Most writers and fans of speculative (or any) fiction are aware of the 'hero's journey'. It's a narrative structure device by which the main character undergoes a period of change and growth through the medium of plot. There are various well attested tropes and archetypes used along the way. So what if the fiction you write just doesn't fit this well discussed structure? It's possible that you are actually writing the 'heroine's journey' instead. In fact you might have been all along and just not realised it. The terms 'hero' and 'heroine' are in themselves misleading because they are narrative descriptors and not indicative of gender - a hero or heroine in this context may be any gender at all! So what is the Heroine's Journey? The dragons get into the weeds on that and the ways it differs from the hero's journey in this week's episode. On the slab this week: My Hero Academia, Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce, Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 313: The Economy of Boots - Wealth and Poverty in Speculative Fiction
Episode 312: All the Feels - Widening the Appeal of Your Writing with Feel Good Moments
Episode 311: Run Away! Run Away! - the enduring Charm of Cowardly Characters
Episode 310: Villainesses and Dense Heroines - the Reverse Harem Trope in Speculative Fiction
Episode 309: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction part 2
Episode 308: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction Part 1
Episode 307: Good News Everyone! - 2021 the Best Bits
Episode 306: Japes and Tricks and Festive Diversions - Traditional Games Played at Yule and Christmas
Episode 305: Skulls and Sheets and Winter Puzzles - The Origins of the Riddle
Episode 304: What If Examining Storytelling by Changing the Pivot Points in Speculative Fiction
Episode 303: Wicked Queens and Nefarious Princes - The Evolution of the Disney Villain
Episode 302: My Only Love Sprung from My Only Hate - the Enemies to Lovers Trope in Speculative Fiction
DD Episode 301: Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting - Martial Arts as a Storytelling Tool in Speculative Fiction
Episode 300: How Not to be a Bad Art Friend - Professionalism and Empathy in Writing
Episode: 299: Who Watches the Watchmen - Gatekeeping in Speculative Fiction
Episode 298: Long Pig & a Nice Chianti - Cannibalism in Fact and Fiction
Episode 297: Of Human Evil - Serial Killers in Fact and Fiction
Episode 296: A Young Priest and An Old Priest - Exorcism in Fact and Fiction
Episode 295: White Ladies and Ghostly Cavaliers - A Selection of Britain‘s Most Haunted Buildings
Episode 294: Crying Boys and Unhappy Mummies - More Cursed Objects in Fact and Fiction
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
Pollyanna
The Turn of the Screw
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends