Want a Free Book?

10.10.07 11:27AM by Amos

I’m going to start giving away some of my books. Why? For one, I have way too many. I’ve long hoarded my books, kinda like a squirrel stashing nuts, but have decided many of them I do not need anymore. They take up space, and I’m in a minimalist phase, so I’m ready to let them go.

I figured what better way to release them than to give them away to the readers of this humble journal. The plan is to hand out one or two a month. There’s no strings attached. You send word that you’d like the book, and I’ll ship it to you. Pretty simple.

I’m not interested in making it complicated so unless someone wants to come up with a better idea then the book will be sent on a first come, first serve basis. In other words, the first person to either comment on this post, or send me a message from the contact page will get the book. Suppose this might reward the obsessive RSS readers, but, like I said, I’m not to interested in making this complicated. You say you want it. You say it first. You get it. Again, pretty simple.

The first free book is The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters by Christopher Vogler. Here’s a description from Amazon:

At the beginning of The Writer’s Journey, Christopher Vogler asserts that “all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies.” Some may be hard-pressed to accept this idea (and will wonder how storytellers from Homer to Shakespeare to Robert Altman might respond to the proposition). Others may imagine that since Vogler uses movies like the Star Wars trilogy and The Lion King to defend his mythological philosophy, he is, unwittingly, listing the reasons why Hollywood films of the last 20 years have been so unimaginative. But there’s no doubt that Vogler’s notion, based on psychological writings by Carl Jung and the mythmaking philosophy of Joseph Campbell, has been profoundly influential. Many screenwriters have used Vogler’s volume to understand why certain scenarios sell, and to discover a blueprint for creating mythic stories of their own.

I’ve read the book three times, and it’s quite good. While it slants towards screenwriting, its lessons can be applied to any type of writing. The book is in used, but good condition. There’s no notes or writing of my own in the margins.

So if you’d like the book speak up. I’ll email whoever replies first to get an address, and then I’ll ship it off.

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