The Hero Is You: Sharpen Your Focus, Conquer Your Demons, and Become the Writer You Were Born to Be (How to Write a Book)

by Kendra Levin

Overview

Meet Your Writing Life Coach and Mentor

"If you want to take your writing to the next level, buy this book...now!" ―Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sperry, The Book Doctors and authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published

#1 Bestseller in Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

Imagine having your own personal writing life coach and mentor―someone encouraging yet honest, supportive yet empowering, who can help you set and achieve your goals, turn your moments of doubt and fear into sources of strength, and discover what you're truly capable of when you're at your best.

A motivational book for anyone dealing with writer's block or other writing obstacles. Whether you're a first-time writer with a brand-new project or a seasoned pro, Kendra Levin's book will help you do the best writing of your life―and live your best life while doing it.

A motivational self-care book for writing aficionados. Using a fresh new approach to Joseph Campbell's archetypal The Hero's Journey, Levin reveals how to be a hero in the narrative of your own process. She weaves together wisdom drawn from her years as a life coach for writers and an editor at the world's biggest publishing house with behind-the-scenes stories from a panoply of best-selling authors and career entertainers.

With over thirty exercises designed to help you reinvent your creative process from the inside out, learn how to:

Identify your biggest challenges and render them powerless

Start a project that you love―and stick with it

Design a structure for writing regularly

Readers of self-help books and personal development books for writers and creatives like Story Genius, The Emotional Craft of Fiction, The Artist's Way, Bird by Bird, or Big Magic will be inspired and encouraged by The Hero is You.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781573246880
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Series:	Open Center Book
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Kendra Levin is a certified life coach for writers, as well as a children's book editor, teacher, and writer. Since 2008, she has helped writers and other creative artists all over the world meet their goals and connect more deeply with their work and themselves. She is a senior editor at Penguin Books, where she has worked for over a decade. Kendra has taught classes to everyone from media professionals to prison inmates. Visit her online at www.kendracoaching.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 The Hero 1

Identify Your Gifts and Vulnerabilities and Begin the Work

Chapter 2 The Herald 21

Follow and Create Inspiration and Change

Chapter 3 Allies 41

Build Your Support System

Chapter 4 The Mentor 57

Learn from All Teachers and Follow Your Inner Wisdom

Chapter 5 Threshold Guardians 77

Conquer Distraction

Mid-Book Check-In 99

Chapter 6 The Shapeshifter 101

Change Your Point of View

Chapter 7 The Trickster 117

Play, Break Your Own Rules, and Remember to Have Fun

Chapter 8 The Goddess 129

Identify Your Natural Cycles and Make the Most of Them

Chapter 9 The Shadow 147

Fight the Destructive Impulse and Discover Your Hidden Power

Chapter 10 The Superhero 171

Finish What You Started and Apply What You've Learned to Revision

Chapter 11 The Steed 189

Share Your Work-and Yourself-With the World

Chapter 12 Mentor-Hero 213

Be a Mentor for the Next Hero's Journey

Bibliography 225

Acknowledgments 231

Editorial Reviews

08/15/2016
Drawing from the mythological archetypes of Joseph Campbell, who theorized that many stories follow the universal plot arc of the “hero’s journey,” Levin (Arrested Development Mad Libs) has designed an extensive writing-as-therapy tool for writers. The premise of Levin’s therapeutic process: being a writer and working on a project is similar to being Campbell’s archetypal hero. Inspired by this conceit, Levin has expanded it into a self-analysis study for writers. To help readers tackle different writing difficulties, self-examination questions appear in each chapter ; these include “what do certain fantasies offer you that you aren’t getting in your real life?” and “what will happen if you continue to write nothing?” Though these questions might be apt, they also evoke a too-long psychotherapy session, and are too numerous for readers to tackle many of them in depth. Books about writing often devote ample space to becoming published, but Levin chooses to focus squarely on helping her readers establish a productive routine. Sprinkled throughout are personal accounts of writers who followed the “hero’s journey” model with success. Levin’s myth-inspired strategy should prove inspiring for first-time writers. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"The goal of certified life coach Levin's book is to aid writers in developing a deeper understanding of story structure, a grasp of the archetypes that make up a hero's journey, and a composition process that will help them feel more in tune with themselves and their voice." -Kendra Levin, Library Journal

From the Publisher

"The goal of certified life coach Levin's book is to aid writers in developing a deeper understanding of story structure, a grasp of the archetypes that make up a hero's journey, and a composition process that will help them feel more in tune with themselves and their voice. Levin guides readers through the labyrinth of the creative endeavor known as the "hero's journey"—a quest for identity and wholeness. Guidelines require writers to ask questions, explore their vulnerabilities, and seek mentors. Exercises and quizzes move authors toward self-examination. VERDICT This guide would serve as a valuable text for writers' groups or beginning classes on the craft." -Deborah Bigelow, Library Journal, July 1, 2016

Reviews

07/01/2016
The goal of certified life coach Levin's book is to aid writers in developing a deeper understanding of story structure, a grasp of the archetypes that make up a hero's journey, and a composition process that will help them feel more in tune with themselves and their voice. Levin guides readers through the labyrinth of the creative endeavor known as the "hero's journey"—a quest for identity and wholeness. Guidelines require writers to ask questions, explore their vulnerabilities, and seek mentors. Exercises and quizzes move authors toward self-examination. VERDICT This guide would serve as a valuable text for writers' groups or beginning classes on the craft.

Library Journal