Breaking Down the Hero’s Journey in Coraline
Coraline, to me, is a complex narrative disguised as a simple children’s story. It follows Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey in such a unique way that I wanted to break down each step for you. I think Coraline is a perfect story to learn many writing techniques from. Let’s follow along through the hero’s journey in Coraline and her journey through the surreal. Jump To What is the Hero’s Journey? The Hero’s Journey (also called the monomyth) was popularized by Joseph Campbell. He was a mythologist who believed stories share a common structure. Writers can use this structure as a great guide to plan their own stories. The steps are: Coraline…
How To Build a Daily Writing Habit—Even When You’re Busy
I know as authors we plan to write every day, but life often has plans of its own. Writing gets put to the back burner again and we continue with the ‘more important’ things. But, if you want to be a writer, you need to write! Developing a daily writing habit matters—especially for busy people who can tend to let writing go for later. This post will help you to develop a consistent writing habit with actionable steps and mindset shifts. Why a Daily Writing Habit Is Worth Your Time Let me make it clear: when I say “daily” don’t think this will be an everyday thing. Like I said,…
How To Create Settings That Captivate Your Readers
Imagine your favorite story without its setting. What would The Lord of the Rings be without its vast Middle-earth landscapes? What would The Hunger Games be without its tense and confined arena? Setting can seem like just a place, but in creative writing, it is so much more. Setting is a tool in storytelling that shapes mood, builds conflict, and creates memorable images for the reader to reminisce about. Learning how to create settings in your story will elevate your writing. Let’s dig into the real power of setting and how to create settings that you can use it to elevate your own writing. How To Create Settings Setting as…
How To Write Poetry for Absolute Beginners
Poetry—I’ve become quite intrigued by poetry these past few years. And that’s quite new to me. I enjoy the layers of symbolism and themes that come from poems. So, I’ve decided to finally look into how to write poetry, learn more about the craft, and share what I’ve found with you. I’ve found poetry to be an excellent tool for creative writers and authors. The shortness of poems allows authors to add to their portfolio quickly. Not only that, but poetry also stretches your writing muscles by forcing you to write in a new way. So, I want to share with you the basics of poetry, how and where to…
The Best AI Tools for Busy Writers
Through the rise of AI and the ethical concerns it raises I have avoided it entirely. But, as always, when something becomes mainstream, you can’t escape it. And so, I tried it. I discovered how I could use AI as a tool to help build my writing career without abusing it, and now I see the benefits. That isn’t to say there aren’t still concerns. However, when you use AI as a tool, it can be incredibly helpful—especially to writers trying to grow their online presence. So, I want to share my must-have AI tools for writers and the pros and cons of AI. Jump To Beginner Writers & Authors…
5 Simple Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health
Journaling is such a simple tool for understanding your entire self, understanding your behaviors, and recognizing patterns. It can release emotions and aid in creativity. Despite its simplicity, many find journaling for mental health to be difficult. The tricky part I’ve heard countless times and that I’ve said plenty is, “I don’t know what to write about.” As someone who has tried journaling many many times and has felt unsure when thinking of what to write, I finally have discovered the benefits of journaling—and the best part is I’ve been journaling even when I didn’t realize it. Here are the best benefits I have found from journaling for mental health…
How To Create a Creative Writer Portfolio: Essential Elements
A creative writer portfolio (or author website) is one of the most essential tools for a creative writer. It’s where you showcase your skills, attract new audiences, and build communities. Whether you’re trying to land agents, publishers, freelance work, or book sales, creating a portfolio is beneficial. However, many writers can get so stressed out trying to learn what even to put on their portfolio that they put it off completely. Don’t worry! I’m here to guide you through the essential elements of an author website. Once you understand the essentials, you can tailor it to fit your style. I will include some examples below as well as some tools…
How To Develop Inner Peace Through Pursuing Your Passion
For years, I have only toyed with my business, my passion, and my purpose. I’m done. I’m ready to begin and I’m ready to finally believe in myself. Wanting to follow your passion and actually doing it, however, are two very different things. Pursuing your passion takes courage, and it comes with many risks and challenges. But, these setbacks cannot scare us forever; and, eventually, we all reach a point where we evaluate what we’re doing, how it makes us feel, and we desire to follow our dreams. How To Develop Inner Peace Something I’ve connected to this past month for some reason is the story of Icarus. We’ve all heard…
How To Write Dialogue in a Story with These Tips
Learning how to write dialogue can be a tricky thing for many writers. Not only are there so many rules in regard to formatting and punctuation, but crafting natural, purposeful dialogue is tough to master. So, not only is dialogue hard to write, but it is also an essential part of a good story. I think good dialogue in any story includes four parts: it’s natural, it’s meaningful, it adds personality, and it is interesting to read. When you incorporate these elements, you can be confident in writing dialogue. Let’s look closer at these elements and better understand how to write dialogue in a story. How To Write Dialogue Make…
How To Write a Good Plot Twist
If you’ve ever been into a great book, absorbed into the story, and bam plot twist. Suddenly, you’re hooked deeper, you can’t put the book down, and you realize all the small clues you missed. ‘How did I not see this coming?’ you might think to yourself as everything begins to make sense and fall into place. You finish the book, amazed at the twist that changed everything. Have you ever been into a great book and suddenly bam plot twist. And, suddenly, you’re confused. ‘Where did this come from?’ you ask yourself. ‘This doesn’t make any sense.’ You are more lost than ever and you begin to lose interest…
