188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) - When the Supernatural Aid is No Longer Needed

188 stages of the Hero's Journey (Monomyth) you need to know about... When the Supernatural Aid is no longer needed, he (or she) departs or travels to where he (or she) is needed. In Midnight Cowboy (1969), Ratso dies. In Silence of the Lambs (1991), Lecter ...

Breaking the Writer's Stalemate

Whether or not you are writing for income, or to fulfill a class assignment, or just for pleasure, the end result is that you have to break the stalemate somehow. You need to submit the article to your editor, you need to turn in that research paper, or you just need to stop drawing fancy bubble letters on an otherwise blank notepad.

Secrets To Getting Published

Getting published in today's competitive fiction market is as easy, or difficult, as learning the 3Rs—Reading, Rwriting, and Research. But it also involves three words that are key to the process - persistence, persistence, persistence.

188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) - Dissolving Away the Old Self

188 stages of the Hero's Journey (Monomyth) you need to know about... The Road of Trials is a stage where the Hero's Old Self dissolves away.

Children's Stories - Submitting Manuscripts to Publishers

How to write for children and submit your manuscript to publishers. Manuscript assessors, literary agents, looking for a publisher. How to format your story for submission, what to include in your submission, the cover letter.

You Can Murder Anybody You Want - In Your Fiction

Channeling anger and frustration through writing.

Writing Short Stories

Writing a short story need not be a Herculean task. You don't have to put 3000 words or fill 800 pages to finish a short story. Just about anybody can make a very good short story. Short stories can also be as artistically remarkable and moving as a novel, but you have to know the right formula to create a short story that sizzles.

Fiction - Writing the Synopsis

A synopsis is an abridgment, an outline or a short presentation of any written work. A synopsis is necessary to tell an editor what the book is about and if its progression is reasonable.

Mind Like a Macintosh (or How to Be an Organized Writer)

I hope Windows users will not take offense at this; but, in truth, it was Macintosh that invented double-clicking on little folders to retrieve files and documents. Before that creative breakthrough, maneuvering around computer directories was (in my view) a nightmare. I was rarely in the right directory; and, if, by chance I was, I couldn’t remember the name of the file. The Mac, on the other hand, seemed so logical, so user friendly, and so organized. To me, it was and remains a metaphor for how a writer must be able to quickly put her hands on exactly what she needs, when she needs it -- be that a file, an invoice, a scrap of paper with a phone number on it, a business card, a memo, or draft #2 of something that is now in its fifth incarnation. Alone or with help, you can bring order to chaos. Here is what you have to do.

Write Powerful Business Letters That Sell!

In addition to writing articles, the ability to write succinct and compelling business communications, ie.business letters and reports, is an absolute must in achieving credibility and commanding respect from those with whom you do business.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Engagement And The Return Crossing

A common characteristic of the Crossing of the Return Threshold.

188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) - Between The Magic Flight and the Crossing of the Return

Between the Magic Flight and the Crossing of the Return Threshold, a hell of a lot happens that is, incredibly, rarely given mention. Here the Hero and his (or her) allies, again, enter a new domain which is represented in many ways. In Robocop (1987), the cops declare a strike.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Impossible Dilemma

Time Pressure becomes acute for some reason. In Goldfinger (1964), the nuke goes off in less that 3 minutes.

Writers - Generate Peace and Creativity By Shutting Some Things Off!

Have you ever felt like a hamster running around and around in one of those little stationary wheels? Do you find yourself saturated with an endless list of things to do and wonder what you’ve accomplished all day? Do you find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen, uninspired, uncreative and unable to write a single sentence? Here are a few distracters that could be the big culprits!

The Loneliness of the Long-distance Writer (or why you need endurance)

Writing is an extremely physical activity -- something that never occurred to me when I started out. I took great pride in being able to sit for up to 12 hours at a time, refusing to abandon my post until I finished whatever I was writing. By the time I did finish, I was in a pretzel knot from hunching over the typewriter. The bottom line is that writers ought to join a gym or hire a personal trainer just to stay in shape to do what we do for a living.