The Hero's Journey

As promised, here are the steps to the Hero's Journey.

1. Ordinary World, 2. Call to Adventure, 3. Refusal of the Call, 4. Meeting the Mentor, 5. Crossing the first threshold.

6. Tests, allies, and enemies, 7. Approach to the inmost cave, 8. The ordeal, 9. The reward.

10. The road back, 11. The resurrection, 12. Return with the elixir.

“Brigitte,” Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is an imperfect transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show’s webpage.

[00:00:00] Last week we covered the three act structure, or at least we finished covering the three act structure of how to structure a novel of how to structure a story. Just the different pattern. Generally speaking on how to do that. And this week, we are going to delve into something far more specific as we cover the hero's journey today on writing in the tiny.

[00:00:27] Hello. Hello. Hello. And welcome back to the show. Welcome to writing in the tiny house. I am your host Devin Davis, and I am the guy in a tiny house who is here to show you all of the ways that you can get that work of fiction out of your mind and into a word processor or whatever, despite how busy you may think that you are.

[00:01:12] Up until this point, we have been speaking very generally this year about the three act structure of most stories. Just the introduction, the rising action and the conclusion and delving into what each of those parts is. As we've gone through this whole, this whole little lesson series, I guess. Today, we are going to go into the hero's journey, which is kind of a map on how to do that.

[00:01:40] At adventure novel. It lays out all of the important steps and the important beats. So the important events, the important things that happen in the story that is typical of most adventure stories. And it's interesting to see how all of it plays into the bigger picture, the hero's journey.

[00:02:03] Was first, I guess, distilled out of the studies of a person named Joseph Campbell who lived from 1904 to 1987. He was a big a student of mythology. And he found in all of these very classic, very, very old stories that each of them followed a pattern. And in his studies, he put together that pattern called the hero's journey and his version of it has.

[00:02:31] Teen steps that fall into three acts. It's a lot, 17 steps is a lot. Later much later, a person named Christopher Vogler Vogel. I don't know how to say his last name, but he worked as a screenwriter for Disney and likely for other people or other companies, he developed a different, or at least a more modern model of the hero's journey that he published back in 2007.

[00:03:00] I appreciate looking at this, but just because it is more modern. It applies even more perfectly to the more current works of fiction that we see coming out. And. It has 12 parts instead of 17. And so today on writing in the tiny house, we are going to cover those 12 parts.

[00:03:20] So these 12 parts are unique to Christopher Vogler, Vogler. But they have a lot in common with the original person who came up with the hero's journey, Joseph Campbell. So this Chris Vogler the screenwriter he wrote a book about the hero's journey.

[00:03:36] There's a full on book about it, and it covers each of these points in more detail than we're going to cover in a 15 minute episodes. Here on the podcast. And I need to give a full confession that I have not read this book. That doesn't mean that you don't have to, or that you shouldn't. There are a lot of references and a lot of really good material on how to structure and properly execute a work of fiction.

[00:04:02] And diving into the hero's journey is not something that I have done. Also my works of fiction. Don't 100% reflect the hero's journey. And so I have chosen to focus on some other things, but we're covering it today on writing in the tiny house, just because. You will see as we go through these different points that these points are everywhere in fiction, especially if the story revolves around calling a hero.

[00:04:34] From somewhere the anointing of a hero and having them leave their home to go on this adventure and then come back with a solution. There are a lot of stories that cover that there are a lot of stories that have that as the main premise and the overall, you know, arching theme of either the trilogy or just the book or the many books.

[00:04:59] And so we're going to go over that and you will find. As we go through these points that a lot of them will apply to your work in progress as well. Even if you are not writing an adventure novel these things fall into place, and many of them don't necessarily have to go in this order, but you will find that these little collections of points.

[00:05:25] Very much need to go into either act one or all of them into act two or all of them into act three, just because of the formula of this story the formula of this structure, this is all very general stuff. And the cool thing about general stuff is it can apply in many delicious ways to many different things.

[00:05:48] Diving right in this entire thing is based in three acts. And I covered what those three acts are already. So let's see how they all just kind of intermingle and what the 12 parts of this structure of writing fiction called the hero's journey is actually all about. act one. Is called the departure.

