A hill I will die on: we need heroic stories. That may seem super obvious. After all, the word “hero” has become all but synonymous with “protagonist.” They are not, however, the same thing. A protagonist is the structural driver of the plot (just as the antagonist is the structural obstacle to that driving momentum). […]
June 15, 2026 by 5 Comments PodcastHow to Write Mythic Fiction: 7 Practices to Reconnect With the Lost Art of Mythmaking
What is mythic fiction, and how can we write it? Earlier this month, I shared a post about how to write mythic fiction, in which I discussed the difference between adapting inherited myths (i.e., just retelling the old symbolic stories over and over in “new” ways) versus creating our own myths. My suggestion was that […]
September 8, 2025 by 17 Comments Writing InspirationWhy All Stories Are Myth—and How They Transform Us
Stories are more than just entertainment. They’re also more than just reflections of real life. This is because, at its core, narrative is myth. Whether you’re crafting epic fantasy, gritty crime drama, or cozy rom-coms, deep archetypal patterns always echo through your characters, plots, and themes. Story is the theater of the psyche. It is […]
July 14, 2025 by 14 Comments Writer's HelpThe Ultimate Writing Glossary (Story Structure, Character Arcs, and More)
Over the years, I’ve developed a set of terms that have become foundational to how I teach storytelling. A few I’ve coined myself, others I’ve adapted, and some I’ve simply emphasized so frequently they’ve become closely associated with my approach to character arcs, story structure, and theme. Whether you’ve followed my work through this blog […]
April 22, 2024 by 29 Comments PodcastHow to Use Symbolic and Archetypal Settings in Your Story
Story settings serve as the backdrop, providing a tangible environment in which characters interact and events unfold. Most settings are realistic and straightforward, providing physical attributes of necessary locations in the story. But writers can raise stories to a higher level by employing symbolic and archetypal settings that go beyond mere description to act as […]
October 9, 2023 by 8 Comments CharactersHow to Use Archetypes in a Series
One of the most common questions I receive is how to use archetypes in a series. The short answer is: however you want! Archetypes are endlessly adaptable. However, there are several important considerations to keep in mind. Most have to do with understanding the shape of the story you’re going to be telling over the […]
September 25, 2023 by 155 Comments CharactersAnnouncing Archetypal Character Guided Meditations! (+Giveaway)
All this summer, I have been working hard on a secret project that combines two of my favorite things: archetypes and guided meditation. Today, I’m thrilled to announce I am releasing six Archetypal Character Guided Meditations! Based on the six transformational character arcs that I shared in my book Writing Archetypal Character Arcs, these meditations […]
March 27, 2023 by 30 Comments CharactersHow Archetypes Changed My Life and My Writing
Story and life are inextricably linked. To write better stories, we study life. And to live better lives, we study stories. There are many obvious reasons why this is so. Stories, after all, are meant to be relatively accurate reflections of life. However, the more I study story theory, the deeper the rabbit hole seems […]
February 14, 2022 by 33 Comments CharactersArchetypes and Story Structure: How They’re Connected
By its very nature, story structure is archetypal. It is a pattern we recognize emerging from story. It is a pattern as big as life itself, and therefore one about which we are always learning more, but it is also a pattern we have been able to distill into specific systems that help us consistently […]
October 11, 2021 by 36 Comments CharactersArchetypal Antagonists for the Mage Arc: Evil and the Weakness of Humankind
It is appropriate that the final archetypal character arc of the life cycle—the Mage Arc—should be the one to finally confront the ultimate antagonist within the human experience. This is, of course, Evil—in all its abstraction. As the final arc, the Mage symbolizes the end of life and, presumably, its fulfillment. Because the Mage is […]
