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"BOOK REVIEW: STEALING FIRE FROM THE GODS - The Complete Guide to Story for Writers & Filmakers"
Author: James Bonnet
Book Review by Matthew Terry
Published by: Michael Wiese Productions
ISBN#: 1-932907-11-4
When I open a book to read and review I often put myself into the mindset of either a student in my class with their new idea and passion to write - or I compare what I'm reading to whatever project I'm currently working on. For "SFFTG" - I fell into the former.
When I get first time writers in my class they usually show up with TONS of passion mixed with very little idea. Something they heard, a family friend story, a true life adventure they went on and they want to write it. Then, during my class, we go through the process of fleshing out their idea into something cohesive. Hopefully ending up with a fully fleshed out idea that they can now go write. I do not psychoanalyze what they are putting into the idea. We do not deal with issues of conscious versus subconscious, metaphors and archetypes or dealing with the quintessential character. Mostly, we are just trying to show character, build conflict, create momentum and complete the story.
What James Bonnet does in his book, though, is deal with that subconscious. He deals with the metaphors, the archetypes. The journey of hero and the antihero.
Using a device entitled "The Story Wheel" he shows the journey of the hero to antihero. He shows the upside of a story and the downside of a story. He does not push a belief that you need to write one or the other - he really explains, in clear language, the path of story. A path you may not really realize you are on (subconscious).
He also does a great job of giving you examples of both types of story in film. How "The Godfather" is a story of an antihero while "Star Wars - Episode IV" is a classic story of a hero called to do great things. Much like Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy."
The only real fault I have with the book comes from that thought process of my students: "I want to tell a story, how do I tell it?" The book starts out with the basics of where stories came from, what their purpose is, who they touched and how they moved people. Then, with the written word, how stories changed. But then, in part three, he goes into the story wheel and the golden paradigm and all the details - and it becomes a bit overwhelming. I found myself bogged down in minutia and confusion wondering: "Okay, do I have an archetype? Is he on a journey upwards? Where does the antihero come in? Is my conscious mind speaking? My unconscious?"
What I think would have been more helpful, would have been for Mr. Bonnet to have moved part 4 where he writes about the art of story-making and put that BEFORE part 3. Get people's creative juices flowing in the right direction and then explain how they can use the wheel to their advantage, how their subconscious is affecting their story, how they have archetypes and heroes and antiheroes.
Another benefit would have been for Mr. Bonnet to use a made-up story as a basic tool for exploration. He frequently uses the 9/11 tragedy as an example - but would have liked him to have started with that earlier on in the book. In other words write: "Lets say your idea is about 9/11. How many stories can you glean from that? From what angle? The firefighter, a trapped victim, the wife, the daughter, the son, the mother, the father, the pilot, the colonel, the terrorist, the homeless man on the street, the President, etc." And then take it to the next level: "Okay, lets narrow this down to a typical hero story and focus on the firefighter." And then follow that through the book - touching on other aspects and how someone's unconscious mind can influence what you have written or are writing. Instead, what I found later (in part 3) was very helpful, but scattershot. Having written 15+ screenplays I can see what he was talking about - but for a first time writer - I think this would add to confusion.
Bottom line: For an experienced story writer, I think this is an excellent book. It helps you look back on your stories and see how they followed a certain logical path and how your subconscious affected that path. How you followed the story wheel whether you meant to or not. But for a first time writer, I would suggest the book only if you have got a story already laid out and, even then, I would read parts 1, 2 and 4 and then part 3.
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