188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) Hero's Journey - Ultimate Boon

There is a race to retrieve the treasure, which the hero often takes possession of. There is much destruction here. In The Maltese Falcon (1939), Fat Man burns the boat down. Sam finds the burning boat and the statue delivered to his office.

188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) Hero's Journey - Refusal

The detective hero refuses to give the treasure up easily. In The Maltese Falcon (1939), Sam goes to the meeting without the Falcon.

188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) Hero's Journey - Hero's Soul

The detective hero reveals that, in order to protect his own soul, the female client must pay the price for her crime. In The Maltese Falcon (1939), Sam reveals his reasons to O'Shaugnessey.

Now Is Not The Time To be Caught Without Grammar

So you've started your own business, now's the time to brush up on your grammar or face letting the world see what you didn't learn at school.

Trust The Creative Writing Process

Creativity is a mysterious process. When I first began to write, the miracle of starting with nothing and ending up with pages of coherent copy were a mystery to me. I knew only that, when I sat down at my little electric portable, something magical happened; but I didn't know where the magic came from. Eventually, however, I was able to break it down into five critical steps.

How to Review a Play - A Guide for Aspiring Theater Critics

Writing a play critique is an exciting, challenging task which requires some special skills of the reviewer. While personal interpretation is always involved to a small degree, the art of being a successful reviewer is in being able offer an objective analysis of the play and its performance.

Writing a Book - Passion is Key

Writing a book would be a major complement and an add-on to your existing business. Likewise, it will mean a supplemental source of income contributing to your company's bottom line. I'd be willing to count that you have imagined composing your own book at some period in your career. Virtually every single individual has. Your passion is key.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Allies and Enemies

The Hero often has Allies in his Ordinary World that will accompany him on his Journey (often these are developed or more are encountered in the First Threshold). In Lord of the Rings (2001), Frodo has Sam and Pippin et al. It is these Allies' Challenges that form the basis of the subplot.

Why Use a Ghostwriter?

You're an expert in your subject matter. You know it inside and out. You can explain it, present it, analyze it- but can you write about it? Not sure? Don't have the time or inclination? Perhaps you don't even want to. Let's face it, if you're not a writer, or simply lack the time or desire to write, do what many best-selling authors do. Get help from a professional ghostwriter. A ghostwriter has a special knack for crawling inside your head, understanding what you want to say, and speaking in your voice.

The Loneliness of the Long-distance Writer (or why you need endurance)

Writing is an extremely physical activity -- something that never occurred to me when I started out. I took great pride in being able to sit for up to 12 hours at a time, refusing to abandon my post until I finished whatever I was writing. By the time I did finish, I was in a pretzel knot from hunching over the typewriter. The bottom line is that writers ought to join a gym or hire a personal trainer just to stay in shape to do what we do for a living.

188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) - The Hero Is Sent On A Trivial Task

During the Period of Desolation, where the Hero is not committed to the Journey........

New Technical Writer - The Four Dimensions of Your User-Reader

To create an effective User Document, the writer must know who he-she is writing for. This article presents four dimensions (Skills, Attitude, Knowledge and Experience) for describing the User of your product (your Documentation Reader), and how to build a Persona that turns your generic User into an almost-real person. The article stresses the need to actually USE this information when structuring and writing your User Document.

188 Stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) - Between The Magic Flight and the Crossing of the Return

Between the Magic Flight and the Crossing of the Return Threshold, a hell of a lot happens that is, incredibly, rarely given mention. Here the Hero and his (or her) allies, again, enter a new domain which is represented in many ways. In Robocop (1987), the cops declare a strike.

188 Stage Hero's Journey - Monomyth - Period of Obscurity

When the Hero is in his (or her) Ordinary World, he (or she) undergoes a Period of Obscurity.