NaNoWriMo: The Halfway Point

Today is Nov. 16th, roughly halfway through National Novel Writing Month. Time for a pep talk!



For those of you still participating in this event, way to go! You're already a cut above the rest by sticking with it this long, regardless of what your word count is right now. Those of you who started strong but gave up due to [insert excuse here], it's not too late! Put the boots on and launch back into that word count with renewed ferocity. And to the rest of you who never crossed the start line, it's not too late for you, either! You'll have twice the work ahead of you than most NaNoWriMo-ers, but it's not unheard of to make that 50,000 word goal in half the time.

The halfway point was hard for me. Sure, I had kept with the daily word count goals I had set for myself, but I was still only halfway there. Real life was already doing its best to derail my progress and the last half of the month would bring with it the additional complication of the Thanksgiving holiday. An already uphill battle for a guy who had previously only done 3-page short stories was going to be even more difficult.

I had every reason in the world to stop. My friends wanted to hang out with me again. Family wanted to spend time with me around the holiday. Work drained my energy during the day, leaving me running on fumes at night. And then there was that ever-present noise in my head, telling me that I wasn't good enough, I'm not a real writer, I should stop trying so hard and give up now.

You know what I did? I kept writing anyway.

My friends understood that I had a passion and needed to stoke that fire in me. Family had to sleep, and there was always that time late at night or early in the morning when they weren't awake yet and I could lay down some more words. At work, I would write on my lunch break and during my commute to and from the office. I stole every possible moment I could from the day to meet my daily goals, and I'll be damned if I was going to let the world keep me from crossing the finish line.

As for the noise in my head? It was always there, and always will be there. Self-doubt is nothing new to writers. Even the seasoned vets still hear that voice drilling doubt into their brain. The trick is to hear it without giving in to it. Recognize that voice, smile and nod at it, then go ahead and write anyway. If you have to, say aloud, "I will make it to 50,000 words." Make it your mantra. Don't worry about sounding crazy, everyone assumes writers are weird anyway.

You can do it. I know you can, and deep down, you know you can, too. Stick with it, you'll be glad you did.

See you at the finish line!

Quick Take on DC Comics/Barnes & Noble

For those who aren't up to date on recent comics news, Barnes & Noble is taking 100 graphic novels off their shelves nationwide because DC Comics has given the Amazon Kindle exclusive digital rights to those books for the next 4 months.

Personally, I don't think DC or B&N are thinking this through very well. Publishers should not be playing favorites when it comes to getting their content out, all it does is hurt their customers. Likewise, if you're a store in competition with another retail outlet, the last thing you want to do is give your customers a reason to go to your competitor to get the products they want. DC Comics has declared that they're sticking to their guns, and it looks like Barnes & Noble is doing the same with their response. Both sides look like spoiled children in all this who don't want to share their toys or play nice with the other kids.

As for me? Don't think that just because I'm formatting my short story anthology for Kindle self-publishing, I'm going to ignore all the other epub formats. Kindle is by far the trickiest part of formatting something for digital distribution, in my limited experience, so I want to leap that hurdle first. After that, formatting to the other digital book types will be a snap.

Rest easy, Nook and iPad fans! I've got your back!

WriteOnCon 2011 Review!

First off, let me just say that I'm bummed I missed out on so much of the awesomeness that is WriteOnCon this year! There were some awesome live chats and ninja agents prowling the forum, and I wish I'd been able to partake of those. Maybe next year.

That being said, there's still a TON of stuff that rolled out across all three days that is still available for all!



Rather than covering the convention by days like I did last year, I'm going to group them by general topic. That way, you'll have a better idea of what WriteOnCon offers the writers of the future.

For starters, there's a lot of good YA-specific material for those writing kidlit fiction, such as "Pacing in Contemporary YA," "Middle Grade’s Got Heart," "Marketing 101 for Children’s Book Authors" and "Chapter Books, Graphic Novels, & Hybrids: Exploring the Potential of the Young Reader Market." The first one was especially helpful to me at the stage I'm at now, trying to figure out how to get the pacing right in each book of my trilogy so it doesn't feel too rushed or too slow. The last one was surprisingly informative to me, despite having pretty much grown up with graphic novels.

There's also some really good stuff here that spans the age gap, presenting itself as useful information for any sort of writer, regardless of their audience. I'm speaking, of course, of "How to Write A Killer First Sentence," "Myths and Misconceptions," "Setting," "LGBT Lit" and "How Two Write." And that's just the first day! There's plenty here for all types of writers, covering the aforementioned topics and more, such as the dreaded synopsis, queries, character development, critique groups, marketing, revision, and more. If you're a writer and you think you know everything there is to know about your craft, you should check these out anyway. They might just surprise you.

