Hi hello, and welcome to Day 26.
Yesterday you wrote your first little bit of actual draft work, and I’m genuinely excited about it.
Up until now, we’ve been plotting your story, which is important, especially if this is your first time writing a book. The planning makes the first draft less chaotic.
But: we have to get you over the hump from plotter to writer.
Because a first draft is still meant to be messy. It’s clay; you cannot shape anything if you don’t have material on the wheel.
And I heard that loud and clear in yesterday’s reflection: planning often feels easier than writing, because planning feels productive. And sometimes it is productive…until it becomes a loop. At some point you stop making progress and you start spinning.
So for these last few days, my job is to get your writing momentum going.
Two types of writers (and why we’re doing both)
There are two broad types of writers:
Plotters: who do structural work first, then draft from a plan.
Exploratory writers: who start with a character or scenario and write to discover the story.
Neither is “better.” Most writers end up doing a blend.
That’s part of why our blueprint grid ends at resurrection: the transformation is the heart of the story. After that, there are a few steps in the broader Hero’s journey—and tomorrow I’ll walk you through them—but I don’t want you planning those beats in the grid.
I want you to write your way into them once you’ve drafted through the transformation, because your ending will be stronger when it grows out of what you’ve actually written.
What we’re doing today: the mirror scene
Yesterday you wrote your resurrection moment—the moment your hero can finally do the thing they could not do at the beginning.
Today we’re going backwards.
You’re going back to the Ordinary World and writing the opposite: the moment when they couldn’t do that thing.
Why?
Because this is how you create a clean mirror and a satisfying emotional “click” for the reader. It makes the transformation visible on the page.
And also: your story has evolved over the last three weeks. Many of you have discovered that what you thought the flaw was at the beginning has shifted as you’ve built the journey. Writing backwards helps you update the start so it matches the story you’re actually telling now.
This is the same principle I used to teach in essay-writing: often you don’t truly know your thesis until you’ve written the paper. Then you can go back and state it clearly. Writing doesn’t have to happen in chronological order. You’re allowed to build meaning retroactively.
Examples
The Matrix
Resurrection: Neo stops the bullets.
Mirror scene: Morpheus takes him into the training simulation and Neo cannot dodge bullets.
The Princess Diaries
Resurrection: Mia stands up and gives the speech.
Mirror scene: early on, she can’t speak up / can’t hold herself in public / can’t handle the pressure of being seen.
You can do this with almost any story you love: what’s the thing they cannot do at the beginning…and what’s the moment at the end where they finally can?
Your task today: reverse it
Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Write the moment in the Ordinary World (or right at the edge of leaving it) where your Hero cannot do the thing you wrote yesterday.
Same rules as yesterday:
no editing
no fixing typos
no rereading
just keep moving forward for the full 20 minutes
And remember: this is your Hero before the transformation. The flaw is fully in control. They haven’t learned anything yet.
What to post in the comments
In the comments, tell me:
did you find the mirroring moment?
how many words did you get in 20 minutes?
(And tell me if the Ordinary World version changed from what you originally planned, tell me that too; that’s useful information.)
Reflection question
Now that you’ve written it backwards:
Has the beginning of your story changed from what you thought it was going to be, now that you’ve built the rest of the journey?
Academy note (because a few of you have asked)
Some of you have already started joining the Academy early, which is wildly exciting.
Because we’re still getting the new platform fully ironed out before the term begins (the live portion kicks off in the second week of February), I’m making sure early joiners get value immediately.
So: for every week you join before the term starts, I’m giving you a 1:1 call.
I had one today and it was so fun; we did a full hour on her book, her plan, and her next steps, and we booked her next session for next week.
If you want that extra personalised time with me before the semester begins, you’re welcome to jump in now. Just know that the platform is still being finished behind the scenes, which is why I’m adding those calls in.
Alright.
Have fun writing, and I’ll see you tomorrow for the final beats (so you know what’s coming, without getting stuck plotting them).
Xx Shelly
