188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) - Departure of the Supernatural Aid

When the Supernatural Aid is no longer needed, he (or she) departs or travels to where he (or she) is needed. In Midnight Cowboy (1969), Ratso dies. In Silence of the Lambs (1991), Lecter makes a final phone call to Clarice. In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Aslan departs. In Fistful of Dynamite (1971), John dies.

Writing Your Book--How to Find the Time to Write

Let's face a couple of facts: 1. Writing a book will take a chunk of time and energy. 2. Your life is already full, and you have no extra time. Given these two facts, how can you make the time to write the book you have inside your head, the book that’s been calling to you to write for months or even years?

Historical Fiction - The Way Forward - Unique And Effective Writing

For those of you who love to write historical fiction, this article may be useful for you to develop writing skills as well as to improve quality of your writing piece. As we all know among people who are historical fiction writers that writing kind of this work requires a lot of time and massive effort as well as creativity to combine the historical fact with the story to make the perfect casting as well as endearing and dislikeable characters.

What It Takes to Be a Ghostwriter

Ghostwriting is a form of freelance writing. In other words, it is a business transaction, and you are a supplier of services. The client has full control over the copy and pays you for your services. Do you have what it takes? Take this simple test, and find out.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Engagement And The Return Crossing

A common characteristic of the Crossing of the Return Threshold.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Catharses

Post the Crossing of the Return Threshold and before the Master of Two Worlds and Selves, a hell of a lot happens.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Devolution

This is a total expression of the Hero's Ordinary World and Ordinary Self. It is a benchmark. In Tsotsi (2005), Tsotsi is part of a criminal gang.

Mind Like a Macintosh (or How to Be an Organized Writer)

I hope Windows users will not take offense at this; but, in truth, it was Macintosh that invented double-clicking on little folders to retrieve files and documents. Before that creative breakthrough, maneuvering around computer directories was (in my view) a nightmare. I was rarely in the right directory; and, if, by chance I was, I couldn’t remember the name of the file. The Mac, on the other hand, seemed so logical, so user friendly, and so organized. To me, it was and remains a metaphor for how a writer must be able to quickly put her hands on exactly what she needs, when she needs it -- be that a file, an invoice, a scrap of paper with a phone number on it, a business card, a memo, or draft #2 of something that is now in its fifth incarnation. Alone or with help, you can bring order to chaos. Here is what you have to do.

What Made Witches Fly?

Article about the reservations and encouragement social scientists have for memetics (the belief that culture spreads by means of replication processes very similar to biological procreation).

Teaching a Teenager to Write - Five Suggestions from a Best-selling Author

Is your high school having trouble getting his or her school papers written? Best-selling author says these five tips may help...

New Technical Writer - Use The Persona To Create The Most Useful Section Of Your User Document

A good User Document includes sections on how to set up, use, and care for the product. However, to create a great User Document, the technical writer should use the Persona, generated in the analysis of the User/Reader, to create the topics for the most useful section of the User Document. This article describes this procedure.

Post NaNoWriMo Blues

How to handle the blues after the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

You Can Murder Anybody You Want - In Your Fiction

Channeling anger and frustration through writing.

Writing 101 - Using Novel Writing Software

A beginning writer can use novel writing software as a guide to his first novel. An experienced writer can use novel writing software to keep track of his characters, places, and objects. Research can be done on the Internet as the novel comes forth and the results can be stored using the software.