by Susan Watts

Every writer eventually reaches a moment in the middle of a manuscript when the plot seems to work, but something still feels incomplete. The obstacles are escalating. The stakes are rising. The structure follows the familiar pattern of the Hero’s Journey,

And yet the story lacks the emotional gravity that makes readers lean forward in their chairs. Often the missing element is not another plot twist. It is another journey.

Beneath the visible adventure, a quieter transformation is waiting to unfold. The character is not only confronting the world outside them. They are also confronting the truth within themselves. This second path is commonly called the Heroine’s Journey and understanding how it works alongside the Hero’s Journey can deepen the emotional power of almost any story.

Understanding the Difference Between the Hero’s Journey and the Heroine’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey focuses on outward movement. A character begins in familiar circumstances until something disrupts the ordinary pattern of life. A call to adventure appears, allies gather, and the path grows more dangerous as the hero approaches the central confrontation. Most of us recognize this structure because we’ve lived it. At some point in life, we are all asked to step beyond our comfort zone and face uncertainty.

Stories built on this framework emphasize visible change. Star Wars: A New Hope and The Hobbit are both classic hero’s journeys. The hero confronts obstacles, learns new skills, and ultimately faces the antagonist who represents the central threat. When the journey concludes, the hero’s actions have altered the world in some meaningful way.

The Heroine’s Journey moves in a different direction.

Instead of defeating an enemy, it explores what happens when a character must reconnect something that was lost, hidden, or silenced. Many characters must overcome a lie they believe about themselves. These lies are usually formed earlier in the character’s life to help them survive something.

Common examples include:

• Worth—I’m not enough
• Strength—I must handle everything alone
• Identity—I’m not a leader
• Responsibility—Everything is my fault
• Emotions—Strong people don’t feel this way
• Belonging—I’m the outsider
• Power—I’m dangerous if I use my strength
• Control—If I try harder, I can prevent loss
• Relationships—people always leave

Transformation unfolds through introspection and reconciliation. Strength alone is not enough. The character must also rediscover empathy, vulnerability, or truth.

One journey tests courage.

The other asks for understanding.

Two Journeys, One Story

The stories we remember rarely choose between these journeys. Instead, they allow both journeys to unfold together.

Consider Harry Potter’s long struggle with Voldemort. On the surface, the narrative follows a classic heroic path filled with trials, allies, and escalating danger. Harry trains, confronts enemies, and eventually faces the dark wizard who threatens the wizarding world. Yet the deeper conflict is internal.

Harry fears becoming like the enemy he is trying to defeat. He repeatedly faces the question beneath the conflict: Who am I, really? When the ultimate confrontation arrives, the victory matters not only because Voldemort falls but because Harry chooses compassion and sacrifice instead of power.

The external battle saves the world. The internal journey reveals who Harry truly is.

Why Writers Benefit from Understanding Both Journeys

Once you recognize these two directions of transformation, story problems start revealing their actual source. Sometimes the plot feels stuck because the character hasn’t faced the external obstacle yet. Other times the plot feels stuck because the character hasn’t faced themselves.

External conflict gives a story momentum. Internal integration gives it meaning. Readers feel the difference immediately, though they may not name it that way. But they recognize when a story reaches both layers of change.

When shaping a story, it can help to explore the following questions:

• What external challenge forces the character to leave the ordinary world and confront danger?
• What internal truth must the character face before that external conflict can truly be resolved?
• How do those two journeys intersect as the story approaches its climax?

These questions remind us that the visible quest and the internal reckoning are often inseparable. Each obstacle on the outer path reveals something about the character’s inner self.

When the Writer is on the Journey Too

There is another reason these story paths matter so much to writers. We rarely stand outside the journey while we create it. Most of the time we walk it ourselves.

The Hero’s Journey appears in the discipline of finishing pages, solving plot problems, and pushing through difficult chapters. The Heroine’s Journey often appears more quietly, in the moments when we rediscover our voice after doubt or remember why the story mattered to us in the first place.

When writers recognize both journeys in their own creative lives, the process becomes less frustrating.

The Story Beneath the Story

The Hero’s Journey shows us how characters confront the world. The Heroine’s Journey shows us how they come to understand themselves. Together, they reveal the deeper nature of transformation.

When both journeys appear in a story, readers experience more than adventure. They witness the moment when action and identity finally meet. For instance, a character learns that the goal is not to eliminate those conditions but to navigate them. The belief that guides them represents imagination itself. It does not fly in a straight line, and it does not promise clear skies. What it offers instead is perspective.

The Hero’s Journey resembles climbing the mountain that blocks your path. The Heroine’s Journey resembles listening to the dragon that understands the sky better than you do. And the stories we remember most are the ones where both dragons appear.

One waiting in the world outside the hero.

The other waiting quietly within.

A Question for You

When you think about the story you’re writing now, which journey is shaping your protagonist more strongly—the outer quest of the Hero’s Journey, or the inner transformation of the Heroine’s Journey?

Or perhaps the more interesting question is this:

What dragon is your character truly learning to face?

About Susan

Under the pen name Michelle Allums, Susan Watts has authored a young adult urban fantasy titled, The Jade Amulet and is currently writing the sequel. Her short stories are also included in the anthologies Christmas Roses and Forever and Always.

Susan has dedicated over four decades to training in multiple martial arts styles and holds the impressive title of a five-time US Karate Alliance world black belt fighting grand champion. Through her karate school, she is able to impart martial arts and life skills. Susan also incorporates her martial arts knowledge into her writing.

An avid triathlete, she keeps in shape by running, biking, and swimming. She lives in the country with her husband, where they raise animals and enjoy being outdoors. Susan also has three grown children and numerous grandchildren. In addition, she is a CPA and VP of finance for a company in her hometown. 

You can connect with Susan on social media or her website.

Top Image by Jose Antonio Alba from Pixabay