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The Writer's Journey
Author	Christopher Vogler
Language	English
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Michael Wiese Productions
Publication date	2007
Publication place	United States
Media type	Paperback
Pages	407
ISBN	978-1-932907-36-0
OCLC	154677482
Dewey Decimal	808.2/3 22
LC Class	PN1996 .V64 2007

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers is a popular writing textbook by writer Christopher Vogler, focusing on the theory that most stories can be boiled down to a series of narrative structures and character archetypes, described through mythological allegory.^[1]

The book was very well received upon its release, and is often featured in recommended reading lists for student screenwriters.^[2]^[3]^[4]

History

The book stems from a seven-page studio memo, "A Practical Guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces".^[5]

An earlier edition, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters, was published in 1992. Vogler revised the book for the second release in 1998 and changed the title to The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. The third edition, published in 2007, included a new introduction, new artwork, and analysis of recent, popular motion pictures. In July 2020, the 25th Anniversary Edition was published, which includes new sections and topics.^[6]

Summary of content

The archetypes

The first part of the book describes eight major character archetypes in detail.^[7] Those are:

Hero: someone who is willing to sacrifice his own needs on behalf of others
Mentor: all the characters who teach and protect heroes and give them gifts
Threshold Guardian: a menacing face to the hero, but if understood, they can be overcome
Herald: a force that brings a new challenge to the hero
Shapeshifter: characters who change constantly from the hero's point of view
Shadow: character who represents the energy of the dark side
Ally: someone who travels with the hero through the journey, serving variety of functions
Trickster: embodies the energies of mischief and desire for change

Stages of the Journey

The second part describes the twelve stages of the Hero's Journey.^[7] The stages are:

The Ordinary World: the hero is seen in their everyday life
The Call to Adventure: the initiating incident of the story
Refusal of the Call: the hero experiences some hesitation to answer the call
Meeting with the Mentor: the hero gains the supplies, knowledge, and confidence needed to commence the adventure
Crossing the First Threshold: the hero commits wholeheartedly to the adventure
Tests, Allies, and Enemies: the hero explores the special world, faces trial, and makes friends and enemies
Approach to the Innermost Cave: the hero nears the center of the story and the special world
The Ordeal: the hero faces the greatest challenge yet and experiences death and rebirth
Reward: the hero experiences the consequences of surviving death
The Road Back: the hero returns to the ordinary world or continues to an ultimate destination
The Resurrection: the hero experiences a final moment of death and rebirth so they are pure when they reenter the ordinary world
Return with the Elixir: the hero returns with something to improve the ordinary world

References

^ "Christopher Vogler's screenwriting workshop". BBC Writers Room. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
^ "Recommended Reading". Exposure.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
^ "Recommended Reading". Demontfort University Official Website (Humanities). Retrieved 2007-08-06.
^ "Books about Writing". OgleMoore staff. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
^ Vogler, Christopher. "A Practical Guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces". An online copy of the memo.
^ "The Writer's Journey – 25th Anniversary Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers". MWP.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
^ ^a ^b The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Third Edition, Vogler, Christopher, 2007.