Campbell worked as a story consultant for George Lucas. He died in the mid/late 80’s, just about the time “Return of the Jedi” was being written. Prior to that, of course, Star Wars: A New Hope is a textbook example of the Heroic Cycle (no thanks to George Lucas, who might be a brilliant film-MAKER, isn’t a top notch writer*).

Looking at the original trilogy in a larger sense, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and ever Return of the Jedi mark out a perfect three act structure, with the end of “Empire” being the “all is lost moment.” Vogler’s work by implication suggests that writers lack the natural and fundamental ability to tell a story, something inherent in all humans (it is memory and language, the combination of the two that make STORY – that make us human).

I was recently introduced to Christopher Vogler’s interpretation of Campbell’s work. I’m sure Vogler had the best of intentions when he set out on his quest to simplify something that’s not really simple, but I have to question his results.

I’ve seen hundreds of “whatever book for writers” and their simplicity and lack of originality shock me in nearly every instance. Vogler suggests that he “takes the [heroic cycle concept] out of the academic language” and makes it more accessible. ??Simplifying story-telling results in books and movies like “The DaVinci Code” and “Avatar;” Wildly popular, dreadfully predictable and ultimately poor examples of the writer’s craft. (Come on! You were thinking it in Avatar when you heard the word “Unobtanium” – you know you were!)

Further, I take issue with the idea that story can be reduced to a series of dots on a line. While I understand that structure is actually a side effect of the need for language to describe pieces of story (we do the same with art), I feel that structure as it’s being taught tends to become a crutch for the less inspired writer’s of the world.

As writers, if we can’t be bothered to study our classic literature, to analyze Homer and Sophocles (the world’s first depressed and moody artist) and to dig deep into the origins of myth and story telling, then perhaps we’re in the wrong line of work.

*Sorry George. You were the reason I went to film school. But those last three Star Wars films were pretty rough. People don’t always say what they feel. Is there such a thing as travel time in your universe? Anakin was a failure as a literary character because we didn’t care about his fall from grace. He was always tainted. That was un-epic.

The occasional birdsong was replaced by a symphony; the teasing of insects became a chainsaw buzzing. By midsummer, the world was once again alive. The heat, a charming novelty at first, soon became oppressive, the thick humid winds were a sweltering lash.

Thunder brought the devil and rain that was hard, like nails. The earth itself would shake as the massive cotton-bruises lit and pulsed with electricity. Slowly they cruised across the landscape, driving us before them with their lashing winds and steely rain.

In space, summer doesn’t matter. August, June? We can’t tell. The ship is trying to keep us at a cool seventy degrees. The air is stale and dry, hot from the ever-present energy bleed of the reactors. The ship, our new world, the reactor, a sun and geothermal heat-source in one hard, slick shell.

I stay away from the windows.

Anyhow, here it is…Space Whales via Aviator interactive magazine!

Tell them how much you loved my story here!

The story itself was interesting. Four tribes whose kung-fu was so strong it tied them to the elemental forces of nature. Fun. However, that’s where the enjoyment stopped. Suffering the same fate of all “origin stories,” Airbender poorly introduced us into a complex world of mixed-technology, with the clumsy narrations of a little girl. Half-way through the film, the narrations seemed to stop, an inconsistency that made the initial attempts seem even more like exposition.

The story itself was a mish-mash of Buddhist and Chinese mythology, duct-taped together and the finer points of consistency glossed over.

Good special effects no longer make a good movie. The other Avatar (Dances with Wolves in Space) movie proved that. While Shyamalan treated us to gorgeous panoramic vistas, he also closed the scope of history dramatically when the climactic battle seemed to take place on a tiered hockey-rink. As night fell and the two opposing forces slugged it out, I found my self asking who was winning, then suddenly, not caring.

In the dark, with soldiers in deep blue and their opposite numbers in black, the struggle was moot. The audience couldn’t tell who was winning, or even, who was who. Bad filmmaking. Save thirty bucks and rent a Chinese martial arts flick.

The feature was in 3D, closer and closer to real-life. Scratch that, it was better than real-life. It was high resolution too.

The story, I’ve avoided since I learned of Lewis Carroll’s reportedly inappropriate infatuation with a girl for whom he wrote the tale. Once again, real life lacks the luster of fantasy, no? Anyhow, I can’t give an accurate comparison of the screenplay to the book. I can however, comment on the film’s native attributes. Those being plot, pacing, production design and acting.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I’m keeping my comments to a minimum, however. The film was good. I’ve forgotten all about the word-play that pestered the novel, plagued the dialogue and made mimsy gribblesnitch of our so delicate english language. I, for one, like people who make up words. It shows a certain integrity of character – their determination to be understood, despite the limitations of their native tongue, which ever one that may be.

I’d forgotten all about the Mighty Jabberwocky and the Vorpal sword, both of which caused a rush of memories. I remembered Dungeons and Dragons treasure hordes, each time the player sorted through the pile of gold and gems and prizes, they secretly hoped to find the awe inspiring and rueful Vorpal Sword. I thought instantly about the old 1977 film entitled Jabberwocky. I thought about my lascivious 9th Grade english instructor, a Mr. Narry*, who seemed to delight in making the cheerleaders in class stumble through paragraph after paragraph of nonsensical words (he also delighted in having them interpret the lustful passages in Romeo and Juliet – thus earning his moniker, Naughty Narry and in retrospect, considering Lewis Carroll’s predilections, perhaps it’s best that Naughty Neidhold took us on our virgin exploration of the Jabberworky).

