What is the Call to Adventure about? As much as we’d all like to have the perfect Ordinary World for our heroes, that world is static but unstable. Soon, a wind of change blows and that wind is called The Call to Adventure. This stage is also often known as The Hook since this is usually what sparks your audience’s interest as it gets the story rolling. Fans of Save the Cat! will also recognise…
What is the Ordinary World? The Ordinary World is the first stage of your hero’s journey and thus the story’s opening. Its function is to set the tone of the story, suggest where it’s going, and get across all necessary information without slowing the pace. The Ordinary World gives your audience the context, home base, and the hero’s background. It establishes what the hero’s life looks like before embarking on the journey (before entering the…
The Hero’s Journey is not about rules. It is a collection of common structural elements found universally in the world of storytelling. It is an observation of patterns and principles found in myths, fairy tales, novels, movies, dreams, etc. The intention of being aware of them is not about “following rules”, but rather being able to use them, play around with them, and recreate them in new ways and combinations. Most importantly, they are here…
It’s … FLAWLESS CHARACTERS! The flawless love interest is honestly such a pet peeve of mine. Unless you’re writing a children’s fairy tale or some kind of poetic play where the characters are allegories, ALL your characters should have flaws. Well, not *should* but it’s the first step to giving your characters some dimension so they are not just cardboard cutouts. A great example of this is Jake from Falling for Christmas. His only vice…
A good open ending can be a brilliant way to conclude your story. It can create tension that the audience takes with them, allowing your story to marinate in their minds for days, weeks, or years after. However, not every lack of a substantial ending makes a good open ending. Writers need to remember that open endings are not just an excuse for laziness with story structure. Tough love, baby. They need to be crafted…
After watching the new season of Borgen, internationally known as Borgen: Power & Glory and Danishly known as Borgen: Riget, Magten og Æren, I decided to share a few thoughts on it. Welcome to Borgen review à la Katja. If you have already watched the YouTube video and just want to jump to places in this text that are NOT in that video, you can go here for more on Greenland and here for more…
2021 has been a crazy year, full of self-reflection, life lessons, and personal growth. While this definitely applies to me, I suspect I am not the only one. And isn’t that wonderful? In the midst of this worldwide insanity, we have been forced to turn within, reevaluate our lives, and find our tribes. In that aspect, it has been a truly transformational year. Well, and I turned 30. That might have had something to do…
Welcome to the newest personality quiz! Are you ready to find out which one of the famous twelve Olympians you resemble the most? Let’s go! 🏛🏺
Do you have a pre-writing ritual? It could be anything. Doing an hour-long yoga class or just taking your favourite pen in your hands. Preparing a cup of coffee or taking a few deep breaths. Changing your clothes or lighting a candle. The nature of rituals This topic reminds me of writings by Richard Schechner and Victor Turner on the nature of rituals. More specifically, the part about rituals serving as a way to transition…
Today, I have prepared a fun quiz so you can see which British Romantic poet you are. Just click below to find out!