Finally, and most importantly, the sense of community that WriteOnCon has built between its first year and this sophomore outing is made stronger with its amazing inspirational offerings. "10 Questions to See if You’ve Got What it Takes," "You’re Already Invited: Connecting to the Lit Community Online," "R-E-S-P-E-C-T," "Don’t Give Up!" and "Using Intuition to Balance Writing and Life: Advice from an Editor and Life Coach for Writers." That last one especially spoke to me through my love of the Hero's Journey, and its relevance to writers not just as a story template but as a road map for life itself.

There are plenty more essays to read and vlogs to watch, but hopefully this will have intrigued enough of you aspiring writers (and agents, and editors) to check out the full schedule and see what WriteOnCon has to offer you. Poke around the website, visit the forums, and become a part of an amazing community of writers who want their fellows to succeed. (And if you make some friends in high places, tell 'em I sent you!)

Quick Take On WriteOnCon 2011

WriteOnCon is over! Long live WriteOnCon!

I was busy for the first half of WriteOnCon 2011, but I still kept tabs on what was going on and I'm still digesting a lot of the information presented over the past 3 days. I'll do a write up on it after I've had time to process, complete with links!

WriteOnCon 2011 Is Coming!

I'm so excited! WriteOnCon is kicking off its second year next week, and I'm excited to see what they've got lined up for this year!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, WriteOnCon is a convention geared toward kidlit writers (like me) with speakers including fellow writers who are already at where we want to be, editors who can help us make our writing the best it can be, and agents who can get our writing where it needs to be. This is no ordinary convention, though. There's no registration table, no attendance fee, no long lines, and no scurrying about a convention floor to get from one panel to another. Nope, this convention is FREE and takes place ENTIRELY ONLINE in the form of written essays, chatrooms, forums and vlogs. It's the new wave of conventions, where you don't even have to leave home or change out of your pajamas to participate!

As the Fabulous Five Founders get everything lined up for this year's convention, take a look back at my quick review of their landmark first year starting with Day One, Day Two and Day Three! If you're a children's or young adult writer, you'll definitely want to check this out. Even if you're not, there's plenty here for writers of all types to walk away with some extra knowledge to kick their game up a notch.

Check out their website here, and stay tuned for my review of this year's WriteOnCon!

I Surrender!

So, I'm finally on Goodreads. I know, it took me long enough, but allow me to offer an explanation as to why I was so resistant for so long.

As surprising as it may seem for a technologically savvy guy like me, it takes me damn near forever to get with the program. I was just getting on MySpace when everyone was switching to Facebook as the social network of choice. I only got on LinkedIn and Twitter last year, and those were work-related decisions. If it seems like I'm consistently behind the curve when it comes to what all the cool kids are doing online, it's because I really am.

Goodreads was no exception. I know a few authors on there whose blogs I read and whose work I respect, and I think to myself: "Self, you can't even keep track of your blog in a timely manner, how do you think you're going to have time to give reviews of all those books you've read, too?" Then I started this crusade to self-publish a small anthology of my short stories, and took a closer look at all the avenues available to me as a means of promoting my anthology. I have my loyal followers here on my blog, and on Facebook and Twitter, but I want to reach people who might not know me or my work.

Thus, I finally started listening to the people telling me I should be on Goodreads and actually made an account for myself.

My profile is still young, but it'll grow as I get to know the site better and load up on books I've read. I also look forward to upgrading it to an author account once my anthology is up on Kindle! I just hope I can keep up with this AND all the other sites I'm juggling AND do my rewrite AND...

Oh, before I forget, here's my profile so you can hunt me down and see what I'm reading and what I've read!

R. B. LeMoyne's Favorites




More of R. B.'s books »

The Hero's Journey - Return With the Elixir

I know, I’ve really been dragging my feet writing these last few Hero’s Journey entries, and this one was no exception. It’s bad for me, being a blogger and taking forever to write up some really meaty material that has meant a lot to me in the process of writing and rewriting my novel. Maybe I’ll do a follow-up post to this part of my blog where I dish on all the mushy stuff I want to say about The Hero’s Journey, or even a bit about the archetypes found in the course of the Journey, but right now it’s time to delve into this one final stage of the grand epic. That’s right, it’s time to Return With the Elixir!

