New year, new tropes! 📅

What are some overused clichés we should leave in 2024?

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⚠️ WARNING SIGNS when working with a #vanitypress

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See thread 🧵

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What is a vanity press?

A vanity press is a publisher that profits not from selling books but from asking authors to pay for publishing expenses.

To help you spot the red flags, here's a comprehensive guide on vanity publishing! - blog.reedsy.com/vanity-press/

9/
🧪 Return with the Elixir: The hero returns, forever changed.

Ex: Rocky loses the fight, but he regains his confidence and wins Adrian’s love.

8/
❗ The Road Back: Danger looms again.

Ex: On New Year's Day, Rocky starts strong against Creed, but Apollo’s comeback evens the match.

🔥 Resurrection: The final battle.

Ex: Rocky endures 15 rounds, rising every time he’s knocked down.

7/
🚵 Ordeal: Their greatest test.

Ex: The training montage begins Rocky’s Ordeal, ending with hope as he conquers the museum steps.

🏆 Reward: A glimpse of victory.

Ex: Rocky regains his self-belief, knowing he can “go the distance” and proves he is more than a bum.

6/
⚔️ Tests, Allies, Enemies: New friends, foes, and challenges appear.

Ex: Rocky tries to win over his love interest, Adrian, and begins a friendship with her brother, Paulie.

😱 Approach to the Inmost Cave: The hero faces their fears.

Ex: Rocky clashes with Mickey, revealing his fear of failure.

5/
🧙‍♂️ Meeting the Mentor: Guidance arrives.

Ex: Former boxer Mickey “Mighty Mick” Goldmill sees potential in Rocky and starts training him.

🚪 Crossing the First Threshold: They leave their comfort zone.

Ex: Rocky crosses the threshold of no return when he accepts the fight on live TV

3/ Here are the 12 steps:

🌎 Ordinary World: Meet the hero.

Ex: Rocky Balboa is a mediocre boxer and loan collector.

📜 Call to Adventure: A challenge arises.

Ex: Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed decides to let Rocky challenge him

❌ Refusal of the Call: Doubts take over.

Ex: Rocky says No.

2/ Found in cultures worldwide for centuries, it gained fame through Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. He outlined 17 beats, but we'll focus on the 12-step framework popularized by Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey (2007).

What is the Hero’s Journey? A thread 🧵

1/ The Hero's Journey (aka the monomyth) is a classic story structure: a hero embarks on a quest, faces challenges, and returns home transformed. 🌟

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