Crafting Effective Plots Using the Hero’s Journey

Live attendance is not required: enrollees can watch the recording at any time after the workshop!

Having a plot archetype that underpins and guides your narrative is absolutely essential to writing a great story. Trying to write one without a structure in mind is like trying to drive cross-country without a road — maybe you’ll get there eventually, but you’re more likely to get really lost... and either way it’s going to be a rough ride!

One of the most applicable and widely-used of plot archetype is the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell revolutionized story theory when he formalized this archetype, identifying a common structure that unifies many of our most beloved tales. From King Arthur to Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings, this narrative scaffolding has resonated with readers across history on a deep foundational level, underpinning some of history’s most memorable stories.

But the Hero’s Journey isn’t limited to tales of grand adventure... almost any kind of fiction can benefit from using this elemental scaffolding of story. In this in-depth workshop, you’ll learn all about the Hero’s Journey plot archetype and how to use it as a framework to build your own story. You’ll see how other authors and filmmakers have used this fundamental story structure in creative ways, and you’ll examine how modern storytellers have reimagined the Hero’s Journey into systems that encompass a more diverse and nuanced audience. Then, you’ll complete a quick exercise with the class to see how you can apply the structure to guide your own story.

You’ll leave this workshop armed with the skills you need to craft a propulsive plot that taps into the fundamental mythology of storytelling, hooking your readers every time. Once you learn the elements of this universal story, you’ll start to recognize it in contemporary fiction, mythic epics, films, and even video games... you’ll see how some of the most successful books and franchises are built around this one basic plot archetype.

Don’t leave your own plot to chance — learn how to take advantage of this method that the most effective storytellers have been using for centuries!

Zoom schedule

Everyone enrolled in this webinar will receive a copy of the recording afterwards, so you can review it later in case you missed it.

• Saturday June 29, 2024 1:00pm US Central time — 2 hours

How this workshop works

This workshop is a live Zoom webinar. Sign in from anywhere in the world and participate live as the instructor conducts the workshop, with time for Q&A at the end.

Questions about this class?

We’re happy to answer any questions you might have!

• Contact us and a real person will get back to you ASAP.

About Fija Callaghan

Fija Callaghan is an author and professional freelance writer. She began her freelance career writing about a range of topics including health, food, and luxury goods and has now comfortably settled into writing about literature. Her current work includes blog posts about newly released books, lessons on the craft of creative writing, and teachers’ resources on classic literature and poetry. She likes cookies quite a bit.

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