Russell F. Hirsch
Descriptive Language that Sparkles
Kill your darlings! Get to the point! Plot over prose! How many times have you heard advice about simplifying your writing for middle...
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Russell F. Hirsch
- Oct 11
- 1 min
SIWC - Simply Inspiring Writers' Conference
We all know the feeling of finding our tribe. Whether we were kids discovering new friends on the playground, teens navigating a new...
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Russell F. Hirsch
- Jan 11, 2019
REVIEW: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
Today on Storythreads, the worlds of Indian mythology and space opera collide in Sangu Mandanna’s YA novel, A Spark of White Fire, the...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Jun 17, 2018
Graced with Epic-ness: Kristin Cashore’s Series Structure
In this post, I finish my examination of Kristin Cashore’s excellent Graceling Realms series. (Part one here!) The title of the post may...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Mar 27, 2018
Review: Pullman’s Book of *FAIRY* Dust
Released last October, La Belle Sauvage, is essentially a prequel (or as Pullman calls it, an “equel”) that takes place a decade before...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Nov 10, 2017
Pullman vs. Lewis: the Fantastical Frenemies
Last month, master storyteller Philip Pullman, published The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, marking a return to the world of His Dark...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Oct 26, 2017
BLOG TOUR: Timekeeper by Tara Sim
Timekeeper by Tara Sim Paperback Release: Oct. 31, 2017 Publisher: Sky Pony Press Available in Canada through Thomas Allen & Son 404...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Aug 30, 2017
Bull by David Elliot (Guest Review for The Book Wars)
Sometimes, I have the privilege of writing guest book reviews for the incredible folks at The Book Wars. You can check out my review of...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Jan 8, 2017
Further Reading & Feminist Alternatives to the Hero’s Journey
Further Resources on the Hero’s Journey I hope you’ve found my summary of hero’s journey plot lines useful, but there is really no...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Jan 2, 2017
The Hero’s Journey – Resolution
Happy New Year to all! We have reached the 10th and final stage of a hero’s journey plot line and a fitting stage it is for January 1st...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Dec 20, 2016
The Hero’s Journey – Climax!
Huzzah! We have reached the Climax, the grand hurrah, the big shebang, a moment so exciting that only funny-sounding words can express...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Dec 11, 2016
The Hero’s Journey – Propelling Event
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 &...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Dec 29, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – Reward
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,...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Oct 21, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – Ordeal
“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...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Oct 3, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – The Approach
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...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Sep 22, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – Tests, Allies & Enemies
Perilous tasks! Noble Companions! Dastardly Villains! At this point in their journey, characters tackle initial challenges, making new...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Sep 6, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – Crossing the Threshold
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...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Sep 1, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – Call to Adventure
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....
Russell F. Hirsch
- Aug 30, 2015
The Hero’s Journey–Ordinary Worlds
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,...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Aug 26, 2015
The Hero’s Journey – An Introduction
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...
Russell F. Hirsch
- Aug 18, 2015
Wishing Well
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...
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