This Book on Writing from 1990 Is Super Weird and Racist

Have you heard of the Hero's Journey? You probably have; it's a common narrative map (pictured below).

Stolen from Wikipedia

Are you familiar with the Heroine's Journey? No? Neither had I—until I read The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock.

As mentioned before, I try to read a book on craft every month. I read THJ in February 2024. Parts of it resonated.

But The Heroine's Journey was written in 1990. And oh boy, does it show.

First, this book is super into pop psychology. There's plenty of Freud and Jung, neither of whom I'm particularly into. Second, it's cis- and hetero-normative, which is to be expected in a 90s book that wasn't being directly marketed to the queer community.

My first inclination that this would be a pretty weird book came during Chapter 2, when we meet Danielle. Danielle is a 30-something woman who runs her own real estate business and is "tough as nails." And, for some reason, Murdock tells us about her genital infections.

Danielle, your problem is not your dad—you need to see a doctor.

In Chapter 6, Murdoch writes about women experiencing the "dark night of the soul," or depression. Murdoch calls this a "sacred journey" that she has great respect for, and insinuates that by medicating depression, we aren't "honoring" the process.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

But the weirdest (and racist) part comes during Chapter 8, in which Murdock writes about the "Dark Dream Woman."

The "dark dream woman," according to Murdock, is a dark-skinned woman who appears in the dreams of (presumably white) women to dispense wisdom and mystical advice.

It is so racist, y'all. Murdock essentially comes out and says black women are props for her spiritual advancement.

I would have tapped out there, but the book is only 10 chapters long, and I was reading it with a group of writers, so I wanted to keep up. I couldn't tell you a single thing that comes after the dark dream woman, though. That shit is seared into my memory forever.

My ultimate rating? One star. Too much psychology, not nearly enough writing advice.

---

Writing without a paywall is important to me, but writing is work. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I would be honored if you would consider donating.

Tip Jar

Tip Jar