[00:06:14] This is where we see the ordinary world, or we see the world as it is. it can be the fact that this is an ordinary day to day world or with something like hunger games. We see the dystopia, we see the problem and how a problem has become. The ordinary world, we see Katniss and we see her going through the day-to-day things and we see that it's.

[00:06:41] Not okay. It's not good, but that is her reality. That is her day today. a picture of the ordinary world is the first step. Next, there is a call to adventure or a call to do something, a call to change. So this can be. Harry receiving a letter from Hogwarts. This can be Frodo getting the ring of power.

[00:07:07] It can be a vast, many different things. It can be a vision, it can be a dream. It can be simply the challenge of this is a problem and I want to fix it. So just the invitation to step up and make things different. The third thing is the refusal of the call. if you look at all of these stories, I've mentioned Harry Potter, I've mentioned the Lord of the rings.

[00:07:33] I've mentioned hunger games. There comes a moment very early in the story in almost all of them where the hero of the story doesn't want to be the hero. And that can actually be a running theme throughout the story and throughout the book itself. But. There comes a time just in this structure where the hero refuses, the call, where for whatever reason they're not going to do it, it can be for pride.

[00:07:59] It can be for self doubt. It can be because they feel there is someone more qualified. And then there is me. The mentor. So who are the most popular mentors in fiction? In fantasy, at least we have Gandalf and we have Dumbledore. However, there are other mentors, sometimes the characters can play the role of a mentor and another role.

[00:08:26] And so if we look at the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by CS Lewis Mr. Toughness is in a way a mentor. He is the guy who first introduces the world of Narnia to the reader and to the main characters. Also as LAN is a mentor. And there is the white witch, the ice queen of Narnia because one of the children falls under her protection. As a way to groom him. There is an amount of tutoring or amount of mentoring of introducing him to the world of introducing him to things and conditioning him to, to be a specific thing.

[00:09:12] So sometimes the mentor can come across as many different things, but generally the mentor is the person who. teaches the hero about the journey, teaches the hero about the world. If they are stepping out into a new world, teaches them about the magic and sometimes provides them gifts.

[00:09:34] So if you have read the broken earth trilogy by NK Jemisin, which is one of my favorites in the whole wide world. The character alabaster is the main, character's mentor. And he does just that he teaches her magic and he teaches her how to find her own type of magic. It's an, it's an amazing thing.

[00:09:54] The next step in act one is crossing the first threshold. So it is that decision to go out on your journey. It is. Stepping out of Hobbiton and going onto the road to go onto your adventure and to go off into this strange new world. So that is what wraps up. Act two, there are more points act two is called the initiation.

[00:10:21] So the first thing is you get your tests, your allies, and your enemies on all of these adventure novels. I have read and I have read a lot of them. There are a lot of characters to be met along the way that do not come in. Act one, you meet them in a Tavern, you meet them at a store or on the road or something, or you get jumped by bandits and then these people come swinging in from the trees and save you and to become your ally.

[00:10:54] Or your enemy or whatever. And these tests are all of these challenges that come along the way. That happens a lot in act two. That's kind of the big part of act two, which is a huge act anyway, but at the end of act two the point is number seven is to approach the inmost cave.

[00:11:16] So if you think back on like the classic. Mythology and stuff. It seems like a final test was always in like this cave or at the top of a mountain, just that final place to go and to reach out and to get there. And there were a lot of problems along the way, but here we are, and it is the end boss of a video game.

[00:11:41] And they're in the inmost cave. The main character faces an ordeal, which is often a crowning test or sometimes defeating the big end boss. So it can be defeating a bad guy. It can be defeating. A really big henchman of the bad guy as a way to prove worth. It can be a lot of different things like that.

[00:12:11] And then they are given a reward. So either it is a magical item, maybe sometimes It is a way to defeat the scourge that has plagued the land, or it is, you know, the magical spell that can cure whatever illness has befallen your sister, different things like that.

[00:12:32] And then enact three. It is the return. It is going back to their hometown. The first step is the road back or to the ultimate destination. This means that on the way back, sometimes they go to And even higher place or a more special place to learn and receive more counsel and this is called the resurrection.

[00:12:58] So resurrection is point number 11 on this list of 12. So this is where in classic mythology, the hero is killed and then reborn and is presented as new and pure So it's a form of rebirth or a coming back to life or in the event of Harry Potter, he actually did die and then did come back to life.

