Tuesday's Inspiration revisiting the Writer's Journey - Christopher Vogler #MFRWauthor

Written in 2010 and revisited today.

Years ago, I bought The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler and started to read it but for some reason I put it on the shelf and didn't finish it. While doing these things to inspire people in their writing I pulled it off the shelf and started to read.

He maps out a sort of 3 act arc. This begins in the ordinary world. This made me think about the ordinary world. This is different for each character one creates and this means one has to build a bit of the character's world before the story begins. For me this means that after I've decided what my story is going to entail, I have to think about what is going on in a character's life and what makes them want to leave this world that may be comfortable or uncomfortable. He talks about :The fish out of water." Sometimes I've used this but sometimes I've made the fish be in the water and the changes that come from without. Mrs. Miller in the first two stories of the mystery series is in her world and her world is threatened. In the third and fourth books of the series she does step out of her world and I think when I get to the fifth, she will again leave her world and in the sixth she will return to her world being disturbed by events. So reading just a few paragraphs has made me think about the stories I've written and the ones I'll be writing.

Re-reading this segment made me realize how important world-building is for the writer to master. Even in the contemporary story each character's world is slightly different. As I've continued to write since I read this part of the book, world building has become a vital part of the way I start to plan my stories. How about you? Do you look at the characters' view of their world whether contemporary, historical or a fantasy world?

Tuesday's Inspiration - Looking back to 2010 - The Writer's Journey #MFRWauthor

Years ago, I bought The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler and started to read it but for some reason I put it on the shelf and didn't finish it. While doing these things to inspire people in their writing I pulled it off the shelf and started to read.

He maps out a sort of 3 act arc. This begins in the ordinary world. This made me think about the ordinary world. This is different for each character one creates and this means one has to build a bit of the character's world before the story begins. For me this means that after I've decided what my story is going to entail, I have to think about what is going on in a character's life and what makes them want to leave this world that may be comfortable or uncomfortable. He talks about :The fish out of water." Sometimes I've used this but sometimes I've made the fist be in the water and the changes that come from without. Mrs. Miller in the first two stories of the mystery series is in her world and her world is threatened. In the third and fourth books of the series she does step out of her world and I think when I get to the fifth, she will again leave her world and in the sixth she will return to her world being disturbed by events. So reading just a few paragraphs has made me think about the stories I've written and the ones I'll be writing.

Inspiration - The Writers' Journey _Book Winner and Next book

First the winner of Refuge is Sunsinger and I'll be emailing soon. The next book up is the second of the Katherine Miller mysteries, Requiem murder. Here's a bit about the book. The current organist at St. Stephens has left. Katherine is part of the search committee to find a new one. The moment she hears Roger Brandon's artistry she knows he's the one. His playing is enough to tempt the angels. He accepts the position and brings trouble to the church choir. He is handsome and charismatic and charms the women of the church. Three of the women are part of Katherine's neighborhood. She begins to suspect his dark secret. Can she learn before tragedy strikes.

Now to Vogler and the final step in the writer's journey. This is called Return with the Elixir. Kind of a neat way of saying the end. Now stories can end happily or tragically. They can be closed ended or open ended, but the ending must be satisfactory. Most of the stories I write are closed end and I hope satisfactory. What happens is the character or characters bring the lessons they have learned to the present and this generally results in changes, or not. Some characters don't learn and they may need to repeat their journey again.

What I really found interesting is Vogler's reasons for faulty endings. these are things that leave the reader unsatisfied. One is loose ends. Right now I'm dealing with the fourth book in a four book series and trying to make sure nothing is left unresolved. This can be hard but slowly it's coming into focus. Another problem is too many endings. I've read books where I believe the end has been reached and then the author continues on to end yet again. The ending cat be abrupt and not give the reader time to process what the story has meant. I think I've been guilty of this several times. When an editor pointed this out to me several times I realized the reason the story ended like this was there was to be a sequel. Thus the ending had to change,

During the many weeks of using this book as an inspiration for my own writing and perhaps giving other readers some hints about their journey, I've learned a lot, questioned frequently. Hopefully you have as well

Inspiration -- The Writer's Journey continued - The Road Back

According to Vogler even though the hero or heroine has taken the treasure, the adventure isn't over. He or she must take the road back. Now this road isn't without danger. Often the character is pursued by enemies or by well-meaning friends who chase after them.

Thinking about this puzzled me for a bit until I thought about what happens when the hero or heroine has the knowledge that they can win. To have the victory this character must be able to show the world that they have defeated the villain, their inner problems or can win their dream. This isn't as easy as it seems.

Put me in mind of my cozy mysteries, while the heroine knows who or why a murder was committed she still has to prove to the world that what she knows is true. Because I like happy endings when writing of her quest to discover the murderer, this part of her journey must be played out in full. In Murder and Mint Tea she must attend a funeral. In Requiem Murder she needs to see that the innocent aren't destroyed. And in the other mysteries she has things to prove to others. Not always easy and not always the solutions others want.

Inspirations - More on the Writer's Journey

In The Writer's Journey Christopher Vogler Moves onto the Reward or Seizing the Sword. This comes after the Black mOment and for a long time I puzzled over this. In many of my books there isn't an object that comes as a result of the dark time when all is believed to be lost. Then one phrase struck me and that was knowledge. Knowledge is valuable to the writer and this is what I've taken from this part of the journey he writes about. Often my characters through a search of themselves or of communicating with other people what is true and what is not. They may also learn more about the person and discover what they believed was false.

