writers are mythmakers

december 18 | weekly warm-up

For this week’s exercise, I want you to think about the timeline you created last week, this time through the lens of the heroine’s journey framework by Kim Hudson which is explained below. What insights come up for you when looking at your writing journey through this story arc?

Hi everyone,

Last week we reflected on our writing journeys so far so we can appreciate the role that writing has played in our personal evolution. If you weren’t with us last week, you can check out that exercise here. 

What we are doing here is piecing together life events that without reflection could seem like random choices and things that just ‘happened’. We are tracing our own mythology, the stories that our lives are telling, and using our imaginations to interpret them. In this Storygrid article, the author says writers are mythmakers. We are the ones who feel called “...to create new myths, to draw upon our experiences, uncover new symbols, and reinterpret archetypes.” 

She says, “Myths are archetypal stories that reflect our inner selves. They reveal our foibles and laud our innate strengths so that we can better understand our shared humanity.”

We’ll be exploring more archetypes during our January session, many of which you are already familiar with like The Hero’s Journey, Rags to Riches, and Overcoming the Monster. For this week’s reflection, I want you to think about your writing journey through the lens of The Heroine’s Journey framework by Kim Hudson. Below, I have shortened Hudson’s steps to provide a summary, but you can read a more robust explanation here. Her version of the heroine’s journey is called The Virgin’s Promise, and the stages reflect an inner emotional approach to life’s challenges, as opposed to The Hero’s Journey which focuses on an outward path to self-actualization.

As you read through Hudson’s version of The Heroine’s Journey, think of yourself as the protagonist who has a a secret or unexpressed identity as a writer/artist. Reflect on situations from your writing journey that come to mind for each stage. (I’ve provided some ideas/examples.) Here are the shortened steps. I am using the pronoun “she” to simplify things.

— The Dependent World/Price of Conformity — Protagonist is tied to a world that she’s dependent on for survival, love, acceptance. She only knows the way of life taught to her. Protagonist suppresses inner gifts/differences to maintain status quo, may be aware or unaware of doing this, feels inner conflict.

Writing journey: Based on past influences, experiences and beliefs, even if there’s a connection or draw to writing, it seems out of reach and unrealistic. Creativity is suppressed. Feeling too tied to other people’s opinions and expectations to take creative risk. 

— Opportunity to Shine/Dressing the Part — A chance to express herself comes without risk to her dependent world. She discovers a talent, maybe pushed into it by helping someone else, and she recognizes a dormant part of her soul. She feels hope, realizes dreams may be within reach, willingly steps into role. 

Writing journey: You might discover the healing power of words by having to write in school or work, write for therapy, or write to explain something you care about. Something awakens your writing identity and you decide to explore it. Any project you take on or step you take that allows you to try on your identity as a writer. Maybe you take a class, start a blog, or take on something adjacent to writing. 

— Split between Dependent World/Secret World — One foot in her new world, but afraid to leave to her old world behind. Thinking about her old dependencies, she fears the consequences of letting go. As she discovers her true nature, she realizes that her double life can’t go on, but she may feel that she’s still an outsider in her secret world. 

Writing journey: Getting a taste of what it’s like to walk in your writer identity, you look back at your other roles and responsibilities and worry about what will happen to them if you fully surrender to your calling. What impact will your secret world have on your dependent world? At this point your mind is swimming with limiting beliefs and self-sabotage is a common reaction.

— Caught Shining/Gives up what keeps her stuck — Despite the things that hold her back (fear of failure, rejection, loss, pain),  she faces those fears and breaks the hold that others have on her. She might be triggered by a disruption or changing circumstance. She may reveal her newfound strength by coming to the rescue of another. 

Writing journey: You discover a WHY that is bigger than your fears. Your why might be to save yourself or to help others.

— Kingdom in Chaos/Wanders in the Wilderness — She has rocked the boat and changed the status quo by her rejection of the things that held her back. She faces doubt when things are more difficult than she thought or when things don’t go as planned. Her belief in herself is tested. It might be enticing when she looks back at the familiar restrictions of her dependent world. 

Writing journey: You thought that deciding to write/express would be enough but showing up to do it and facing all the challenges that come with it makes you feel stuck all over again. You question your why. You might say to yourself: ‘Who do I think I am? I can’t do this.’

— Chooses Her Light/The Kingdom is Brighter — Eventually she chooses to shine. She expresses her gifts in an imperfect world, accepting her flaws and her strengths. She gains new insights about the world she left behind. The world readjusts itself around her. She had let go of the dependent world to go into the wilderness, but now she returns to her community. Her transformation makes the old world a better place. She reunites with people she loves who recognize and value her true self. She is no longer controlled by others. She integrates her inner self with the outer world. 

Writing journey: After being tested, you choose to trust and follow your calling. You accept the uncertainty and the expansive possibilities that come with it. You take one step at a time, fitting writing into your life, and finding your place in the writing world.