by Susan Watts

In my previous article, we explored how powerful stories often contain both the outward movement of the Hero’s Journey and the inward transformation of the heroine’s journey. One shapes what the character must face in the world. The other shapes what the character must face within themselves.

But another question came up while I was writing about the heroine’s journey. Is it simply another name for interiority?

The short answer is no.

Interiority is a writing technique that lets readers experience what a character feels from inside the moment. The heroine’s journey is a story structure that shapes the changes a character must undergo.

A story can contain deep interiority without following the heroine’s journey at all. And a story can follow the heroine’s journey structure even if its interiority is light. The two often appear together because they strengthen each other, but they are not interchangeable.

Understanding the difference can help you recognize what kind of transformation your story may actually need.

Interiority Brings Readers Inside the Experience

Writers often hear the word interiority and assume it means describing emotions more deeply. But interiority is not about naming feelings. It is about letting readers experience a moment from inside the character. Instead of observing events from a distance, readers feel hesitation before a decision. They experience what’s happening now through the influence of something that happened before. They feel tension before action lands.

This creates emotional proximity. A decision becomes more than an action. It becomes a lived experience.

Here are examples of what interiority might look like:

Without interiority

Her hands trembled.

This shows a reaction.

With interiority

Her hands trembled. If she reached for the doorknob now, he would see it.

Now readers experience the moment with her instead of observing it from the outside.

Here’s another example:

Without interiority

He stayed quiet.

With interiority

He stayed quiet. Saying the truth now would only make things worse.

The action hasn’t changed. What changed is access to the character’s thinking inside the decision.

Interiority brings readers closer to the character’s experience. That closeness strengthens nearly every kind of story. Mysteries, fantasies, romances, and thrillers all rely on interiority to create emotional presence.

But closeness alone does not create a heroine’s journey. That requires something different.

The Heroine’s Journey Is About Reclaiming Something That Was Set Aside

The heroine’s journey centers on recognition instead of conquest. Rather than proving strength by overcoming an enemy, the character discovers they must recover something they set aside earlier in life before the story can move forward.

Sometimes that lost element is trust.

Sometimes identity.

Sometimes connection.

Sometimes permission to use their own voice.

External conflict still drives the story forward. Dragons still appear. Doors still close. Enemies still act. But the turning point comes when the character stops trying to meet expectations and starts trying to become true to who they are.

That is the structural work of the heroine’s journey.

Why Writers Sometimes Mistake Strong Interiority for a Heroine’s Journey

Modern fiction often uses deep point of view and emotional immediacy, so readers spend more time inside a character’s thoughts and reactions than ever before. That closeness can make a story feel internal, even when the character’s identity hasn’t actually changed. Because of that, writers sometimes assume their story is following a heroine’s journey when what they are really seeing is strong interiority. Or vice versa.

A character can experience fear, doubt, hesitation, and emotional conflict throughout a story without reclaiming anything essential about who they are. Those experiences deepen the reader’s connection to the character, but they do not create a heroine’s journey on their own.

Story Examples of the Heroine’s Journey vs. Interiority

Strong stories often include both movements at once. Interiority lets readers experience the transformation as it happens. The heroine’s journey gives that transformation meaning.

Examples from popular movies include:

The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen

Interiority

Katniss evaluates threats in the arena, counts arrows, reads other tributes’ intentions, and constantly calculates survival odds.

Readers feel:

• fear
• strategy
• protectiveness toward Rue
• anger toward the Capitol

That’s interiority. We’re inside her decision-making.

Heroine’s Journey moment

Katniss raises the berries and refuses to perform the Capitol’s script. She stops being a pawn and becomes someone who defines her own role.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Aragorn

Interiority

Aragorn hesitates repeatedly about claiming kingship.

We experience:

• self-doubt
• reluctance
• loyalty conflicts
• fear of repeating Isildur’s failure

Readers are inside his uncertainty.

Heroine’s Journey movement inside a Hero’s Journey story

Aragorn accepts that he is the rightful king. He stops avoiding identity and steps into it.

The war still must be won—but the story cannot resolve until he accepts himself.

The Devil Wears Prada: Andy Sachs

Interiority

Andy struggles to survive Miranda’s expectations.

We experience:

• her stress
• her insecurity
• her ambition conflict
• her exhaustion

That’s interiority.

Heroine’s Journey moment

Andy walks away from Miranda’s world. Not because she failed. Because she recognizes it isn’t who she wants to become.

She reclaims identity.

Why This Difference Matters During Revision

Your manuscripts may reach a stage where the structure appears sound, but something still feels unfinished.

Sometimes the missing element is stronger interiority. Readers need closer access to the character’s experience as events unfold. Other times, the story is waiting for a moment of recognition that allows the character to reclaim something they have been living without.

Those are different revisions. Knowing which one your story needs can save enormous time. The distinction becomes especially useful when a manuscript feels emotionally close to working, but still feels unfinished.

A Quick Diagnostic Question for Your Manuscript

If your story feels emotionally distant, ask:

• Do readers experience the character’s thoughts, memories, and physical reactions during important moments?

If not, the manuscript likely needs stronger interiority.

If your story feels immersive but still unresolved, ask:

• Does the character reclaim something essential about themselves before the ending?

If not, the manuscript may be missing a heroine’s journey.

One problem affects closeness.

The other effects completion.

What to Revise When One Element Is Missing

If interiority is thin:

Bring readers closer to decisions as they happen. Let them experience hesitation, memory, and meaning from inside the character rather than summarizing after the fact.

If the heroine’s journey is missing:

Look for something the character learned to silence earlier in life and ask where the story allows them to reclaim it.

Often, the strongest revision move is not adding action.

It is restoring identity.

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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.