Beyond the Hero’s Journey: Exploring Story Structure
Instructor: Erin Dionne
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 7:00-8:30 PM EST
Online | Workshop recorded | $30
Level: All levels
We are all familiar with the hero’s journey, but there are a lot more paths our stories can take.
In this session, we’ll explore a range of different types of story structures, including fishbone, “little e,” braided narratives, the heroine’s journey, spiral structure, and others. Together, we will review this range of structures, identify their elements, and assess what types of projects they may be good for. We’ll highlight examples of each and discuss the pros and cons for writers and readers.
Participants will leave with a detailed understanding of each structure and more flexibility in applying these structural elements to their own stories.
Instructor Bio: Erin Dionne writes middle-grade novels, picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction. Her spooky chapter book series Shiver-by-the-Sea (Pixel + Ink) features magic, movie monsters, friendship, and SEL themes. Her novel Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking was an Edgar finalist in the Juvenile Fiction category. Her collection, Bad Choices Make Good Stories: Conversations on Writing (Table for 7 Press), is available now. When not writing, she’s a professor at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA.