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Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.
~ Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
Pam Asberry and Debra Dixon
Saturday I had the privilege of attending a workshop presented by Debra Dixon. I wrote a review of her book Goal, Motivation and Conflict HERE and highly recommend it to any author trying to master the elements of fiction writing.
It was a thrill to finally meet Debra in person and to hear her speak. Her program was titled The Hero’s Journey. Based on the writings of Joseph Campbell (The Hero With A Thousand Faces, The Power Of Myth) and Christopher Vogler (The Writer’s Journey), this workshop outlined the twelve stages of any hero’s journey. These are universal structural elements that work together to create a cohesive, accessible story; click HERE to see a complete list. Debra provided thorough explanations of each element as well as numerous examples from books and movies. I am looking forward to analyzing some of my favorite books and films for the twelve stages and applying them to my fiction writing.
But as I was driving home from after the workshop, it occurred to me that each of us is on his own hero’s journey. Every day, we make a series of choices that cumulatively determines the course of our future. The alarm goes off; do I get up and hit the gym or succumb to the temptation to roll over and sleep an extra hour? I have two hours set aside for writing; do I buckle down and get to work or spend the time on surfing the web and catching up on social media? When it’s lunchtime, do I pop a frozen pizza in the microwave or have some fruits and veggies instead?
What would a hero do? Storybook heroes offer us powerful examples of what is possible when we step outside of our comfort zones and rise to life’s challenges. And with every victory–exercise instead of inertia, healthy instead of harmful, living with intention instead of passively whiling away the hours–our bodies, minds and hearts become stronger. Heroic effort is necessary in order to achieve the hero’s reward. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my happy ending. What about you?
May we all be the heroes of our own lives.
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by Pam Asberry
Pam,
I’m sorry I missed that workshop. It sounded great. I like your idea of applying the elements of The Hero’s Journey to your own life. In those terms, I haven’t always made the best choices, exercising vs. sitting in front of the computer; eating something fattening vs. something healthy, etc. But it’s interesting to contemplate.
Well said, Pam.
I wish I’d known about the Deb Dixon W/S. I would’ve gone. When she did her GMC W/S here in Georgia, it was one of the most enlightening days. She’s great.
Yes, I’m working on becoming my own heroine. It’s hard to always do the right thing. But even if you go off track for awhile, you can choose to get back on. Seize the moment!
I don’t always make the best choices myself, Marilyn. It’s a daily struggle, but every win brings me a little bit closer to achieving my dreams.
Nancy Knight spoke too, Sia, and I think she mentioned it at a GRW meeting a while back. I had to join AWC in order to attend, but it was worth it. Carpe diem, indeed!
Oh, I would love to be in Debra Dixon’s workshop. I must pay closer attention to these things! And thanks for the list, Pam. I know you enjoyed this so much!
It was a great workshop, Maxine. I joined GRW after Debra presented the GMC workshop here, so it was a thrill to finally meet her. GMC is one of the best books on craft out there, IMHO.
Good deal that this workshop was enlightening and motivating for you! Yes, we need to make those daily choices–the heroes will get their goals by making the small decisions.
Julee, if you ever have a chance to hear Debra Dixon speak, do it. There were a lot of epiphany moments for me!
I LOVED the quote you included at the top, Pam!!
I also really enjoyed yo post. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Debra Dixon, but I’ve read her book, cover to cover, and learned so much from it. How fortunate that notonly did you get to meet her, but you attended her workshop.
Where was this class and was it offered through GRW? I would have been thrilled to take it. I didn’t even know about it.
I’m about to start the second novel in my Chronicle of the Fallen series and reading this post has helped me. I haven’t started yet because I’m not sure how the story will play out, but I’m TCHING to begin…which is a new feeling for me. It took me months and months to begin writing another novel after Blessing in Disguise.
I need to keep this momentum. I need to be the hero of this writing journey. And thanks to you and this post I have incentive to do so
Have a great evening, Pam!
tamara
Deb Dixon is the best. I’m so glad you got to hear her, Pam. Her GMC book is foundational for writers.
And I LOVE that quote from Dickens. It’s one of my favorites. You gave it a new twist along with some food for thought. You write the best posts.
Now off to write as you admonished me. 
The class was offered through Atlanta Writers Club, Tamara. I had to join AWC in order to attend the workshop, and plan to attend their meetings in addition to GRW, at least for the rest of this year. I am glad I have inspired you to get to work on your next book; I thoroughly enjoyed Blessing in Disguise and can’t wait to see what you do next. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!
Aw, thanks, Linsey!
Sounds like a wonderful workshop, and you are totally right about the Hero’s Journey. I think we relive it over and over and over and over again!
I am realizing that more and more every day, Lisa Ann. Thank you for visiting our blog today!
I agree that we’re all on our “hero’s journey” and it’s different for each of us. I, too, sit down and social media before getting to work. I think this is a huge mistake. I must change that. It should be:
1) Post a comment on Petit Fours (to support my sisters)
2) Write the predetermined number of pages or words…or do “x” amount of research…whatever your personal goal is…
3) Reward myself w/ time spent out on Facebook or Twitting, or ???
Now, that sounds like I have the priorities of my journey in much better order.
Thanks for the great post & glad you got to hear Deb Dixon in person.
Sounds like a plan, Sandy. Starting tomorrow.