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The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers & Screenwriters

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Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey" is an open corridor to superb characterization. In preparing to write either your novel or screenplay, Vogler's vivid descriptions of the most common archetypes are truly indispensable and useful. Every fiction writer owes it to him or herself to be mindful of the qualities that each archetype possesses. My mind has been opened by studying the different characteristics of the Hero, the Shadow, the Mentor, the Threshold Guardian, the Herald, the Shapeshifter and the Trickster. Vogler describes each one's dramatic function as well as their psychological function. After teaching us the merits and peculiarity of the character, Vogler exhibits his own unique dramatization of Joseph Campbell's work. The Writer's Journey gives the writer a chance to develop a story to its fullest potential. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have started to employ its direction in my own fiction writing. It will not only change the way we view our characters' and their prospective journeys but it will also help us to see some of their characteristics in our own lives. This is a great book. Every novelist and screenwriter must have The Writer's Journey. Kudos!!

I had already written fifteen novels and had two more under contract when I discovered Christopher Vogler's Writer's Journey, but couldn't have told you how I crafted a novel to save my soul. The world this book opened up to me changed that.

Weaving a tapestry of the common threads that make up the fabric of all myths, ancient and modern, Vogler illuminates the process of creating stories that is nothing less than a road map into the human psyche.

If you are a true storyteller, this book will speak to you in ways that won't just illuminate your stories--it can illuminate your life.

Vogler has deciphered Campbell and put forth the concepts and structure in a way that is accessible to all storytellers. This book not only works as a brilliant guideline for writing fiction, but also serves as a template for tightening and polishing stories so as to make them work on both entertainment and literary levels. A remarkable text.

This book's a bit controversial among established writers, and I know wonderful and successful writers on both sides of this fence. It seems you either "get" this book and can use it, or you don't. Personally, I love it. But then, I love movies and plotting and dissecting stories to figure out why they work or don't work. You have to decide for yourself.

This book will tell you how the most successful stories in history are written. How did George Lucas decide on the plot for "Star Wars"? Why do certain movies work so well? This book is a must for any screenwriter. It outlines the story structure which is inherant to humanity, and engrained in our culture.

If you love telling stories or listening to them, you will love this book. It helped me write 2 very successful screenplays. MGJ

Had I read "The Writer's Journey" before embarking on my first screenplay, I would have saved a great deal of time. Vogler uncovers tools for the writer that are as intrinsic to the craft of writing as the paintbrush is to the painter. As you encounter many "threshold guardians" in completing a screenplay, "The Writer's Journey" will serve as your constant mentor

Want a roadmap to negotiate the weird times you're going through? Not some new age malarkey, but an ancient and tested model of the universe? Here it is: inside this book which wins the "ugliest cover of the year" you'll find the Hero Journey (Joseph Campbell's basic paradigm) in sprightly style and easy-to-read accessible format, distilled down to the basics. Once you learn it and use it (not just for writing, but for LIVING) you'll know you've got a roadmap of the strange-but-exotic times we are liv

What started out as a memo at Disney studios is now the industry standard. A must have for beginers. A helpful source for those horrible late night blank screens. An excelent structure guide.

The hero of this book is the writer. The writer is on a quest to tell a tale that will change the world and make it a better place. Vogler shows the writer just how to go about accomplishing that feat. Vogler moves beyond beginning, middle, and end, to help a writer understand the difference between creating a Frankenstein no one wants to see and creating a fully formed story everyone clings to for years. No writer should be without this book. Makes the esoteric content of the noble Joseph Campbell very understandable