Stealing Fire takes readers beyond classical story structure and the hero's journey to an extraordinary new story model that demonstrates how to create contemporary stories, novels, and films that are more powerful.
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Bonnet, founder of Astoria Filmwright.
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And then, .....Wow!,
By
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This review is from: Stealing Fire from the Gods: A Dynamic New Story Model for Writers and Filmmakers (Paperback)
As a writer with work published in numerous national venues, such as OMNI, Success, Writer's Digest, Reader's Digest and more, it is a great pleasure to find, after 20 years of writing, such a great collection of stimulating, visionary, inspiring, yet at the same time immediately useful and practical ideas. I thought I was buying a book on writing, on story structure concepts. Little did I know that I was going to discover, in addition to an extraordinary book on writing, a profound treatise on understanding being human. James Bonnet has written a book every psychologist should read. Having already read and immensely enjoyed Robert McKee's Story Structure, Christopher Vogler's Writer's Journey and other books on writing, I was amazed by how much new and different material, really transcendent, creative, mind stretching, James Bonnet offers in his book. When a story works, it produces magic-- taking you on a ride, pulling your heart strings, making you connect with and feel the emotions, adventures and thoughts of the main characters. This book gives you amazingly precise, insightful strategies for building stories that work, that go to the reader's heart and soul. The book uses an understanding of mythology and more important, of the creative unconscious-- of both the writer, reader or viewer. He takes the ideas of Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and weaves them into what he calls a Golden Paradigm, which uses visual charts which make it much easier to begin to understand the multiple levels his concepts apply to. I put off writing a review to this book. After all, how do you describe the substance you've stolen from the Gods? But I am grateful to him for the new energy and excitement I've discovered in my own writing. I can't wait till James Bonnet offers one of his storymaking workshops on the east coast, as well as the ones he's been doing in California. An update: Since writing this review, I've read and perused numerous other books on story creation. This one still stands high on the list of must reads. I've put together a website about the Story conference I have organized-- StoryCon; The Art Science and Application of Story, at storyscience.com, where you can find a lot more information on who I think are the top experts in story creation. Most have written books you can find here on Amazon and some even have links directly to their books.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rediscovering the mystical experience of storytelling,
By Angela Worthington (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stealing Fire from the Gods: A Dynamic New Story Model for Writers and Filmmakers (Paperback)
I just finished reading Stealing Fire from the Gods and have to say...what a wonderful book! I've been working on a screenplay for about 5 years now. I've written several drafts. With every draft I come a little closer to "the truth" but it's been a difficult journey. I've been too concerned with following the traditional 3-act paradigm, making sure the first plot point is around page 20, the second plot point on page...The emphasis on structure has inhibited and often paralyzed me. As a result I have produced mildly amusing, formulaic scripts. I'm proud of my efforts but not particularly proud of the final product. I always end up feeling empty and frustrated. My message has yet to be conveyed in a story.Reading this book was a breath of fresh air. It spoke to me, the me deep inside. The me that has something important to say. The me that knows the truth. I haven't even begun to work again but I already have all these wonderful ideas bubbling to the surface. It's as if this book has awakened the true storyteller in me. This book taught me a great deal about what makes stories powerful. But the biggest gift it has given me is the reminder to listen to my feelings. I'd gotten so bogged down in the rules of structure that I forgot to ask my heart what it required. It was my heart after all, that wanted to tell a story to begin with. I re-read my latest draft last night and realize that the parts I like make me feel happy and excited. That sense of "rightness". And the parts that don't work have always made me feel ill at ease. They were cheap substitutes. They didn't come from an authentic place. I also appreciate Jim Bonnet's thoughts on "keeping everything in a fluid state." That's precisely what I haven't been doing. I haven't allowed myself to play and explore enough before making creative decisions. I want to finish the script so badly that I sometimes settle for short cuts. And it's a funny thing, once you write a draft it's very hard to let go of it. The scenes I've written, the interactions, the plot, they become these seemingly solid constructs that even I the builder have a hell of a time tearing down. Creating is a mystical experience and this book reminded me of that. With Bonnet's practical advise and gentle encouragement I know that I can now begin again and face a blank page with less fear and more wonder.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book of all books,
By
This review is from: Stealing Fire from the Gods: A Dynamic New Story Model for Writers and Filmmakers (Paperback)
I am a screenwriting and first-time filmmaker. I have read almost every book on story to fine-tune my craft: I have read, Aristotle: Poetics, I have watched the video's on Joseph Campbell, I have read Chris Vogler's, Hero's Journey, I have read the screenwriting Gurus from Sid Field, Linda Segar, to Michael Hauge. Let me tell you...I have been searching for the secret...the one thing that makes a good story...that magic that captures one's emotions, the element that makes a story a legend in the mind and hearts of the people who see it. I thought I'd found it with Voglers, but his method seemed to apply only to a specific format centered around the Hero. This works with Wizard of Oz, Star Wars and Titantic but it didn't work with other stories. Then I stumbled upon "Stealing Fire from the Gods". James Bonnet's created a method called the Golden Paradigm "story wheel" It is unbelievable! It cracks the code to great story telling. His method is based on the key elements to telling a great story using the archetypal patterns that all of us go through in our journey through life. This was it! There is even a metaphysical relationship in his teachings as it relates to the human body and the energy centers/emotions/archetypes discussed in the Eastern Philosophies. James doesn't leave out anything! You can take any story, any film, and apply it to Bonnet's story wheel and crack it's story formula. Most people think this stuff is beyond a mortal's understanding- that it is only meant for the Gods to know. Out of all my books on my shelf, I feel like encasing this one in gold and putting on the top of my altar. It deserves worship. When you read this book you truly feel like you are stealing fire from the Gods. Thanks James for all your hard work and all the years you spent searching for immortality. I just hope the Gods aren't angry.
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