The Return stage is essential to resolving a story, because everyone has to go somewhere once all is said and done, and more often than not it’s a return to the Ordinary World. Harry Potter returns to 4 Privet Drive to live with the dreadful Dursley family, and Percy Jackson returns to his loving mother and another school year. This brings the story full circle and offers an excellent opportunity to illustrate just how your Hero has changed and grown on his Journey. Showing how people react to your protagonist in this moment as a contrast to how they reacted to him at the start of the story will do more to convince your reader that there was character development than if you simply state in the narrative that he’s different. Remember, the key is to show, not to tell.

If your Hero was sent out to find something or someone, this is where he returns triumphant with that object or person of note to transform the Ordinary World into something better than it was before. However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes the Hero doesn’t return to the Ordinary World. Sometimes, for whatever reason, he stays in the Special World. (Can anyone say sequel? How about series?) In this case, the narrative, not the character, returns to the Ordinary World to illustrate how the absence of the Hero is felt by those he left behind. If there is a sequel to this story, the Special World then becomes the Ordinary World and vice versa, shifting the status quo of your narrative dramatically.

Let’s wrap up Rob’s story using this stage of the Hero’s Journey. His Return With the Elixir takes the shape of his novel, the Elixir he’s been seeking for the longest time. With that monumental accomplishment in hand, he returns to his life feeling more empowered than ever. He knows he has what it takes to write a novel-length work, and he knows he can see it through to the end. That confidence and self esteem bleeds through in his demeanor. No longer is he blindly stumbling through life dreaming about what could have been or might be. He’s been there, he’s done it, and he returns to the people who know him revitalized. He seems more energetic and vibrant, his excitement about writing infectious to those around him. He rejoins his friends at the gaming table, but his creative energy is no longer bound solely to that arena. Now his thoughts turn toward the next great adventure: Editing his first draft for publication.

And that, my loyal followers, completes our exploration of the Hero’s Journey! As a reminder, this is by no means a complete analysis of the Journey. I’ve hit the highlights here, but there are many books that delve into these sections in greater detail than I’d care to inflict upon you in the pages of my blog. If you’re inclined to learn more, however, I’d suggest reading the original material by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces or, if you’d prefer something more modern and not as dry, Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. And, as always, if you have questions or comments about any stage of the Hero’s Journey, please leave them in the comments section below!

One more thing: Always remember that the Hero’s Journey is never really over. The ending of one story is but the beginning of the next.

Until next time, safe Journey!

They're At It Again!

WriteOnCon was such a hit, the talented ladies behind the kidlit convention are moving forward with it in a big way. Check out the awesome announcement regarding future con events here, and enter for a chance to win one of five truly incredible YA books here!

Epic epicness abounds! So what are you waiting for? Get in on it now!

The Hero's Journey - Ordeal

The ultimate showdown. The final battle. The central crisis. The Hero is delving deep within the Inmost Cave to do battle with the villain at its heart. There are many names for this stage of the Journey. Joseph Campbell calls it The Ordeal.

Contrary to what you might think, the Ordeal is not the climax of the story. No, the Ordeal is toward the end, but not the end itself. If you check your Road Map, you’ll see that there are four stages of the Hero’s Journey still to go. “But you just built this up to be the big fight!” Well, yes, because it is. The Ordeal is where the main battle is, the title match between good guy and bad guy. All the trials and tribulations earlier in the story have led to this moment of truth, when swords (or pistols, for you gun fanatics) are drawn and everything goes plunging straight toward the big fiery pit of doom. The Hero needs to show that those lessons earlier in the Journey were not in vain as he puts them to the test in a high-stakes battle against a superior foe. To continue that learning curve metaphor, think of the story as school and the Ordeal is your mid-term (and just as tension-filled, if done properly). Suddenly the label “Ordeal” is more than just a clever name, isn’t it?

This is probably as good a time as any to talk about the Shadow. No, not the pulp hero of the same name, we’re talking about the story archetype. The Shadow is everything the Hero is not. He’s an evil twin, a dark reflection, the figurative shadow to the Hero’s light. In fact, the Shadow often serves the function of showing us, the audience, what the Hero could become if he doesn’t learn the lessons of the story. A good example of this is Harry Potter’s Shadow, Voldemort. The Dark Lord is everything Harry could be if he had ended up in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, and Harry finds himself wondering a few times in the course of that book series if he isn’t starting to walk the same path as that ultimate evil. The Shadow doesn’t need to be an external force, though. It could be the Hero’s own impulses and desires, warring within him for dominance in the story. It could be an old state of being that he’s trying to change, or a love that continues to burn him from the inside out. Any way you slice it, the Shadow is the archetypal villain for the Hero to thwart in the Ordeal.

