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I had recently picked up Campbell's "Hero With a Thousand Faces" hoping it would help in my story development and found it to be rather dense. However, that is not Vogler's intent. If you can't figure out what your story is missing, consider the Hero's Journey and see what elements from it might help to take your story to the next level. Then I stumbled upon "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler.Vogler takes Campbell's work, modernizes it, and incorporates dozens of stories (mostly films) that most of us are familiar with. The Hero's Journey will provide you with a lot of options that are truly useful.I have a number of story ideas in my head as well as a handful that I'm currently developing with writer's and as I read the book, dozens of possibilities were coming to mind for each. The result. Though I'm an avid reader, it was difficult to get through. In fact, he says at several different points that you shouldn't treat his method as a formula, but rather as a loose guide.
I couldn't put it down. It was a quick and enlightening read.To be clear, naysayers will say that "The Hero's Journey" (the concept you learn about throughout the book) is too formulaic and will result in unimaginative stories. Not sure about the flow of your story or what should come next. Any book that can do that for me is a good book indeed.
Campbell is a known commodity in the creative world. This book, along with "Hero", has changed my life. Nuf said.
The Writers Journey is going to help me develop a conceptual stucture and framework upon which I can flesh things out into a proper written tale.That's not to say the book is all about formula, because it's not. It made me eager to sink my teeth into my own story-telling project with all kinds of ideas running through my head about how to look at storylines and the characters. From the very start this book really excited me. Certainly some folks will look at it that way because the author does lay out a story progression framework and defines the character types. I am someone who likes to work with a structure, even if it's only a guideline. That's something I've struggled with in terms of actually getting my story ideas into print. He does not, however, say "write it this way". He merely provides thoughts on what plot paths and character elements speak to readers, leaving their specific application to the prospective author to explore.To me the bottom line is if you're looking for a book to help you be a better story teller, The Writers Journey would be a great investment.
The heart and skeleton of this essential work remain the same. An invaluable work for any writer who's serious about the craft. There's more useful and meaty info in here about creating and telling stories than in a thousand of the "How To Write a Best-Seller in Just Ten Steps" manuals designed for people who don't want to write so much as just type.The big question you may have is "Is it worth it to replace my old edition of the book with the newer update." The answer is, probably not. If you are at all serious about writing, this book is necessary. If you already have a dog-eared copy that is still holding together, an update isn't necessary, but it will be a treat when the old copy finally disintegrates.
This writing advice book, dealing with the hero's journey described by Joseph Campbell, will stay on my desk for reference, and repeated reading, to remind me as a writer, to continue to add depth to characters. It describes the inner and outer journey of the lives of all people, and how to master it in writing our characters, ensuring that readers can empathize and/or identify with the them to be pulled into the story. They will remember the characters long after the details of the story are forgotten, and will recommend the book to friends, and very likely will read the novel more than once.
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