All the while, the 3D screen was bludgeoning me with scenes of wonder and absurdity, voice talent that was so accurate and tightly cast, and a ruinous host of characters ghostly-familiar and yet disturbingly alien.  Alice in Wonderland was another of Tim Burton’s triumphs of the imagination. Alas, this voyage is one to undertaken on the big screen. No matter how large your television (and come on, lads, I know you buy some big ones), nothing can compare to the high-resolution, 3D experience that is Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Not even real-life.

*names are always changed to protect the guilty, innocent and misguided

The film’s refit was only slightly improved when it came to clarity of myth, though that all fell quickly to the wayside when the cameras panned for the first time across beautiful Argos (though, admittedly, my least favorite of Greek cities).

One thing filmmakers need to understand is for this genre of film, expectations have become so high, that had Argos been anything less than epic and astounding and beautiful, it would have been sub-par.

The story itself was easy, solid, typical. Humans, with their hubris have offended the Gods. While I found it odd that Mighty Zeus the Thunderer would wear full plate armor, circa 1200 AD Europe (or from the set of Excalibur – which, by the by, would make a fine remake as well), Liam Neeson was an acceptable choice for the role.

The “pretty face” that played Perseus did a fine job, mostly because it was an action movie requiring little acting. The film’s true mistake, however, was the twenty minute battle with the scorpions, in place of the two-minute confrontation with the Kraken. Technically speaking, the film had no falling action from the plot climax. There was about sixty-seconds of “Good Job, here’s your prize,” and then credits.

Of course, I loved the film, being a fan of the Greek myth cycle and anything that dares attempt to render it for the modern audience. One thing I can’t shake, however – The Kraken is straight out of Norse/Finnish mythology and never was a Titan. I can accept that a creature of a magnitude would be considered a Titan (sort of) but Medusa, was a Gorgon. I suppose Clash of Norse Kraken and Gorgon just didn’t roll off the tongue like “Titans.”

In the past, I’ve seen businesses of all sizes ponder and waffle over the idea of a blog. The concerns are valid of course. You’re better off not having a blog if you’re not comfortable with writing, or if you can’t afford to hire a specialist. A poorly written blog will not only hinder your SEO opportunities, but will affect the credibility of your online presence and even damage your brand. Further, with larger organizations, timing becomes a factor. Most large corporations, even those with finely honed communications teams (ahem)are simply not agile enough to make good use of daily blogging efforts (let alone real-time feeds like Twitter of Facebook). Since corporate communications are ultimately beholden to the “brand image” that a battery of nameless executive want to create/project/manage, the timeliness and impact of real-time communications is blunted significantly.

The small business has an advantage when it comes to communications with clients and customers. The layers of bureaucracy are removed and the blog author can look the owner in the eye and help prepare the message.

That said, blogs must be used wisely. The internet grants the power of communication to all who dare take up the pen (or keyboard). The power must be used concisely and honestly. But refrain from bashing your opponents or competition out right. Comparisons and analyses are obviously the more mature and effective method to employ if you feel compelled to fence with your opponent.

Libel is the written defamation of a person or entity (oddly, corporations have the same rights as a human being in the United States – who’da thunk?). In my humble opinion, a good juicy blog rides the line of libel and slander, like a surfer stuck in the tube of truth knowing that he’s going to have to “jump the shark” before the episode is over.

Of course, that’s got nothing to do with any sort of professional or corporate/product blog. Remember, blogging is a straight dialogue between you and your customers and clients. It’s a chance to build your brand, but don’t get hung up on those BS marketing terms. Your blog is essentially a calling card, a first impression, a reference point and a lifeline for you and your customers. Think out your blog updates. Take the time make them consistent and relevant. Don’t just cut and paste your brochure garbage. Give it some personality – make it real, make the human connection.

One last tip – answer all the comments you get. It’s worth your time to show your customers and clients that you care about their thoughts and opinions. Your blog generates goodwill by being entertaining and useful.

Consider some of the most popular, or at least, oft visited websites: Youtube.com and Amazon.com. Youtube.com specializes in delivering video content. That’s all. Sure, there’s built in methods for sharing videos amongst your Facebook and MySpace buddies, but for the most part, Youtube.com just delivers videos. Nothing too complex about the layout, nothing too magical about the interface. Just videos.

Amazon.com on the other hand uses a rather old school display layout, plugged with little media apps here and there. Amazon’s magic, however, still lies in content delivery – its ability to parse through previous customer purchases and selections enabling it to display content that you are interested in.

Of course, the average small business doesn’t have the ad power or the draw that super-shopping sites or the delicate art of the human spectacle might have. But well planned, well thought out content is still the biggest draw available. Not only does well planned content have meaning for the audience, but it helps build long term SEO.

She pulled a hit from the swirled-glass creation, the acrid chemical smoke drifting lazily from her upper lip, curling around, obscuring a tiny mole before sneaking into her nostril to run through her pulmonary system again. Each pass the smoke grew weaker, thinner, as her body absorbed it instead of precious air.  Eyes half open, once pale-blue now blazed a noxious red. Her ears rang.

It was a painful need, that nagging desire always in the back of her mind, always chewing away at her dreams and goals, a dull blade knocking chips, spark and all, from so fragile self-respect.

As the pain receded and she slunk back into the warm arms of Forget, she was betrayed by her eyes and a tear fell.

My crackpipe has grown, transformed over the years, from simple knowledge to data to rampant seething, patterns. The crack pipe shattered and shivered when knowledge wasn’t enough. The patterns began to go wild, expanding and growing growing like interlaced vines. A fractal that cannot be mastered, cannot be wholly viewed in instant. As she wished for the pattern, I wished for the smoke.

Eric Staggs: Writer

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