Ben got an awesome agent with his first query. Tom sold the first book he ever wrote and hit the bestseller list. Emily just signed a three book deal with an awesome publisher who can't get enough of her stuff.
Meanwhile wretched writer won a prestigious contest but no one wanted to publish the book. Ambitious author started with a small press certain he'd jump right into something bigger but for some reason he can't break out. Disappointed dabbler entered twenty contests and the judges all hated her work--even though she has been following all "the rules" for ten years and going to writer's meeting regularly.
Let the mind games begin...
Writers are competitive, daring, dramatic people. Otherwise we wouldn't dream of attempting to write and create a story. We are lured by our own sense of success whether that's winning a contest or two, publishing a hard cover book, hitting the best seller list or simply being able to make a living at this madness. Someone once wrote that to be a writer is to be a gambler. We are all working on that next book in hopes of hitting it big. We all need the next "fix" of success.
Reality check #1: you cannot control the market place-not even a little. Not even if you're a marketing guru. Once you write and polish a book you have no further control over it. That means that two people can have the same great idea, have the same amount of talent, write well polished books and one may be a success while another one flounders. It may be something as simple as your name, your agent's name, who gets the book to the agent/editor first or even a tropical storm swamping a warehouse with all your books while the competition's books hit store shelves. (Seriously, floods, train wrecks, it's all happened.)
Reality check #2: Everybody's different. What does this mean? It means you can't compare what happens in your writing journey to what happens in any one else's. So what if all your friends are selling and celebrating victory after victory while you polish and resend and gather rejection letters. You are not a failure. They are not better than you. STOP comparing apples and oranges. You are not your friends. You are not Sally or Joe or even the person you consider your nemesis. Thinking that they are showing you up leads only to madness. You'll find yourself not finishing your work certain you will fail. You find yourself hating to hear their good news even though you like them. You might even try to copy them or figure out what they did to get where they are. Soon, you may be so obsessed that you quit writing all together. You fling books at walls swearing that editors are crazy if they think this dreck is good enough to publish. If you find yourself procrastinating or polishing the same three chapters without finishing the book or chasing trends only to discover it's no longer vampires but zombies, no longer zombies but werewolves, no longer werewolves but mummies and you would rather shove a toothpick in your eye then congratulate your best friend on her latest sale. Stop the madness. Open your window. Stick your head out and shout, "I'm mad as hell and I just can't take it anymore."
Now step away from the computer. Step away from the story. Take a break, get some water, deep breathes, do yoga, stand on your head. Move your computer sideways. Change your perspective. Even take a month away from writing (or more) if needed to gain perspective. Writing is life. Some people are born rich. Some people are born poor. Some people catch every break while others work their fingers to the bone year after year. While it is natural to compare yourself to others, remember this: writing is hard enough without playing mind games. Some say you need a thick skin in this business. I say you need proper perspective. Whatever you do- fight the bitterness with fun. (Bon fire of the rejections letters anyone?) Fight the disappointment with flare (shout "ompah" and do shots of chocolate for every thanks-but-no-thanks) and cherish all your friend's victories as your own (party like it's Dec. 21, 2012.) Dare NOT to compare and celebrate the journey you are on. Play. Live. Enjoy. Life is too short to do anything else. Cheers~