Journeys

So, I don’t know if it’s because I’m just a forgetful person or what but until I started researching plot structures and whatnot, I had no concept of the “Hero’s Journey”. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read books that use the concept and I can recognize it, especially in fantasy/science fiction. But it wasn’t something that had a name. It wasn’t official. And yet, I just didn’t “get it”. Is this a lack of education? A lack of comprehension? Or an inability to connect with something that just doesn’t fit my writing style?

Well, let’s take a look at that. What, exactly, is my writing style? Do I even have a writing style? I’ve mentioned it before – my reading styles vary drastically. As do my writing styles, I suppose. Yet there has never been a question in my mind that my main lead character is always female. I can, and do, write from the male perspective but my main, main, main is still female. So when I stumbled upon the Heroine’s Journey, I was intrigued. I haven’t bought the book, but I did read the two entries at this blog. And it made sense. I connected with this journey almost immediately. Is it because it’s more internal vs external? Absolutely. Will all this internal reflection make my strong female character weak and readers unable to relate to her? I say absolutely not. And not because I want to write for females. More than anything, I write for myself but outside of me, I write for all readers. All ages, all genders. What I do believe is that this journey will help me, with no formal training, create a better character. One that has depth and feelings. One that I, personally, can like. Even if I want to smack the crap out of her at times.

Here, by the way, is the book discussed on that blog: 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. I guess I’ll add it to my Amazon Wish List. It looks both interesting and helpful.