Let’s see this phase at work in Rob’s Journey. When last we left him, he was gearing up to tackle his own Ordeal – writing his first novel. The novel isn’t the villain, of course. No, the Shadow he needs to fight is his own fear, self-doubt and old habits. His Inmost Cave is the room where he writes, and his Ordeal is thwarting temptation so he can focus on writing 50,000 words in one month. It’s not an easy task, not when he still has work occupying the majority of the week, friends who want him to sit down and game with them, and family to visit in the holiday toward the end of the month. The deck is stacked against him from the start, but our Hero perseveres and fights to meet his word count day after day. Back and forth he goes, the days ticking by as he sits at his desk (or coffeehouse, sometimes, with his trusty PDA) and lays out word after word. Finally, the clock strikes midnight on November 31, signaling the start of December and the end of NaNoWriMo. Rob sits back and looks at his final word count: 50,007. He did it. He wrote his first novel.

We’re not through with our story yet, though. To the contrary, the true climax of our Hero’s Journey is still to come. The stress of the Ordeal has been overcome, now it’s time to kick back, relax and enjoy our victory as we savor the Reward!

Day Two and Three of WriteOnCon

Okay, to make up for yesterday's lack of a Day Two review of WriteOnCon, I'll fold it into today's review of Day Three to make it an uber-post.

First of all, major kudos to the convention's founders/administrators/organizers - Jamie Harrington, Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, Shannon Messenger, Jennifer Stayrook, and Lisa and Laura Roecker - for getting such a huge number of writers, agents and editors to take part in the first online convention for writers I've ever heard of. Blog posts, vlog posts, and live chats (both text and video) were presented in rapid fire and so smoothly to the eager writer aspirants in attendance. You ladies made it all look so easy!

Now to the meat of it. As a writer of YA (AKA young adult) fiction, it's always a good idea to know more about your community in the publishing world. WriteOnCon gives you the red carpet treatment as it welcomes you in, hands you your beverage of choice, and proceeds to roll out advice, tips and secrets of the kidlit world all from the comfort of your own softly humming computer. As much fun as it can be to go to a convention center and interact with people, getting caught in the press of the unwashed masses is something you'll never have to contend with here, nor will you have to leave one room to find another panel you want to sit in on at a different room. It's the ultimate in convenience - the convention quite literally comes to you at the click of a mouse button!

And what a convention! So much information is imparted from so many different sources in so many different ways, I'm still catching up on some of the posts from Day Two. Fortunately, the convention isn't going anywhere, even when it's over. For those of us who had to work throughout the bulk of the convention, all the information posted over the past three days will remain online for easy reference. As for the live segments, transcripts will be made available on the web site and video chats will be uploaded to YouTube. It sure beats having to scribble down notes in an overly air-conditioned hotel room, that's for sure.

I can't even begin to tell you how helpful the information imparted through this convention has been to me. There are questions I didn't even know I had that got answered, in addition to my own curious musings. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing my name pop up in the transcripts as my questions were posed to the professionals. (Even got a few of my humorous comments past the moderators and into public view - score!)

What were my favorite topics? I'm so glad you asked! Er, you didn't? But you were thinking it, right? Right? Right. Anyway...

Day Two was a racy day at the con, what with such topics like "Romance in YA," "Sex in YA: The ABC’s of Hooking Up," and "Authentic/Edgy YA" spread throughout the day. In addition, I gravitated instinctively toward the "Writing Genre Fiction," "Creating Memorable Characters," and the live chat where the topic was voice - both author's voice and character voice. For the record, though it's not written exactly as I posted it, the final question of that panel was one that I'd put through at the last minute, and got some good responses and a couple of books named as examples of my particular character voice question.

Day Three attempted to cover everything else that hadn't been said, and I'm still poking through a lot of it. The first topic I read about the moment I got to the site today was "Creating New Mythologies," not surprisingly. Beyond that, I was drawn into such topics as "Writing a Complete Story as Part of a Trilogy," "Writing Realistic, Captivating Dialog," and "The First Five Pages," which gave a sobering peek into how those first few pages of your manuscript will either net you an agent's request for more or a solid pass. The convention wrapped with the final chats, and I snuck in some comments and questions there, too. You'll just have to wait for the transcripts to see what made it and what didn't.

Now that it's over, I have the time to go back and read over every topic and revisit the ones that impacted me and my writing the most. As much research as I've done over the years on writing and publishing, you never really stop learning, and these three days presented me with a lot more ammunition to bring to bear as I get my trilogy up and running. I feel like I'm part of a grand community of writers going through a similar journey with their own manuscripts. More importantly, I feel like a successful writer for having made it this far. I may not be published yet, but I'm farther along than I've ever been, and I call that a win.

