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pnw_michelle's review against another edition
4.0
Really satisfying look at plot structure . . . and also just plain interesting to read.
amynbell's review against another edition
4.0
"I feel as if this should be required reading for every literature teacher or writer of any sort of story. This book has the potential to fill the world with better teachers and better writers. ..." (see my complete review here at Amazon.com)
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
joehartman's review against another edition
5.0
The thoughts and ideas in this book are anywhere a good story is told. If you are a movie fan, big reader, or even an avid tv watcher, you know this stuff deep down. That said, this book is an invaluable resource for refining story structure, adding suspense, clarifying character roles. So once you've put the initial idea on the page, your unique rough draft, and maybe even taken a stab at revision, give this book a read, and the ideas will flow.
writerlytype's review against another edition
Easy to read and understand. A good resource for the reference shelf.
caligirlrae's review against another edition
5.0
My creative writing mentor in high school passed this on to me to help make my stories more coherent. Various writing rules change all the time but the one thing is constant. A character's goals, the obstacles they face to get to said goal, and the character's decision to face them or turn away. This book is an excellent structure for both new writers looking to hone their structure and veterans who want to revisit and compare their story structure with this classic model. It follows the hero's journey (The Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting With the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Tests, Allies & Enemies, Approach, The Ordeal, The Reward, The Road back, The Resurrection, Return With the Elixir) which is usually identified with the high fantasy genre. This outline is mostly used in screenwriting but can be used to help structure a novel or short story.
Even if you are writing a different genre than the fantasy paradigm, this book an awesome jumping point for writers to add to their arsenal. Revisiting The Writer's Journey as a writer myself of about two decades and seeing how writing has changed over the course of the time puts this in a new light. I'm glad to look back at this time as I'm currently taking a blueprint workshop which makes use of beat sheets, also used in screenwriting. It's interesting to see how similar beat sheets are to the writer's journey. I highly recommend this to writers if only to learn the rules, apply it, write and rewrite until you're comfortable bending and stretching the rules a bit to tell a great story.
Even if you are writing a different genre than the fantasy paradigm, this book an awesome jumping point for writers to add to their arsenal. Revisiting The Writer's Journey as a writer myself of about two decades and seeing how writing has changed over the course of the time puts this in a new light. I'm glad to look back at this time as I'm currently taking a blueprint workshop which makes use of beat sheets, also used in screenwriting. It's interesting to see how similar beat sheets are to the writer's journey. I highly recommend this to writers if only to learn the rules, apply it, write and rewrite until you're comfortable bending and stretching the rules a bit to tell a great story.
marcoguerbois's review against another edition
5.0
Completo e davvero molto interessante. Probabilmente è meglio affiancarlo al testo "L'eroe dai mille volti" di J. Campbell. Una lettura impegnativa in quanto si tratta di un manuale, quindi più che leggerlo lo si studia.
Davvero ottimo per rinforzare le vostre trame e farvi rendere conto di cosa va e cosa andrebbe revisionato.
Davvero ottimo per rinforzare le vostre trame e farvi rendere conto di cosa va e cosa andrebbe revisionato.
katerinakr's review against another edition
I'd be honest and say I have a very difficult relationship with this book because practically it is a retell of Campbell's work, but at the same time, it has some honesty of its own. Vogler dumbs the Hero down, making me wince sometimes, as if I didn't get some obvious points at first, or that I keep forgetting something, but eventually, it has nothing to do with me. It is all about Vogler's execution. The ending is chilling -- Vogler truly used his own structure, not Campbell's to finish it, and as with Lion King it went fine, though this eerie aftertaste is left, and everything seems plainer.
If you don't have stamina or time or courage for the original of this work, but I doubt you don't have those, please, start with the source.
If you don't have stamina or time or courage for the original of this work, but I doubt you don't have those, please, start with the source.
babettes's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
I disagree with him on a lot of things. My favorite movies do not fit his ideas of what makes a good movie. I like the slow pace, realness, and tenderness of some films. Of course he brings up how subverting the standard is important, but he still seems to guide the readers towards it. There are some character tropes that I think are completely unnecessary that he emphasizes (particularly the mentor). I am not really interested in making blockbuster movies so I don't know how much of the book I could use in my writing.
andrewgillsmith's review against another edition
5.0
Indispensable for a modern writer.
I tend to judge books that are based in mythology rather harshly. Not because I dislike mythology--on the contrary, I studied it in college and have continued to do so my whole life. I love it. I love it so much, in fact, that I can be rather like a helicopter parent when it comes to the subject. If anyone unworthy approaches it, I first cast a Paddington-style hard stare. Then, if necessary, I pounce.
Oh, but Vogler gets it. He truly gets it. He understands the churning, cthonic power of Jungian archetypes. He has mapped the well-travelled but seldom described narrative grooves that evolution has carved into our brains.
I'm so grateful for this book, and I'm sure other writers feel the same.
I tend to judge books that are based in mythology rather harshly. Not because I dislike mythology--on the contrary, I studied it in college and have continued to do so my whole life. I love it. I love it so much, in fact, that I can be rather like a helicopter parent when it comes to the subject. If anyone unworthy approaches it, I first cast a Paddington-style hard stare. Then, if necessary, I pounce.
Oh, but Vogler gets it. He truly gets it. He understands the churning, cthonic power of Jungian archetypes. He has mapped the well-travelled but seldom described narrative grooves that evolution has carved into our brains.
I'm so grateful for this book, and I'm sure other writers feel the same.