Common Knowledge

By: Miquiel Banks
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:43:23
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

This is the sad truth of America today. What is common in one place doesn’t exist in another. For example, in screenwriting is common knowledge about the importance of structure, but in novel writing, writers (professionals included) dodge structure like you dodge traffic after a bad day at work. They know it exists, but do they talk about it? Don’t believe me, go to your local bookstore and browse books on writing and see how many discuss structure. You’re going to run into the common elements: plot, character, POV, tone, style, and the rest of those things you hear in workshops.

This separation brings problems and makes me wonder. Why can’t there be unified principles for common things? And in the field of writing, the hero’s journey is that common branch that connects all the roots of the tree.

Whatever you’re writing (film script, novel, ebook, video game, etc.), the hero’s journey is an exciting and motivating framework (structure) to develop and build your story.

Don’t think of it as cliff notes, it’s not a shortcut. It’s a way to organize and ensure your story is based on solid ground.

From there, you must organize and reveal your story to the audience in the best possible way. And no, you didn’t read that wrong. I said organize and reveal, which is a different subject from the foundation.

We’re worried about the foundation, the place to build our story from.

And the foundation is simply the hero’s journey.

Using the hero’s journey is more than a trip or having an experience, it’s an arrow that points you in the right direction.

And the farther you see, the stronger the hero’s journey helps you reach your goals. By providing you with these tools, the HJ is the compass to judge your progress.

And what is progress but going past what we thought were limits?

Miquiel Banks has nearly a decade of experience in technical writing and has mastered many areas of this mis-understood career choice. Visit his corporate site at http://www.kemetmediaweb.com for profound advice, guidance, and genuine concern for all your ebook needs. To receive all the benefits, sign up for the KEMET MEDIA newsletter at kemetmedia@gmail.com and putting the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the heading of the email.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Writing & Speaking category

  • Journaling Demystified - By: Anil Yadav
    Have you been considering journaling, but have questions about how to get started? Journaling is a wonderful way to explore your faith through prayer, reflection and personal narrative. Shared here are some of the popular questions about journaling, and the opportunity to formulate your own answers to see if journaling fits for you and your journey.
  • 5 Linking Strategies that Work - By: Het Ram
    One of the most effective ways to promote your business online, especially if you use search engine optimization to build traffic, is linking.
  • 5 Questions to ask before purchasing a book online - By: Het Ram
    What is it you want to order? Have a clear idea of what you want to order. Do you want to browse through a category, or do you want to read a particular author or do you know the name of the book itself.
  • Secrets to Creating Great Headlines - By: Nisha Garg
    Great! You finished your piece and now need a headline. Usually headlines are less than ten words and need to be expressed in short, expressive, active words. This provides quick focus and pull in. By waiting until you know what you are ending up with, it will save you time. You can give a temporary headline while drafting.
  • 5 Ways to Generate Article Topic Ideas - By: Dolly Kapil
    If you write articles frequently, you have probably found that sometimes you just don't know what to write about. This is a very common issue for even the best of us; however there are some quick tricks that can help.
  • How to Get a Book Published - By: Robert Nahas
    "How to publish a book" is a common quandary imposed upon thousands of aspiring authors on a daily basis. Not knowing how to publish a book stops many from pursuing their book dream. Not knowing that you have many publishing options available to you today can make the difference between great success or miserable failure with your book.
  • Writing Your Sales Pitch - Is the Standard of Your Web Content Affecting Your Sales Potential - By: Paul Docherty
    There are lots of resources out there for web designers; just do a web search and you'll find all manner of tools and guidance to help get your website up, running and looking professional.One area that many webmasters forget or don't realise that they need to be aware of is the standard of their written content in terms of language, punctuation and grammar. Many web sites are sales oriented and so the standard of written content becomes crucial to the success of the sales pitch.
  • How To Research Your Topic For Your Publication - By: Arlene Whiting
    Last week's article gave some foundational steps for “How To Choose Your Topic.” This week’s article deals with how to research your topic.First things first, you have your topics before you and you want to go to the library to the card catalog or you can do this from home.
  • Top Sales Speaker Says: Only Fakes Have No Stories To Tell! - By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
    I was just gazing at an article I submitted a few minutes ago when something hit me.I tell one story after another, and I’m proud of that.Each one comes from an experience I’ve had, not simply from a book I’ve read, or another article that I’m imitating.
  • Verb - By: Sharon White
    The sound-replacive type of derivation and the stress-replacive type of derivation are unproductive: food — to feed, blood — to bleed; 'import — to im'port, 'transport — to trans'port. The typical suffixes expanding the stem of the verb are: -ate (cultivate), -en (broaden), -ifу (clarify), -ise(-ize) (normalise). The verb-deriving prefixes of the inter-class type are: be- (belittle, befriend, bemoan) and en-/em- (engulf, embed).