Day One of WriteOnCon

Now that I've finished watching "Working With Agents and Editors: A Live Video Workshop with Literary Agent Mark McVeigh," I can officially declare that I've fallen in love with online conventions. Sure, there's nothing quite like meeting someone in person and shaking their hand, but the next best thing is hosting a free convention that is accessible anywhere there's internet service. That's what WriteOnCon is, a 100% online convention for kidlit writers that is totally free to attend. It's just like a regular convention - you have guest speakers, panels and the like, all geared toward a particular topic, all laid out over a few days - only you don't necessarily need to bring pen and paper to jot down notes, most of it is presented in a convenient text format! (You may want to jot down notes for the live video chats, though. While the questions are presented in text, the answers are given over live video chat!)

Most of the topics are geared specifically toward writing for a younger audience ("Illustrating Children's Books" and "Writing Middle Grade" stand out there), but there's also a lot of material that applies to every writer, such as "Questions to Ask Yourself Before a Revision" or "Give Yourself Permission." If you fancy yourself a writer, you owe it to yourself to check out the convention here and bookmark it for future reference. You'll be glad you did!

Quick Take on WriteOnCon

I've never heard of an online convention before. So when I found out that an upcoming writer's convention would be held entirely online instead of at a convention center or hotel (like they usually are), my interest was definitely piqued. WriteOnCon is a convention specifically geared toward kidlit writers, but a quick glance at the first day's schedule reveals quite a few topics that could apply to writers of many genres. Best of all, it's FREE! If you're a children's or young adult fiction writer, or just a writer in general, check it out!

Special thanks go to Karly Kirkpatrick and her blog, without which I would never have stumbled upon this gem.

The Hero's Journey - Tests, Allies and Enemies

Thanks to the previous entries of the Hero’s Journey, the beginning is told – the foundation established, the stakes set, the rules established – now we jump into the middle of the story, where the adventure kicks into high gear and we learn the new rules of this strange, unknown world of adventure that awaits us. A new adventure means new friends, new adversaries, and new trials to overcome. Sometimes these are obvious to us on the Journey and are easily prepared for along the way. Sometimes they come out of nowhere to blindside us. However they present themselves, the bulk of the journey ahead brings with it Tests, Allies and Enemies.

The three elements of Tests, Allies and Enemies combine to introduce the reader to a new mode of thinking and being through the Hero. Cut off from what he’s known to be true in The Ordinary World, our Hero now needs to learn all new lessons, to grow and evolve as the story grows and evolves. This is made evident in stories like the Harry Potter books, where Hogwarts is nothing if not year after year of Tests, Allies and Enemies. Harry makes friends within the school, encounters antagonists among the student body and staff, and is constantly tested both by school work and evil wizards. Robert Langdon and Harry Dresden are always running a gamut of Tests, Allies and Enemies in the course of their investigations. Because of the huge amount of potential that these three elements present, this phase more than any other represents the bulk of the story being told. In movie terms, every stage of the Hero’s Journey up to this one takes place in Act One. This single stage takes up the vast majority of Act Two.

Because of its importance within the structure of the story, it’s crucial that these three elements aren’t wasted. Tests should not be meaningless encounters, they should impart important lessons that will figure prominently in the climax of the story, which we’ll discuss much later. Allies should not be arbitrary, either. Each one should serve an important story function, whether it’s as simple as comedy relief or as complex as a love interest. Enemies as well should not be random bad guys who have no reason to give the Hero trouble. Every manifestation of an element here should serve a function to move the story forward, to challenge the Hero’s previous way of thinking and being so he’ll be prepared for the big finish. This is key – it’s a poor storyteller indeed who will introduce a character just for the sake of working some personal friend or enemy of his into the narrative, or who loves a particular scenario so much that he’ll shoehorn it into the course of events, even though it serves no real dramatic function. Don’t fall into the trap of letting your ego dictate what works or not! The story is everything, and at the end of the day, every facet of the narrative should go toward building the best story possible.

Let’s check in on Rob’s Journey to see this phase at work. When last we left off, he had just gained a new job in the course of working with his Mentor. There’s no time for him to grow complacent, however. The office that he works in is much busier than his previous work, and he needs to learn a new way of operating so he can keep ahead of the curve. Organizing the office is easy – his boss teaches him how to keep their charts and files organized, and he sets right to it. Once he’s got that down, however, he’s taught more challenging tasks, such as checking insurance for patients, keeping patients informed on tests and services, requesting records from hospitals and other doctor’s offices, and all manner of administrative responsibilities to keep the office running. He makes new friends on the job, even earning a friendship with the office curmudgeon, but doesn’t seem to earn himself any enemies… or so it seems. In actuality, his greatest enemy is time itself, as the demands of the office and the demands of spending time with his friends means he has little time to himself for what he really wants to do – writing. He’ll have to deal with that enemy sooner or later, and it might be sooner than he thinks.

