Good morning, and welcome to Day 11.
Before we get into today’s lesson, there’s something important I want to say, because this is a real turning point…not just for your story, but for you as a writer:
We are officially moving into Act Two of your story as we work through the Hero’s Journey. And at the same time, we’re also moving into Act Two of this 30-day challenge, which is your own journey of becoming an author.
That parallel matters.
Up to now, we’ve talked about your Hero’s Ordinary World. We’ve looked at the destabilising moment—the thing that upended everything. We’ve spent time with refusal, hesitation, resistance.
And if you’ve felt overwhelmed, uncertain, or a little mentally fried over the last few days, that’s not a coincidence.
That is the journey.
Signing up for this challenge was your call to adventure.
Feeling unsure, resistant, or doubtful was your refusal of the call.
And now you’re at the point where—just like your Hero—you have to decide whether you’re going to keep going.
So I want to say this clearly, because it’s one of the most important things you’ll learn here:
Becoming an author is not about being exceptionally clever.
It’s not about knowing what you’re doing right away.
It’s not about talent, or confidence, or having everything figured out.
Becoming an author is about persistence.
It’s about showing up even when you feel unsure.
It’s about being stubborn enough to keep going when your brain tells you you’re not ready yet.
Every professional writer—even those who’ve been doing this for decades—hits this exact moment. The difference is not that they don’t feel it. It’s that they keep going anyway.
And the fact that you’re still here matters more than you think.
So congratulations, you superstar, you.
A quick note about yesterday
I really hope you enjoyed yesterday’s breather.
Reading about the walks, the cooking, the cross-stitching, the paper-making—all of it was such a good reminder that creativity doesn’t only happen at the desk. Sometimes the best work happens when we stop trying so hard and let our brains wander.
We’ll be doing another intentional pause like that on Day 20, because learning how to rest well is part of building a sustainable creative life.
Today’s lesson: the Hero’s Guide (or Meeting the Mentor)
Today we’re talking about the Hero’s Guide, sometimes called meeting the mentor.
And yes: in your journey through this challenge, that role is being played by me. Hi. (That’s me nudging you forward while you’re standing at the edge of Act Two wondering if this is all a bit much.)
In your story, the guide appears when the Hero is stuck.
They’ve had the call.
They’ve resisted it.
They’re hovering at the edge of the journey, not quite ready to cross the threshold.
That’s when the Guide steps in.
The Guide’s job is not to solve the story.
Their job is to challenge the Hero’s core flaw, to offer tools, questions, nudges, or perspective that help the hero move forward.
They don’t just appear once, either. Guides often return at moments when the Hero is stuck again later in the story.
Think of them as a kind of emotional and structural lever: they apply just enough pressure to help the hero take the next step.
Guides are not required to be perfect
One of the most important things to understand is that your Hero’s Guide does not need to be wise, calm, or flawless.
In The Hunger Games, Haymitch is Katniss’s guide, and he’s messy, blunt, and deeply imperfect. But he cares, and he pushes her where she needs to be pushed.
In Harry Potter, Hagrid is the first guide: he opens the door, literally and metaphorically, and gets Harry to Hogwarts. Later, that role shifts to Dumbledore.
In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi nudges Luke into the journey, then later Yoda becomes the guide who trains him.
And sometimes—especially in coming-of-age stories—the Guide dies. Because the hero no longer needs them. That loss signals growth and independence.
(Just like in those examples above.)
In The Princess Diaries, the guide is the Queen: warm, wise, firm, and quietly transformative.
In Finding Nemo, Dory plays the guide role through comic relief, perspective, and emotional challenge.
Guides can be:
gentle or brash
comforting or confrontational
mysterious, funny, blunt, or riddling
What matters is that they help the Hero stop saying no.
What the Guide does at this point in the story
At this stage, the Guide helps the Hero:
move past refusal or resistance
confront their core flaw
commit to the journey
prepare to cross the threshold (which we’ll talk about tomorrow known as crossing the threshold)
Often, the guide quite literally opens a door—sometimes metaphorically, sometimes physically.
Your task for today
In the comments below, tell me:
Who is your Hero’s Guide at this stage of the story?
If you think you’ll have more than one guide, that’s completely fine. You can say something like:
“Right now it’s this character, but later I think it will shift to someone else.”
There’s no need to overthink this. We’re identifying function, not perfection.
reflection prompt (in the chat)
I’ll post this in the chat, but you’re welcome to answer it in the comments or by email if you prefer:
How does your hero’s guide signal the kind of story this is—in tone, genre, or stakes—before the plot fully unfolds?
This question is designed to help you think like a Story Architect, not just a character-builder.
Before I go, I want to say this again, because it matters:
If you are still here—watching, thinking, engaging—that is proof of consistency. And consistency is what makes writers into authors.
Tomorrow, we cross the threshold. It’s one of the most satisfying moments in the entire structure.
I’ll see you then.
Xx Shelly
