Comments on: Telling Lies http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2004/03/01/telling-lies/ Cheating on the Kobayashi Maru since 2001 Wed, 13 May 2026 22:42:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Jemima http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2004/03/01/telling-lies/#comment-520 Thu, 15 Apr 2004 05:10:19 +0000 http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2004/03/01/telling-lies/#comment-520 Thanks - I'll keep an eye out for Vogel, at least. Thanks - I’ll keep an eye out for Vogel, at least.

]]> by: mike hollihan http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2004/03/01/telling-lies/#comment-519 Tue, 02 Mar 2004 22:57:43 +0000 http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2004/03/01/telling-lies/#comment-519 Yeah, once you've read one or two books, they're all the same, mostly. Says the guy who has read more than a dozen or so. Two that stand out: "Becoming a Writer" by Dorothea Brande. Written in 1934, it's hilariously dated in spots , but she delves into "state of mind" for a writer in an interesting way. "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogel. Vogel was a script reader for a major studio. He developed an outline for what he looked for in a good script that got circulated around Hollywood. He turned it into the book. It's based on Joseph Campbell's "Hero With A Thousand Faces" and it's very schematic and predetermined. (Hero gets the Call. Hero refuses the Call. Hero meets the wizard. Etc.) However, once you read it and see it applied to examples from Hollywood, you'll never be able to enjoy Hollywood blockbusters again. You'll see the steps of his outline in nearly every movie! It's a sad indictment of Hollywood. On the other hand, it's a great template for crafting outlines for your own work and eminently adaptable to fiction. I started writing "Five Scorpions" before I read this and got bogged down in the plot and keeping track of all the elements. (The story is nearly novel length.) After reading Vogel, I saw instantly how to "fix" it and what to do. So, it might help.... Yeah, once you’ve read one or two books, they’re all the same, mostly. Says the guy who has read more than a dozen or so. Two that stand out:

“Becoming a Writer” by Dorothea Brande. Written in 1934, it’s hilariously dated in spots , but she delves into “state of mind” for a writer in an interesting way.

“The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogel. Vogel was a script reader for a major studio. He developed an outline for what he looked for in a good script that got circulated around Hollywood. He turned it into the book. It’s based on Joseph Campbell’s “Hero With A Thousand Faces” and it’s very schematic and predetermined. (Hero gets the Call. Hero refuses the Call. Hero meets the wizard. Etc.) However, once you read it and see it applied to examples from Hollywood, you’ll never be able to enjoy Hollywood blockbusters again. You’ll see the steps of his outline in nearly every movie! It’s a sad indictment of Hollywood.

On the other hand, it’s a great template for crafting outlines for your own work and eminently adaptable to fiction. I started writing “Five Scorpions” before I read this and got bogged down in the plot and keeping track of all the elements. (The story is nearly novel length.) After reading Vogel, I saw instantly how to “fix” it and what to do. So, it might help….

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