Every Journey leads somewhere, and all the Tests, Allies and Enemies will play a part in the following phases. More than half of our story is told, but the climax is yet to come. Strap yourselves in, because next time we delve into the Hero’s Journey, we’ll be making our Approach!

The Hero's Journey - Crossing the Threshold

This is it, the moment of truth, the point of no return. There were plenty of opportunities to turn your back on this great adventure before now, but you made the choice to forge ahead, even knowing that the road ahead is a long and scary one. It’s too late for second thoughts now, though. There’s no turning back. You’re Crossing the Threshold.

The stage of The Hero’s Journey known as Crossing the Threshold marks that part of the story where the adventure truly begins. The main characters cross the city limits to begin their road trip, or enter the haunted house, or otherwise venture into unknown territory. There’s a boundary between the world that is known and that which is a mystery, a threshold, and crossing it means the Journey has truly begun. Harry Potter embarks on that Journey every year when he takes the Hogwarts Express to school. Robert Langdon Crosses his Threshold when he’s brought to the scene of whichever crime he’s to give his opinion on by the authorities.

This doesn’t necessarily need to be an actual journey going from one city to another. The main character might not even step outside the city limits. This could be as simple as beginning a task, one that will be carried through to the climax of the story. It might be an investigation, or a new year of school, or a new job. It might even be an emotional journey, as the Hero embarks on a new romance or tries to reconnect with someone from his past. The main thing to keep in mind during the Crossing the Threshold part of the Hero’s Journey is that the main character leaves the old behind to start something new, even if there are elements of familiarity to it. As long as you’re charting some form of new territory – physical, emotional or otherwise – there’s a Threshold marking the end of the old mode of being and the beginning of something new and exciting.

Where there’s a Threshold, however, there’s bound to be a Threshold Guardian. This Archetype, much like the Hero, Messenger and Mentor, serves a function in the story, usually to keep the Hero from progressing on his Journey. The Hero must them find a way to defeat this guardian to progress, much like video games require you to beat a boss before advancing to the next level. This doesn’t have to be outright combat, though. Outwitting the Threshold Guardian works just as well, even befriending him or her. In all cases, the guardian is there to test the Hero’s resolve once committed to the adventure.

Going back to the example of Rob’s Journey, he’s devoted himself to working through this dark time in his life with Betty’s guidance. However, the true test of that commitment is following through on her instructions, one of which is to get out there and find a new job. He knows he can do it, and she knows that having a new job will free up his creativity so he can write without worry. Unfortunately, there’s a world of Threshold Guardians out there that he needs to get past so he can score that first interview. Over and over he tries, putting his name and resume out there, but nothing seems to be working. Finally, he discovers an “in” with a dentist’s office – one of Betty’s other clients knows that his friend who runs the office needs a new assistant. The first interview is scored, and his natural charm and wit – as well as common ground with this Guardian through the friend – lands him the job.

Now that the Ordinary World is well behind us, the Hero’s Journey can truly begin, with all the pitfalls and possibilities that such a Journey entails. Once the Threshold is Crossed, there’s all manner of new people, new situations and new mistakes to make, both good and bad. We’ll get into that in more detail next time, when I discuss Tests, Allies and Enemies.

My Blog Is Now Networked

It's true - R. B. LeMoyne's Blog is now a part of NetworkedBlogs on Facebook. What does that mean, exactly? It means that, if you're on my Facebook fan page, you'll get instant updates through their news feed when there's a new entry to read. You can also Like, Rate and Share my blog easily with just a click. More than that, you can Follow my blog directly on Facebook by going to the page here!

So what are you waiting for? Spread the joy of my blog to your Facebook account today!

Hey, I'm On Facebook!

It's true! If you're a fellow Facebooker, you can check out my fan page here and join my small but devoted fan base. I'm also going to post updates on the page so you'll know the moment there's a new entry on my blog, as well as other exciting news about me and my writing!

The Hero's Journey - Meeting the Mentor

Everyone has at least one person in their life that they look up to, someone who has given them the advice and encouragement that helped them get where they are now. For some, it’s a family member who was always there for them, or a friend who helped them through the darkest days. It doesn’t have to be someone so close to you, though. Help can come from anywhere – a co-worker, a boss, a teacher, even some random passer-by who passed along that little nugget of wisdom that set you on the right track. Whoever they are, wherever they come from, they fulfill one of the most integral archetypes of The Hero’s Journey: The Mentor.