I've been re-reading some of my favorite novels by Jo Beverly and she uses the idea of knowledge one character believes to be trus and learns it is false or the character's idea of what it means has been skewed by their own insecurities.

One of my books The Warrior of Bast really does have the heroine and hero recovering treasures after undergoing some adventures that would have ended their lives. But recovering the treasures didn't end the book. They had more steps to take on their journey.

More on Vogler - The Supreme Ordeal

Mr. Vogler calls what I consider the dreaded "Black Moment" as the upreme ordeal. I once wrote a piece called Is Your Black Moment Really Gray. I'm sure some bits and pieces of it are still floating around the internet and there is an expanded version in the book Jane and I wrote.

This is the moment when the focus character reaches rock bottom. The hero has lost the heroine. The murderer will escape. The prince or princess will never emerge from the dungeon. The build up to this scene should flow with tension like hovering at the edge of the cliff waiting to take the plunge. This is adrenalin time.

Mr. Vogler says the hero or heroine in this part of the story meets his or her greatest fear. The reader needs to fear and wonder if the character will suffer defeat or will triumph. Every story needs such an event. My own take is that this should be played out to the nth degree.

More on Vogler - Crossing the First Threshhold

This is one element I don't think I use as the end of Act 1 or start of Act 2 in some of my books. Often times my characters make a definite decision to act in the opening
scene. Because some of my stories don't have mentors. Vogel says often an outside force makes the character step over the threshold. This step could be forced by an internal force.

While thinking about this my mystery series comes to mind. In Murder and Mint Tea, the mystery becomes rather than a who done it as to a who is going to do it? Thus the turning points are different and the murder doesn't come until late in the book. Actually the story is all about why this person should be murdered. The heroine, Katherine Miller's problem is with her tenant Rachel and what she learns about this person as the story evolves.

The crossing is when the story begins in earnest. This kind of turning point rather baffles me. Does anyone else feel the same?

More on Vogler -- Mentor

The fourth element Vogler mentions is the mentor. This is usually an older person with advice for the hero or heroine. The mentor can also encourage the hero or heroine to embark on the journey.

I'm not sure this figure is found in many of my stories. I can't isolate one in most of the romances I've written. I have found this character in most of the fantasies. There isn't one in the cozy mysteries either.

Of the mentor characters I've written in the fantasies, the yellow dragon in The Dragons of Fyre is my favorite. In The Henge stories, there is also a mentor in the figure of Doma Jandia. In some ways the evil Dom Senet is a mentor to those who follow him. Does the mentor always have to be a force for good? Is encouragement enough? Let me know what you think?

What about your stories? Do you have a mentor type character in them?

Inspirations -- another from Vogler

The third of Vogler's steps on the journey is the Reluctant Hero. As I read what he'd written about this, I wondered if all heroes or heroines were reluctant. For me this isn't necessarily the case. Some heroes or heroines are eager to undertake the quest. This is due to the development of their natures. Are they more or less interesting than the reluctant one? I don't think this is the case. A character who is eager and avid to pursue a goal can be interesting especially if they are faced with an opposite who is equally opposed to the character reaching a goal.

Now we come to the reluctant one. Is fear the only reason for a character being unwilling to take on a quest? Maybe but maybe not, unless fear engenders more that a fear of the unknown. The reluctant character may be afraid of hurting someone. They usually know what pain their actions might cause.

What about your characters? Are they among those who are reluctant or are they the kind that leap into action barely giving a thought to the consequences? Of mine, I think I have written both kinds. Since some of my works are ensemble groups of heroes and heroines, I can have both types in the same story. That often leads to a few complications that weren't planned but add depth to the story.

Inspiration day -- More on Vogler

Vogler's second step on the journey is the Call to Action. What reading his book has done is to make me think about what I do either instinctively or by careful planning. I do work on several levels. To me this call is a trigger. What triggers my hero or heroine or both to take a step toward a goal and why they want to reach that goal. What triggers them to move. Is there a new man or woman in their view? Is there a problem that must be solved and are they the right ones to solve them? This sort of thing is what I use when I do the two sentence synopsis. A simple question stating the goal and can it be reached.

I'm very glad I dug this book from my shelves and I'll continue to look at the steps on the journey and see how they go with my own writing. Take the time and see if they fit into your writing ideas.

Inspirations - The Writer's journey

Years ago, I bought The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler and started to read it but for some reason I put it on the shelf and didn't finish it. While doing these things to inspire people in their writing I pulled it off the shelf and started to read.

He maps out a sort of 3 act arc. This begins in the ordinary world. This made me think about the ordinary world. This is different for each character one creates and this means one has to build a bit of the character's world before the story begins. For me this means that after I've decided what my story is going to entail, I have to think about what is going on in a character's life and what makes them want to leave this world that may be comfortable or uncomfortable. He talks about :The fish out of water." Sometimes I've used this but sometimes I've made the fist be in the water and the changes that come from without. Mrs. Miller in the first two stories of the mystery series is in her world and her world is threatened. In the third and fourth books of the series she does step out of her world and I think when I get to the fifth, she will again leave her world and in the sixth she will return to her world being disturbed by events. So reading just a few paragraphs has made me think about the stories I've written and the ones I'll be writing.