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A review by djrmelvin
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
5.0
Not only is this an excellent book for writers of fiction, I'd recommend it very strongly to anyone who reads or watches films with a critical eye. Vogler relies on Joseph Campbell's explorations into myths and why humans need them to build a classic story telling formula that works. How do we know it works? He's got example after example, and honestly, it's hard to argue with the success of The Wizard of Oz, Titanic, the Indiana Jones' franchise, etc as successful story telling. Certainly, books aren't quite the same as film, but there's enough similarity that Vogler's book will help many writers find what's missing in their plot or their characters.
As for the critical eye, if you've ever wondered why films like the first Pirates of the Caribbean worked so well and the second one didn't, or what went wrong with Wolfgang Peterson's Troy (films released long after this book was written, but perfect examples of the type of film Vogler knows best), this book will give you some insight into what might have been missing. As a reader, you'll also be see what causes the difference between a good story/character arc and a great one.
And finally, if nothing else, this book flat out admits that scriptwriters that work for Disney will have their story tweeked to fit a template of what has worked best for Disney in the past.
As for the critical eye, if you've ever wondered why films like the first Pirates of the Caribbean worked so well and the second one didn't, or what went wrong with Wolfgang Peterson's Troy (films released long after this book was written, but perfect examples of the type of film Vogler knows best), this book will give you some insight into what might have been missing. As a reader, you'll also be see what causes the difference between a good story/character arc and a great one.
And finally, if nothing else, this book flat out admits that scriptwriters that work for Disney will have their story tweeked to fit a template of what has worked best for Disney in the past.