Russell Hirsch

The beginning of THE END! We enter the third and final phase of a hero’s journey plot line. Act 3 Propelling Event Climax (aka Death &...

The Hero’s Journey – Reward Well that last post on the Ordeal was so frightening, I almost couldn’t go on! But after a bit of a break,...

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger!” Quoting Nietzsche might seem a bit intense for a post on children’s stories but he...

We really shouldn’t go in there—but we have to! We’re now well into the Middle Phase (Act 2) of a story. The characters have started to...

Perilous tasks! Noble Companions! Dastardly Villains! At this point in their journey, characters tackle initial challenges, making new...

The end of the beginning is nigh! We move on to the third stage of a Hero’s Journey plot line, “Crossing the First Threshold.” This stage...

Listen up, you! Yes—you! On we go to the 2nd stage of a Hero’s Journey plot line: the “Call to Adventure.” This is where the fun begins....

Let’s begin! Authors and screenwriters often refer to the Beginning, Middle, and End of stories as Acts 1, 2 & 3. Over the next few days,...

So far, as a writer, I have found no theory more useful or compelling than that of the “Hero’s Journey.” When I go to writing conferences...

Writing a book is like building a puzzle made out of magnets. My last post, about how a character’s wishes can kick-start a story, made...

I visited the National Leprechaun Museum—it’s a real place!—in Dublin earlier this summer. Inside, the tour guide filled us in on all...