The Hero’s Journey in The Hunger Games: A Complete Breakdown for Writers
Katniss Everdeen’s journey in The Hunger Games is a perfect example of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Readers can feel her character transformation through each step she goes through and everything she’s faced with. Follow along as a breakdown down Katniss’s journey step-by-step through the Hero’s Journey. 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: Katniss’s Hero Journey A Sad Reality (The Ordinary World) We see straight away how sad of a world Katniss…
10 Free Detailed Writing Prompts to Drive Your Next Story
The best stories come from the most unexpected places and from the smallest ideas. And sometimes, you just need a little prompt to spark an idea so good that you fall in love with writing it. I wanted to give you some great writing prompts that can spark those stories within you. But here’s the twist: I love writing prompts, but sometimes the ideas are so vague that it feels like I’m not using a prompt at all. I wanted to give you a few detailed prompts that set up the plot and characters for you, so you can just get to writing and expanding on them. Here we go!…
How To Stay Inspired to Write Long Term
Writing novels is an entirely different challenge from writing short stories and flash fiction. Though each has its own set of pros and cons, writing full-length novels requires long-lasting motivation. To continue writing (possibly for years) one story in spite of the boredom, disinterest, and frustration is a feat like no other. But how do you stay inspired to write long-term? At some point along the project, you’re bound to feel a lack of interest, a lack of motivation, and uncertainty about where to take the story. These feelings are inevitable, but knowing how to handle them can help ease their discomfort. Here’s my advice on how to stay inspired…
Making These World-Building Mistakes? Here’s How To Fix Them
Building a world through words seems like a daunting feat. But, when world-building is done right, it gives readers an immersive story and brings the characters and scenes to life. World-building done wrong, though, can weaken the world you’re trying to bring to life. In this post, we will explore five world-building mistakes that writers often make—and practical ways to fix them. Mistake #1: Info-Dumping As a writer, you want to give readers the insight they need to understand your story. Sometimes, writers will write all of this information into one scene, resulting in the reader feeling overwhelmed, rushed, and will likely forget all the information. This can occur once…
What To Do When You Want To Quit Writing
You’ve poured your heart into the story, shared it on your portfolio, and no one reads it. The disappointment is high, but you decide to enter it in a contest. But, as always, it doesn’t win, and now you’re lost and you are doubting yourself. This is how writer’s burnout can form, and how you can end up feeling like you want to quit writing. This feeling of self-doubt and lack of motivation happens to every writer, so don’t worry if you feel like this. There are things you can do to work through it, although time will usually help on its own. Signs You’re Burnt Out Every writer experiences…
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…
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…
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 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…
How To Write Dark Fiction That is Thought-Provoking
Many people feel dark fiction has become popular only in the last few decades. However, this is a genre that has been around from the days of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in the 1800s all the way till today. Because we live in a world that can sometimes be dark and scary, dark fiction will always be not only relevant, but popular. The problem many authors face when trying to understand how to write dark fiction is how far too far is. How do you write about dark subjects in a way that engages readers rather than overwhelms them? Let’s take a few minutes to understand what dark fiction is, why…