[00:13:23] That is the ultimate resurrection of that entire story. And then they go back to their city returning with the elixir. So the elixir is whatever key ingredient. That is required to get rid of the problem. So sometimes returning with the elixir is winning the prize money. Sometimes it's coming back with the spell or a way to eradicate whatever, you know, strange, magical diseases across the land or maybe it's just a potion to heal a loved one or whatever. There are a lot of different applications to that, but that in a nutshell is the hero's journey. And as you saw, it follows that three act structure. So I will include these 12 points in the show notes, and we will see you next time when we discuss some of the archetypes or some of the character types.

[00:14:25] If you want to use more common language that also come into the hero's journey next time on writing in the tiny house.

[00:14:33] 

[00:14:33] And that is it for today. Just a reminder that "Brigitte,"Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor is available on Amazon as an ebook and on Audible and Apple Books as an audio book. And I provide advanced reader copies of these short stories as I release them to my patrons. So become a patron today by visiting patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse to support both my writing and this podcast. And lastly, be sure to follow me on social media. My Instagram is @authordevindavis and my Twitter handle is@authordevind. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and have fun writing. We will see you next time. 

Check out this episode!

Act III

“Brigitte,” Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is an imperfect transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show’s webpage.

[00:00:00] last week, we talked about act two with writing structure. And today we are going to wrap it up with act three on writing in the tiny house. Hello. Hello. Hello, and welcome to the show. Welcome to writing in the tiny house. I am your host Devin D. And I am the guy in a tiny house in Northern Utah, who is here to show you the tips and tricks on how to get that work of fiction in your brain and put it on paper, which sounds really gross.

[00:00:57] But I think we all know what I'm talking about. So today we are discussing act three. We are discussing the three act structure of most plot lines the way that we structure our stories, most stories, especially nowadays follow a three act structure. And if you look back on the big mythology stories of ancient times, especially like Greek and Roman mythology and stuff, all of those allegories or stories or tales, or even fairytales.

[00:01:34] From all cultures, a lot of them follow a three act structure and next week we're actually going to delve into a thing another writing structure or a pattern or a guideline or whatever called the hero's journey that. So many of those classic old fictional things follow just the formula for all of those things.

[00:02:01] We'll delve into that next week. But right now we need to talk about act three. And a lot of us think that acts three is where the climax happens. And so a lot of us are right. A lot of us are also not right. The thing is with act two, act two is the rising action of the book. It is where the stakes and the tension and the stakes and the tension build on each other until there is a certain breaking point.

[00:02:31] And then you get the climax of the story that ends with the resolution. All of that is act three, but let's discuss what actually makes the climax just because sometimes the climax has specific parts and some of those parts fall in act two, and the rest of them are the beginning of act three.

[00:02:53] So act three starts at the highest energetic point of your book and then the energy tapers off from there. But let's talk about what. Plays into the climax. So with act two, it is where we start breaking our main characters legs. We provide them with obstacles. We provide them with, mind games, moments for them to grow and learn and discover things about themselves and about the world around them.

[00:03:25] And it is usually obstacle after obstacle after obstacle, but then at the end of act two, it usually goes obstacle disaster and then crisis. And at the crisis, there comes a point of no return the point of no return is what wraps up act two. And that is where we jump in to act three.

[00:03:54] So everything comes to this big head. And then all of that needs to resolve in a big way. So sometimes it's big violence. Sometimes it's a war. Sometimes it's fireworks. Sometimes it is a final competition. It can show up in a matter of different things, but all of this energy has built up and now all of that energy needs to dissipate.

[00:04:17] So. Act three begins with the other side of the climax, when the climax itself ends and then things start to resolve. So thinking of the resolution. Sometimes that resolution is super straight forward because you have a hero who is fighting a bad guy, and then the bad guy dies and the bad guy's plan is foiled.

[00:04:46] And then. The story ends and we all understand that maybe the bad guy had a plan to take over the tri-state area. And now because he's dead or arrested and thrown in jail, he can no longer take over the tri-state area. And everybody is safe. Once again, sometimes it can take a different approach, not always in a work of fiction. Not always, is it one person battling another person or a group of people against another group of people? Sometimes it can be a person in a way battling themselves, especially if they're dealing with an illness and sometimes the stakes can get so high and whatever.

