Victoria Schmidt

“The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it’s dead for you.” —OSCAR WILDE

The main goal of this book is to show you how to add that special element to your writing that will make it stand out from the rest, and maybe even inspire readers to call it a classic.

Why should you strive for more meaning in your work? Meaning, which is sometimes called message or theme, is what readers and audiences really want from a piece of writing, though they may not consciously acknowledge it. When readers sit down to give you their precious time, they are hoping to be uplifted, to learn, to grow, as well as to be entertained. Many of you have the entertainment part down, but now you need to go a bit deeper.

Meaning and message can be a very subjective thing. Your goal is not to impart the “correct” meaning/message/subtext/theme but to inspire your reader or audience to think deeply enough to contemplate it.

Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by meanings we give our situations.”

—ALFRED ADLER

Through the years I have met so many wonderful authors in the romance-writing genre, and I realized that none of these writers develop the romantic journeys in their books.

So I set out to dissect the stories and to present the three main love plotlines one can follow in any genre of writing. Love concerns all people, and I believe writers can benefit by exploring it in the context of their art. So this book includes a section that delves into The Three Romantic Journeys.

I personally have studied many holistic areas of self-help and growth, and I have a deep affection for animals. Thanks to my studies, I found a whole new area of archetypes that I know will be of profound use to writers: that of the animal archetype. The lessons here will show you how your characters, viewed as animal archetypes, can create meaning and themes in your work. This book includes fifteen animal archetypal lessons.

A NOTE ON GENDER: I strive to alternate between the pronouns he and she for balance in the book. My use of a specific pronoun does not mean the information applies only to the gender mentioned. Both genders can cross over into any “type.”

sensing, thinking, intuiting, and feeling.

Introversion or extroversion will act as the core of your characte