Most Heroes need more than just a Call to Adventure to get them going. That adventure can look pretty daunting if they’re not well equipped to tackle it, which may have resulted in a Refusal of the Call. This is the part of the Journey where Meeting the Mentor is so crucial. He (or she, because the Mentor is no more gender exclusive than the Hero) is the guiding force for our adventurer. They may hand him the tools he’ll need to overcome future obstacles, point him in the right direction to begin his odyssey, or actively guide him through the strange new world that has replaced The Ordinary World. Sometimes, they’ll perform all of the above functions, accompanying the Hero on the Journey and acting as his own personal Jiminy Cricket. Other times, their appearance is all too brief, leaving the Hero to forge his own path. In all cases, the Mentor acts as a way for the Hero to answer that Call.

It’s worth noting that the Mentor doesn’t have to be a single character in the story. While one character can certainly embody that archetype exclusively (think Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books), others are allowed borrow that hat from time to time. In fact, Hagrid is the first to take on that role for Harry, guiding him through the process of preparing for his first year at Hogwarts, and continues to wear that hat every now and then throughout the series. Even villains can take on this role, as the young Mr. Potter sometimes learns just as much from those who seek to kill him than he does from the teaching staff at Hogwarts.

This leads me into the unique concept of the Dark Mentor. It is possible that an antagonist can be a Mentor, both instructing the Hero while working against him. How? From the shadows, usually, but sometimes right in plain sight under disguise. Not to belabor the Harry Potter comparisons, but the Dark Mentor has been used several times in that series, to stunning effect. But why would the bad guys want to help the good guy? Sometimes they start as good guys and evolve into bad guys, forcing the student to surpass the teacher in the final confrontation. Sometimes it’s a show of what not to do, giving the Hero a clear concept of what he stands against… and thus, what he stands for. Then again, the Dark Mentor may have a vested ego-driven interest in building a worthy adversary to oppose him. Some villains are just that twisted.

To illustrate this aspect of the Hero’s Journey through Rob’s ongoing adventure, he needs outside intervention to get him to halt that downward spiral of his and accept the Call to Adventure. His parents, having been in similar circumstances in the past, send him to their personal champion, Betty Dawes. Mrs. Dawes is knowledgeable, patient, and insightful – everything he needs right now. She also knows that what he wants to do more than anything is to write, if only he had the confidence to pursue his dream. Fortunately for Rob, she has all the tools he’ll need to break out of his shell and pursue his dream. It’s up to him to make that first step, though, to leave his Ordinary World behind and actively pursue the great adventure ahead.

It seems like quite the trek already, but this is only the start of the Journey. The real adventure can now begin, as our Hero is armed and ready to face the unknown. We’ll discuss that in more detail soon, when we get into the next part of The Hero’s Journey - Crossing the Threshold.

The Hero's Journey - Refusal of the Call

To give our traveling metaphor a bit of a rest, I’ll take up another for just a moment. Say you get a call from someone out of the blue. Might be someone you know, might not. In any case, the call comes at an inconvenient moment – you might be with friends, you might be with a loved one. Maybe you’re in the middle of a project or on the line with someone already. Whatever the case may be, you have a choice. Do you answer the call, or do you ignore it and continue on with whatever you were doing?

That, at its core, is what Refusal of the Call is all about.

This is the moment in the Hero’s Journey where two paths present themselves to our Hero. He can answer the Call to Adventure, propelling himself into the unknown, or he can ignore it and continue on the predictable path before him. It’s a very important moment of the story, the first real test of our Hero. Which will he choose? Well, obviously he’ll go on to the adventure, but most people who are set in their ways don’t just drop everything to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow. They’re either happy with their status quo, or in denial about the need for adventure.

Heroes should resist the Call to Adventure, at least initially. They should be stubborn or resistant – maybe not overly so, but enough to let the audience know that this is a step that is not taken lightly. Let them get a taste of the consequences of inaction, and allow that to propel them forward into the journey. One example of this kind of Refusal – and you’ll have to forgive that this is a movie example, not a literary one – is in The Matrix, when Neo gets a literal Call to Adventure from Morpheus. Rather than follow his future Mentor’s advice, however, Neo’s Refusal of the Call leads to capture and a terrifying encounter with Agent Smith.