[00:05:32] And at the end with the climax, they can either be cured or they can reach a pivotal moment where they are terminal. And we still experience a feeling of relief. that is a way that things can be resolved. Sometimes that is unexpected. Sometimes it's tragic. Sometimes it is celebrated some time. I mean, it can, it can be colored a number of different ways, but that resolution is what happens in act three.

[00:06:01] That's what act three is all about. depending on what you are doing, Resolution can actually look a number of ways. If you are writing a trilogy, or if you are writing a series act three of your book still needs to keep your reader interested in reading the next book. So you can either end with a cliffhanger.

[00:06:28] If you have read six of crows by Les BARR, Dugo by Lee bar. Dugo you know that the ending of six of crows ends on. The worst cliffhanger in the whole world. And the sequel to that crooked kingdom starts like a week later and just jumps right in. And that is the biggest hook to get somebody to move immediately into the next book.

[00:06:58] And to be perfectly honest, when I read those two books, I read them back to back For me, if I didn't have the second book already, if I didn't have it already loaded onto my device, I would have been super bent out of shape about it. Just because the cliffhanger in book one was so big, there was such a lack of resolution for me that I simply had to start the next book immediately.

[00:07:28] That's something that you get to pay attention to. If you end your book with a monster cliffhanger and absolutely no resolution in any way, because it is meant to spring the reader immediately into the next book. But you're not releasing the next book for another two years. It's something to think about It is worth it to think about the relationship you have with your readers. And if you're just going to be jerking them around, or if you're going to make them mad, or if you're going to make them excited, or maybe you can just pay attention to how all of that will play out and have booked two. More ready so that you can release book too, a little bit more closely to book one.

[00:08:15] Maybe you can release book one in the spring and then release book two in the fall. And then people won't be so mad. I mean, the thing is when a person is reading your book, they are quite literally spending hours. One-on-one with you. And that is a very special relationship. They are 100% in your head or at least in your world.

[00:08:42] And you are 100% in their head., that is a very special relationship that you get to consider when you are releasing things. And when you are formulating your act three, However, there are some other books where it was simply in the formulation of the story itself, where not everything would be resolved.

[00:09:04] There is no next book and that's the whole point. The biggest book that I can think of right now, that was a big example of that was the book little fires everywhere by Celeste Inga. with that, the whole story was a really big head scratcher. At least for me, it was a very introspective, it was simply meant to showcase different struggles that people have in life without being preachy about any of them and to showcase both sides of the matter.

[00:09:40] And to simply. Bring a very rounded and a very holistic approach to some really big social issues or some fundamental arguments related to some of these topics that eating presents in her book, little fires everywhere. that's what the whole book does. And in my mind it did a great however, at the end As far as every little thing being wrapped up and delivered with a bow and buttoned up completely that isn't what happened.

[00:10:18] That wasn't the style of the book. Anyway. So even though there was a sense of the book ending, there were so many things in the book that were left. Untied that were left unresolved. So there was a big thing that happened with a family between a family and a lady and her daughter who were renting from the family and is simply N.

[00:10:44] With the family, kind of losing everything, losing some of the relationships in the family and with this other lady and her daughter leaving. And so it was not necessarily a happy ending. It was not a cheesy ending. It was a very heartfelt, meaningful. Moment of teaching, which was perfect, but there was no promise of a second book and there was no promise of answers.

[00:11:15] So the thing about act three is it is the answers to all of the promises that you have made in act one and act two all throughout the book, you have set up your reader to expect certain things and. Act three is largely the time where you deliver on all of those things and you can deliver in an unexpected way, but you need to deliver, if you set up your reader to think or feel specific things all throughout the book, and then don't address them in act three.

[00:11:49] And then the book stops, you're going to have some dissatisfied readers. Even if your book ends with a cliffhanger, because another book is coming out there still gets to be a feeling of this chunk of the overall story is complete. It's ready. Like all the ingredients have been mixed in act two, those things have been baked and now that thing is ready for the next big part.

