Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. “The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers." Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998 p. 293-312

Summary

This reading was about how the Hero's Journey model and the Writer's Journey model are essentially the same. All writers face the same troubles; they meet shadows, shapeshifters, mentors, tricksters, and threshold guardians. (Vogler, page 293) Writing is a long and tedious journey, but developing a good story is an amazing reward. Vogler also compares Shamans and Writers. Shamans are special people set apart from the rest by their dreams, visions, or unique experiences. (Vogler, page 294) They, like writers, are prepared for their work by enduring terrible ordeals. (Vogler, page 294) They may have a dangerous illness or fall from a cliff and have nearly every bone broken. "They are chewed by a lion or mauled by a bear. They are taken apart and put back together again in a new way. In a sense they have died and been reborn, and this experience gives them special powers." (Vogler, page 294) Vogler also talks about his experience with Disney, and how he has come to a conclusion about stories; "stories have healing power..they can help us deal with difficult emotional situations by giving us examples of human behavior, perhaps similar in some way to the struggles we are going through at some stage of life, and which might inspire us to try a different strategy for living." (Vogler, page 300)

Reaction:

This reading was interesting because I had no idea what a Shaman was it was interesting to see writers and Shamans compared. What was most interesting, however, was his interaction with Disney and the conclusions he came to about stories. He says they have a healing power, and in a way, they do. For some people, reading can help people deal with difficult emotional situations. Stories are very powerful, and it's interesting how he likes to analyze them.

Questions

1) What are the rewards of writing? Is writing rewarding for you?
2) Do you believe stories really have healing powers? Why do people like to "escape" into books?