The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Second Edition

353 Pages·1998·21.622 MB·English

by  Christopher Vogler

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REVIEWS OF THE lST EDITION
“This book is like having the smurlcsl person in the story met-ting come home
with you and whisper what, to do in your car as you write a screenplay. Insight for
insight, step for step, Chris Voglcr takes us through the process ofmnnccting
theme to story and making a script come alive."
— Lynda ()hst,
l‘mduccr,
Slflrplms in Smtllr, One Fine Day,
(Irmtart; Author of I [#110, I Ir Lin!
“The Writerkjourneyis an insightful and even inspirational guide to the craft of
storytelling. An approach to structure that is fresh and contemporary, while
respecting our roots in mythology.”
— Charles Russell.
Writer, Director, P-mduccr.
Dreamscapr, The Mask, [z'mvr
“The Writer’sjourney should be on anyone’s bookshelf who cares about the art
of storytelling at the movies. Notjust some theoretical tome filled with
development clichés of the day, this book offers sound and practical advice on
how to construct a story that works.”
— David Friendly,
Producer,
Daylight, Courage UndkrFirr,
Out to Sm, My Girl
‘A classic of its kind full of insight and inspiration that every writer, both amateur
and professional, must read.”
— Richard I). Zanuck,
The Zanuck Company
Driving Miss Daisy, Cocoon,
The Verdict, Sting
“The basis for a great movie is a great screenplay, and the basis fora great
screenplay should be The Writerisjourney.”
— Adam Fields.
Money Train, Great Balls ofFire
“One of the most valuable tools in understanding and appreciating the.
structure of a plot that’s available today. The Writerisjourney IS an essennal [001
to any writer at any stage of their career.”
— Debbie Macomber,
Best-selling author.
42 million books in print.
Authuruf Monlana
“A valuable tool for any creative writer, The Writerfsjourney is cogsistemly among
our top-selling books each month. Chl‘iStOphel‘ Vogler s narrative helps wmers
construct well-developed characters that enrich their stories."
—- The Writer's Computer Store
“The Writericjourney provides both fiction and nonfiction writers with powerful
tools and guidelines to create remarkable stories. It is the best book of its kind.”
—john Tullius,
Director, Maui Writers Conference
and Writer’s Retreat
“This is a book about the stories we write, and perhaps more importantly, the
stories we live. It is the most influential workI have yet encountered on the art,
nature, and the very purpose of storytelling.”
— Brucejoel Rubin,
Screenwriter
Ghost, jacob’ 5 Ladder
“This book should come with a warning: You’re going to learn about more
than just writing movies-you’re going to learn about life! The Writerivjourney is
the perfect manual for developing, pitching and writing stories with universal
human themes that will forever captivate a global audience. It’s the secret
weapon I hope every writer finds out about.”
—jeff Arch,
Screenwriter
Sleepless in Seattle
“‘v’ogler was the genius behind The Writer ’3journey, which should be on the shelf
of every screenwriter. Studies classical mythology and its use in moviemaking
for stories.”
— Fade In Magazine 1996
(From Article “The Top 100 People
in Hollywood You Need to Know”)
“The Katzenberg memo has joined the show-biz vernacular. But there’s
another, lesser-known Disney memo whose influence arguably exceeded
Katzenberg’s. This seven-page memo distills myth-masterjoseph Campbell’s
storytelling theories into an algorithm for screenplays.”
— LosAngeles Times Magazine, 1994
“The current industry bible . . .
— Spy Magazine, Holiday Issue, 1997
“A seven-page memo by Christopher Vogler is now the stuff of Hollywood
legend. . . . The idea of a “mythic structure” has been quickly accepted by
Hollywood, and Vogler’s book now graces the bookshelves of many studio
heads.”
— The London Times, 1994
THE WRITER’S
] OURNE Y
Mythic Structure
for Writers
2nd Edition
by
Christopher nler
Published by Michael Wiese Productions, 11288 Ventura Blvd., Suite 621,
Studio City, CA 91604, [phone] Fax [phone].
E—mail: [email protected]
http://www.mwp.com
Cover design, photograph and illustrations by The Art Hotel
Interior design and layout by Gina Mansfield
Index by Bruce Tracy, Ph.D.
Copyedited by Virginia Iorio
Printed and Manufactured in the United States of America
Copyright 1998 by Christopher Vogler
First Printing October 1998
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without permission in Writing from the author, except for the inclusion of
brief quotations in a review.
The publisher plants two trees for every tree used in the manufacturing of this
book. Printed on recycled stock.
ISBN 0-941188-70-1
Library of Congress Cataloging - in - Publication Data
Vogler, Christopher, 1949-
The Writer’sjoumey: Mythic Structure for Writers / Christopher
Vogler. -- 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-941188-70-1
1. Motion picture authorship. 2. Narration (rhetoric)
3. Myth in literature. 4. Creative writing I. Title.
PN1996.V641 998 98-28591
808.2’ 3--DC21 CIP
For Mom and Dad

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ix
INTRODUCTION: Preparing for theJourney 1
BOOK ONE: Mapping the Journey
A Practical Guide 9
The Archetypes 29
Hero -- 35
Mentor 47
Threshold Guardian 57
Herald 61
Shapeshifter 65
Shadow 71
Trickster 77
BOOK TWO: Stages of the Journey
Ordinary World 81
Call to Adventure 99
Refusal of the Call 107
Meeting with the Mentor 117
Crossing the First Threshold 127
Tests, Allies, Enemies 135
Approach to the Inmost Cave 145
Ordeal 159
Reward (Seizing the Sword) 181
The Road Back 193
Resurrection 203
Return with the Elixir 221
EPILOGUE: Looking Back on the Journey 237
APPENDICES
FILMOGRAPHY 301
BIBLIOGRAPHY 30?
HERO’SJOURNEY WORKSHEET 303
304
INDEX
vii