[00:12:18] Of the series. And so even if things are left unresolved, that chunk of the story still has a feeling of being complete. So even if there is a big cliffhanger at the end, a lot of times it is okay to review the stakes and review some of the obstacles. I mean, if you choose to, this is really big in suspense, thrillers, where you get to kind of sit back and the author through some device or another.

[00:12:52] Just goes through and shows you all of the little steps of the mystery and how they all happened and how like the detective reviewing the case made a mistakes or missed things. And the killer was like one step ahead. That can be really satisfying. That can make a thing more enjoyable, especially if your audience is not a very meticulous.

[00:13:19] Group of readers. So that can be a good thing. It can show a certain amount of responsibility that you have in your storytelling, and it can wrap up the things in a satisfactory way for your reader. So with all of that, there is one thing that absolutely matters, and that is the energy level.

[00:13:45] And I hope that it is okay if I use that terminology, the energy level with act one, the energy is very introductory. It starts out slow. There aren't any stakes yet. There isn't any conflict yet to probably, or very little. And we go through all this builds. Huge climax. Nice resolution, but we need to understand that when act three is over the energy levels still needs to be higher than it was when the book began.

[00:14:20] So if you have a conflict and then the energy level, absolutely tanks back to how things were in, act one, you didn't do it. Right. So. If everything is 100% back to normal, if everything is exactly as it was before any of the story happened, I mean, it's, it's that really big cop out where the main character wakes up and the whole story was a dream.

[00:14:48] So none of it happened. And now our energy levels suddenly just dropped and dive bombed back down to the energy level of. So, what I'm saying is you need to end the story on a higher note than you started it. And that is one of the good things of a successful act three.

[00:15:13] 

[00:15:13] And that is it for today. Just a reminder that "Brigitte,"Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor is available on Amazon as an ebook and on Audible and Apple Books as an audio book. And I provide advanced reader copies of these short stories as I release them to my patrons. So become a patron today by visiting patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse to support both my writing and this podcast. And lastly, be sure to follow me on social media. My Instagram is @authordevindavis and my Twitter handle is@authordevind. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and have fun writing. We will see you next time. 

Check out this episode!

Act II

“Brigitte,” Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show’s webpage.

[00:00:00] Last week we talked about act one And this week, we are going to have a lot to say about act two, as we continue talking about writing structure today on writing in the tiny house. Hello. Hello. Hello, and welcome back to writing in the tiny house. I am your host Devin Davis, and I am the guy in a tiny house.

[00:00:46] Living in Northern Utah, who is here to share with you the different ways that you can get that work of fiction out of your brain and onto paper, no matter how busy you believe that you are, as far as housekeeping stuff goes, you should notice that the graphic to writing and the tiny house should be back to normal.

[00:01:08] If it is not for you, please let me know so that I can manage some different things. On my end. I changed the graphic for last week. We are back to what it should be, and I will have last week's graphic back up when we go through our episodes in June, when we celebrate pride month. So today.

[00:01:30] We are going to be talking about act two. We are covering structure with writing fiction. And last week we talked about act one. And so what happens after act one? I said, act one is filled with a lot of introduction. The character needs to be introduced the setting the world.

[00:01:51] And then there needs to be that decision that carries the reader and the story into act two it can be a decision to act. It can be a decision to decide a plan. It can be a lot of different things, but there is a certain turning point to get to act two with act two. A lot of fun things can happen. Act two is about the same length as the other two acts combined.

[00:02:23] Very roughly speaking it is. Half the length of your entire novel, or at least it should be, this is where the adventure happens. This is where your main character goes out into the world and makes mistakes and learns things either about the world itself or about the sinister plot that gradually unfolds or about different ways to overcome an obstacle.

[00:02:50] All of this self discovery stuff is what happens in act two. And it can be super fun. It can also be a disaster. So I think that I said previously with act one that all of this stuff is scalable, which means that in a book you can have act one, act two, an act three, and you also have the same structure in a trilogy.

[00:03:15] Which means the first book counts as act one, the second book act two, and the third book act three. And with all of these, it is really easy to lose track of what happens in act two. With a trilogy, it is usually the second book that gets kind of. Just because the second book usually doesn't have the climax of the entire trilogy.

[00:03:43] Narrowing the scope back down to just one book and the three acts within a book act two, doesn't have the climax act two is all of the rising action to the climax. So that means all of the fun things happen. And basically this is where you get to step in and start breaking your character's legs.

