Every good writer has their mystical “process.” Here’s mine!
I have an organization problem. And by that, no, I don’t mean that I am a disorganized person. I mean that I am addicted to order. I live to categorize, plan, and plot. This makes me a *very* productive writer. It also makes me *very* OCD.
Before I write the first word of a new novel, I know exactly what I intend to say. How? Easy! I plan out every tiny, ridiculous detail following the famous Hero’s Journey outline.
For those unfamiliar with this type of structure, the Hero’s Journey (also known as the monomyth) is a kind of template for story-telling. It has basic steps that you see appearing in almost any popular story you can think of. Just for fun, I’ve listed out the first three steps below, along with examples of these steps in the iconic film franchise Star Wars as well as my very own Call It Kismet.
- The ordinary world. In this step, readers are introduced to the hero’s normal life. In Star Wars, this is Luke’s boring life on Tatooine. In Kismet, this is Millie and Jonas interacting together at the start of vacation.
- Call to adventure. In this step, the hero is faced with some event that marks the beginning of adventure. For Luke, this is when Ben Kenobi gives him the lowdown on his Jedi ancestry and suggests that he travel with him. For Millie, this is when she sees Jonas for the first time in years.
- Refusal of the call. As would seem obvious, this is the step in which the hero finds themselves feeling hesitant about their upcoming adventure. In Star Wars, Luke refuses Ben’s offer to travel and says he must stay with his family. In Kismet, Millie tries to hide from Jonas and calls an old friend for comfort.
Am I trying to compare the quality of my Key West love story to the cinematic masterpiece that is Star Wars? No, no way. . .
As you can see, the Hero’s Journey story structure makes planning a novel very easy for OCD folks like me. There are more steps (and more opportunities for writing fun!), so be sure to give it a quick Google sometime and try writing your own plot.
xoxo
Brittni
