Writer’s Workshop: The Hero’s Journey for Storytellers

The Hero’s Journey for Storytellers Workshop, September 8-November 30

Sign up by Sep 4!

For storytellers, the word, ‘hero’, is like the word ‘home’ —powerful indeed. To be a hero is to be at home in our own lives. It’s to decrease our emphasis on the warrior archetype and begin to live in the transformative and miraculous power of the magician archetype.

How can we create powerful stories and courageous heroes that inspire transformation?

Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey is about finding the hero in the stories that are our lives and giving the hero expression. It’s saying yes to the hero when the hero shows up. We face down our demons and transform our fears into places of magical and miraculous potential. When we’re able to do that, we’re empowered from the deepest places inside ourselves.

Chris Vogler notes in The Writer’s Journey…

The Hero’s Journey is not an invention, but an observation. It is a recognition of a beautiful design, a set of principles that govern the conduct of life and the world of storytelling the way physics and chemistry govern the physical world…The Hero’s Journey is a pattern that seems to extend in many dimensions, describing more than one reality. It accurately describes, among other things, the process of making a journey, the necessary working parts of a story, the joys and despairs of being a writer, and the passage of a soul through life.

This workshop will help you identify the journey you want to write about, decide whether you want to approach your hero’s journey through fiction or nonfiction, and then find the courage to say yes to the “call to adventure” and move into the world of The Hero’s Journey.

8-Week Course Includes

1. What the Hero’s Journey is and how it informs your life; how you can become the hero of your own life through writing your stories; the potential to move from deep-seated perception of the self as victim and start thinking of the self as hero

2. Touching your passion for the story idea you’ve chosen; becoming clear about the archetypes in your idea; identifying the stages of the journey and organizing story events into a form

3. Hooking the reader; introducing the hero and his psychic wound; establishing your hero’s background; creating an initial mood, image or metaphor; asking the sacred question; positioning the inciting incident; moving behind the Herald’s mask

4. The hero’s avoidance of the call; creative excuses for his resistance; the challenge of the Threshold Guardians; the appearance of the Mentor; the many masks of the Mentor

5. Approaching the threshold and encountering the Threshold Guardians; crossing the threshold; contrasting the ordinary world and the special world; testing the Hero; discerning who are allies and who are enemies; new rules of the special world

6. Deciding on the Hero’s approach to his adventure; encountering the obstacles; creative appeals to the Threshold Guardians; complications and higher stakes; stepping back to reorganize; breakthrough; no exit; death and rebirth; crisis; facing the Shadow; taste of death and cheating death; crisis of the heart; facing the greatest fear; death of the ego

7. Celebrating the victory; campfire and/or love scenes; taking possession of the external or internal goal; facing death; rededication to the call; renewed motivation in the face of retaliation from the enemy; chase scenes; final setback

8. Cleansing from the smell of death and an emerging new self: showdown and the highest stake yet; climax and catharsis;  understanding the character arc; the hero’s sacrifice; denouement; the circular story form vs. the open-ended story form; surprise; reward and punishment; identifying the Elixir

12-Week Course Also Includes

1. Exploring the Anti-Hero; the difference between the hero and the anti-hero; the anti-hero’s journey; getting real with your anti-hero—his vulnerabilities and unleashed demons; the Shadow’s influence; the anti-hero’s character arc

2. Exploring the Tragic Hero; the appeal of the Tragic Hero; the pitfalls of the Tragic Hero; the redemption of the Tragic Hero

3. A look at your theme, structure, voice, style, and tone

4. Marketing your story to the right audience; learning to use your Hero’s Journey in an ongoing way as a metaphor for your life; final charge to the confirmed Hero’s Journey storyteller

Basic Approach

Weekly materials provided in a private online group setting. Attend at your convenience (asynchronous setup). Experienced workshop leader will respond to your writing weekly to help you get to the next level, regardless of your current expertise. If you produce something that is publishable at Tweetspeak Poetry and are recommended by your workshop leader, we might publish your work (with your permission, of course).

For You

Private online group setting and all class materials are included in the price.

Your Hero’s Journey Workshop Leader

Gloria Kempton has over 25 years of writing and publishing experience. Author of eleven books and hundreds of published stories, she has taught, coached, and mentored more than 10, 000 writers through online entities such as Writers Digest and in person at conferences. Also an experienced editor, Kempton knows how to guide you into writing that editors are seeking and that readers want to read.

What Our Workshop Participants Have Said

Participant from The Writing Life: One of the best investments I’ve ever made, anywhere.

Participant from The Writing Life: Beyond excellent. Ann and Charity were professional, empathetic, and insightful as readers, group leaders, and teachers. They brought a terrific mix of professionalism, wisdom, and FUN to the workshop!

Lane Arnold: I struck gold. An afternoon session of writing poetry is good for the soul. Poetry Workshop is a catalyst to creativity.

Lexanne Leonard: The most important step I’ve taken is to join Tweetspeak’s Poetry Workshop with Anne Doe Overstreet. I cannot begin to thank Tweetspeak, Anne, and my fellow students for this journey.

Carole Liston: I just really appreciate this class. It’s been wonderful. The research has been so eye-opening and valuable! (Book Proposal Workshop)

Sandra Heska King: This was absolutely the single best whim I’ve followed. (Memoir Workshop)

BUY NOW • 8 Weeks • $350 + $10 Late Registration Fee

BUY NOW • 12 Weeks • $420 + $10 Late Registration Fee

Photo by Claire Burge. Used with permission.