Memo from the Story Department: Secrets of Structure and Character

Memo From the Story Department offers a battery of story-generating engines and story-improving tools, and reliable methods tested on hundreds of Hollywood productions. It goes far beyond the standard advice given in most screenwriting manuals. Drawn from sources as varied as vaudeville, classical Greek comedies, and Russian fairy tales, the book outlines a series of practical templates for creating believable characters and emotionally satisfying plots.

Christopher Vogler is the top story analyst and consultant for major Hollywood studios and talent, advising on projects as varied as The Lion King and Fight Club. He wrote the script for the animated feature Jester Till and the story for a Japanese-style manga comic, Ravenskull. He was executive producer of the feature film P.S. Your Cat is Dead and has worked recently on projects for Will Smith, Helen Hunt, Roland Emmerich, and Darren Aronofsky. He travels widely to lecture about mythic structure. With Michael Hauge he produced the instructional DVD The Hero’s Two Journeys. His book The Writer’s Journey has been translated into ten languages and is one of the top-selling screenwriting manuals in the world.
David McKenna is a stage director, acting coach, voice-over artist, and film professor at Columbia University and Barnard College. He is an expert on the films of Clint Eastwood and film genres including horror, westerns, and war movies. His influential classes on screenwriting have stimulated a generation of young filmmakers and writers.