[00:04:07] There is a huge problem with act two called saggy middle syndrome. That is, when the middle of the book is boring. It is sluggish. It doesn't develop anything. It can be filled with plot holes. It can be filled with plot conveniences. It can also be filled with like segues With the different directions that the story is pulled into, that don't really progress a story arc. It can be the side quests. It can be the piddly little sub characters that don't really play into the overall story, but the author decided to take us there. And you get to ask yourself why?

[00:04:56] So a lot of times with act two and with the saggy middle syndrome, we start breaking our characters legs, but we need to have the big picture in mind so that each of the steps and each of the obstacles and each of the self discovery moment. Come up to the very end of act two, which is another turning point.

[00:05:22] And then in act three, we get the climax and the resolution. So with act two, you fill it with a bunch of things that are exciting to. That are fun to read that, develop your characters and make them more believable. And that enhance the story arc that you are creating. It enhances the overall point of what you're doing with your story.

[00:05:50] So there are a couple little devices that you can put in there. Some of them are called the anticlimax. It's when tension builds and the plot goes in a very easy to understand direction. And then. Twist happens now. Twists are fun. If you have twists all over the place in act two your reader is going to have whiplash from that.

[00:06:15] And so I recommend like one or two super good twists and they all need to tie into the resolution at the end. It's really fun to have a twist that unless you get to the. You think the twist was just kind of a tacky thing to do. And then the author brings up that twist and why it was a thing just because in the resolution, sometimes we revisit all of those things.

[00:06:42] We revisit the reasons for the twists, and then you see that it ties together in a really intelligent way and in like a really clever, cool. And so that is what act two is all about. It is the hell ride of your story. And so if you are writing fantasy fiction, it gets to be super exciting. If you are writing contemporary fiction, it can be just as exciting, but you need to make sure that the story arc is building that the stakes are also building.

[00:07:15] You need to make sure that there is something at risk and you need to make sure that there is a damn good reason. For the climax enact three. And you need to make sure that the stakes are very high in order to get there, make sure that the characters are struggling, make sure that they are learning and growing.

[00:07:39] If you take it easy on your characters and you avoid all those things, first of all, Your story will be very easy to write because it's not going to require a lot of brainwork from you at the same time. It will be a drag to read for the very same reason. So go ahead and think about what act two is for your work in progress in act one.

[00:08:09] Think about that turning point, that decision, that choice. Move on with the story. That's where act two starts. And then think of the ways that you in your work in progress are building the story arc along are building the characters themselves and making sure that the stakes are super high. And then when we get to act three, which we will talk about next week, make sure that you deliver on all of that in your climax and in your resolution.

[00:08:48] So with act two saggy, middle syndrome, like I mentioned earlier is a very real thing. It is also completely avoidable. If you are a pantser. Like me, I'm going to tell you that it's okay to outline, but if you don't know where things are headed in act two, it's okay to brainstorm with a friend.

[00:09:12] Even if you don't write things down, it's okay to have that clarity so that all of these major points can be hit on or can be touched on. During act two so that you don't get saggy middle syndrome with your book.

[00:09:29] And that is it for today. Just a reminder that "Brigitte,"Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor is available on Amazon as an ebook and on Audible and Apple Books as an audio book. And I provide advanced reader copies of these short stories as I release them to my patrons. So become a patron today by visiting patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse to support both my writing and this podcast. And lastly, be sure to follow me on social media. My Instagram is @authordevindavis and my Twitter handle is@authordevind. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and have fun writing. We will see you next time. 

Check out this episode!

Act I

RELAX! It's still a creative writing podcast.

“Brigitte,” Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show’s webpage.

Check out this episode!

Act I

RELAX! It's still a creative writing podcast.

 

“Brigitte,” Installment One of Tales from Vlaydor, is available on ebook and audiobook. Follow the link to find them on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brigitte+devin+davis&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Become a patron today! Visit patreon.com/writinginthetinyhouse

Get ahold of Krissy Barton with Little Syllables editing services. She does free sample edits to see if you and she would be the right fit. www.littlesyllables.com

Instagram: @authordevindavis

Twitter: @authordevind

The following is a transcript of this episode. I complete transcript can be found on the show’s webpage.

Check out this episode!