The Hero’s Journey Monomyth is Everywhere, Even on Your Law Firm’s Blog

If you have taken a class about mythology or ancient literature or, for that matter, if you have sought advice about your own fiction writing ambitions, you are probably familiar with the idea that “there is only one story.” The idea that the story of the hero’s quest appears in its various forms in almost all the world’s cultures goes at least as far back as the days when the Brothers Grimm were collecting and categorizing folk tales. The author who described the “monomyth” of the hero’s journey in detail was Edward Burnett Tylor, an anthropologist writing in the late 1800s.

The story goes that the hero becomes aware that there is a problem which he can solve, albeit only with great effort. He seeks the advice of a mentor and, after overcoming various obstacles, achieves his goal and receives a material or non-material reward for it. Think about how many stories fit that basic template, from ancient myths to the plots of novels and movies; it is even possible to frame true historical events as examples of the hero’s journey if your mind naturally observes narrative arcs, as the minds of many lawyers do.

You Are Not the Hero of Your Blog

You can probably think of accomplishments in your life, or even in your career as a lawyer that would make sense if you wrote about them as a first-person article, following the structure of a hero’s journey tale. However interesting or inspiring they are, do not write about them on your blog. It will make you sound self-centered and unprofessional; it will come across like a social media humblebrag about how you experienced adversity and overcame it. Even if you studied for the bar exam from behind bars, your blog is not the place to tell that story. The place to write about experiences in your life and career that shaped how you practice law is the “about me” or “attorney profiles” page of your law firm’s website.

If You Are Not the Hero, Then Who Are You?

Hero’s journey narratives on your blog are a great way to engage the interest of prospective clients, or even just curious readers, but the hero should be your prospective client (such as in a blog post about what happens when you exercise your right to a fair trial and fight the criminal charges against you) or someone with whom your prospective client can identify (such as a real person who successfully modified an unfair parenting plan). You have a role in the story, though, or at least the lawyer in the story does, even if the blog post is not about one of your cases. You the lawyer are the mentor. The hero is strong enough and intelligent enough to solve his own problem; he just needs you to give him legal advice. Your client is Perseus holding the sword and slaying Medusa; you are Athena advising him to look at Medusa’s reflection in the sword instead of at the Gorgon herself.

Let Law Blog Writers Do the Writing

Does writing blog posts every month sound like as much fun as making eye contact with a Gorgon? You can count on Law Blog Writers to produce engaging blog content that casts your readers in the role of the hero.