Refusal of the Call doesn’t always come from the Hero, however. Said Hero might leap at the opportunity to go on the grand adventure, but something – or someone – else is keeping him from taking that first step, causing the Refusal. Harry Potter would love nothing more than to escape from the custody of his aunt and uncle, but his guardians simply will not let him escape their cruel treatment by going to Hogwarts. They’re so adamant about their Refusal of the Call that they try to take Harry far away to keep the letters of summons from reaching him, but the Call is never so easily denied…

Finally, we have the ongoing Journey of our young Hero, Rob, and his own Refusal of the Call. Unemployed, he has a great opportunity now to break free of the soul-crushing retail job he’s been working and follow his dream – to write his first novel. Rather than rise to the challenge, he wallows in his own feelings of inadequacy and withdraws from family and friends alike, convinced that he’ll never amount to anything. His passive Refusal of the Call manifests in a self-delusional state of escapism, where video games and roleplaying games become his reality in an attempt to replace the pain of his circumstances. And all the while, the money dwindles with each bill that needs to be paid.

This Refusal gives us a glimpse of the downward spiral that is sure to be the destruction of our Hero if he doesn’t change his ways and rise to the challenge presented to him. Sometimes a Hero needs help facing that adventure, though, someone to teach and guide our protagonist on his Journey. Sometimes, the Hero needs a Mentor.

We’ll discuss Meeting the Mentor in the next installment of the Hero’s Journey.

The Hero's Journey - The Call to Adventure

O Beloved Blog, my deepest apologies for neglecting you, but a penniless writer has to earn some pocket change for food from time to time. Now, where was I? Oh yes...

Okay, so your audience has been introduced to your main character, and you’ve established the world that he’s comfortable in. Now it’s time to shake things up and get the ball rolling. We need a catalyst, some event that disturbs the status quo or pushes the character out of his comfort zone. Something needs to spur the story on, and that’s just what this phase is – The Call to Adventure.

This stage of the journey takes its name from the time-honored tradition of the Messenger delivering the Call to the Hero in question, or the more modern equivalent of the urgent phone call or text, but this direct approach isn’t the only way that the Call can manifest. It can come from friend or foe, in person or via letter (or email). It might not even be an actual summons to action. It could be a warning to stay away, which provokes the Hero’s curiosity and propels him into action instead of dissuading him. Whatever form it takes, it intrudes upon The Ordinary World and disturbs that comfort that surrounds the main character.

For me, this was a tricky stage to contemplate in terms of my own story. The Call isn’t something you can just toss out there and make the Hero latch on to, it needs to affect him on such a level that it cannot be ignored. Subtle calls can still achieve this by watering the seeds of change laid out in the previous phase, but there must still be some event that makes this Call evident to the audience. The key, I believe, is making it personal. There needs to be some tie between the Call and the character (and, by sympathy, the audience), some sort of impact that makes him want to pursue the grand adventure and draws us further into the story. For Harry Potter, it was that first letter inviting him to Hogwarts. For Robert Langdon, it's someone approaching him for his expertise in symbology. If there’s no good reason for the protagonist and he goes along on the adventure anyway, your audience will wonder why he’s even bothering to begin with. Make it relevant and personal, and your audience will appreciate it.

To illustrate this point, we’ll go back to our young Hero, Rob. We’ve established his life, his routine, now it’s time to shake it up, which his boss does nicely. Due to an influx of new employees who are willing to do the same work for much less pay, he’s released from his job with a professional smile and a promise of a good word to whichever employer he works for next. Devastated because he’s never been fired from a job in his life, Rob staggers back home and drops himself onto his couch to ponder where he’ll be getting his next paycheck.

The Call to Adventure is clear here – there’s a great deal of potential laid out for Rob by the simple act of being released from his job. The comfort zone of his routine, of his existence, is breached and the unknown has been introduced. How the Call is answered, and more importantly if he answers it, remains to be seen.

We’ll discuss the third landmark of the Hero’s Journey in my next entry, Refusal of the Call.

The Hero's Journey - Road Map

No, this isn’t the uber-post. For those who want to keep track of where the Hero’s Journey will take us over the next dozen entries, I thought I’d post a quick road map both for my own reference and to stimulate thought until I do make my next big entry. Don’t worry, it’s coming!

For simplicity of storytelling, I’ll use Mr. Vogler’s outline as it hits the essential plot points and seems more adaptable to modern stories:

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

1 – The Ordinary World
2 – The Call to Adventure
3 – Refusal of the Call
4 – Meeting the Mentor
5 – Crossing the Threshold
6 – Tests, Allies and Enemies
7 – Approach
8 – The Ordeal
9 – The Reward
10 – The Road Back
11 – The Resurrection
12 – Return With the Elixir

Part One - The Ordinary World coming soon!