The Writer's Journey

Mythic Structure For Writers 
By Christopher Vogler

Book Review
By Ann Baldwin


Christopher Vogler is one of Hollywood’s premier story consultants for major film companies like Disney and 20th Century Fox, a respected teacher of filmmakers and writers around the globe, and a popular speaker on screenwriting, movies, and myth. He has influenced the stories of movies from The Lion King to Fight Club to The Thin Red Line to Courage Under Fire. He is president of Storytech, a literary consulting firm to help writers, producers, and studio executives shape their projects. In his book, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers 3rd edition (Michael Wiese Productions 2007), he gives you an orientation to life and the art of being human by revealing the core elements that help us learn, grow, and change and process we go through to get there, so your storytelling of the human condition will be resonant with authenticity for your audience.

Every story is a journey for the hero/heroine (protagonist); there are territories they must traverse, stages they have to go through, and various people they’ll meet along the way, all with a function and purpose. Chris uses maps, diagrams, and illustrations to highlight the key way stations and archetypes, along with in-depth descriptions to include over 200 hundred films as examples like As Good As It Gets, The Wizard of Oz, Romancing The Stone, Beverly Hills Cop, ET, Titanic, and Driving Miss Daisy.

Some additional bonuses in this 3rd edition include; why writers are like Shamans, how stories have the ability to heal us (both emotionally and physically), how to use your body to evaluate the effectiveness of your story, and the use of polarity to keep your characters and story moving.

Mythic structure in writing is like the blue print for building a home; you begin with the basic foundation, lay-out, and frame work, so it’s solid, strong, and supported from the ground up. Then, you design it with your own unique style to give it distinction and fill it with an interesting mix of characters, whose energy helps bring it to life.

The Writer’s Journey is a must for all writers who want to create life-changing and memorable stories that stand the test of time and live on in the hearts and minds of your audience.

To learn more about Christopher Vogler you can visit his website at www.thewritersjourney.com and purchase a copy of The Writer’s Journey at Michael Wiese Productions, Amazon, The Writers Store, Barnes & Noble & Borders.