THE ICE PICK

The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, by James N. Frey. N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 260 p. $23.95. Includes a bibliography. ISBN 0-312-24197-6.

Much of modern fantasy, science fiction, and horror, as well as mysteries and romances, all use the myth-based story.

If you want to create screenplays or "fiction that has the power to profoundly move a reader" this book is a step-by-step guide to doing that through using the magic of the myth--not a modern copy of a Greek, Roman, or Norse myth--but the universal form and structure that has turned on readers for generations, that speaks to our deepest longings.

"Mythic forms," says Frey, "resonate in every individual human being on this planet. When a human being encounters some version of a myth, the individual responds at a very deep level, subconsciously, and is powerfully drawn to it as by magic."

Emphasizing that heroes must be interesting and well-rounded characters, Frey begins with a discussion of the physical and psychological qualities all heroes and heroines in myth-based stories must possess at the beginning of, or obtain sometime during, the story. He explains in detail the qualities required of your hero: courage, cleverness, some special talent, a wound or vulnerability, expertise at what he does, and a rebellious streak, and he tells why these are important.

He does the same for your antagonist, the Evil One. He shows how you can and should make the Evil One a rounded character and a worthy opponent of your hero. One of Frey’s techniques is to write a "journal" entry in the Evil One’s voice, so that you can get to know how he or she feels and thinks.

According to Frey, "Mythic forms and structures are the foundation on which all good stories are built." Using modern movies and books in various genres, Frey goes on to show how myth has been used and to explain how to construct your own story using the mythic structure.

He begins with "the hero in the world of the common day" who is then called, or forced, to "leave" or begin the adventure, which may or may not be a real "journey" at all. The hero is sent on a mission (or finds one at home), is forced to learn new rules, is tested, and suffers a transformation.

Discussing each of the mythic characters and motifs usually found in myth-based stories--and which you can use or refuse--he shows how you can adapt them to your story, so that you sustain tension throughout its development and end with a dramatic, satisfying climax.

No actual myth has ever had all the elements, and "when creating your own myth-based fiction," Frey says, "you should continually ask yourself: Would my story be stronger, more effective, more dramatic, more engaging, more emotional, and more gripping if I included this or that mythological element?"

These are tools to use, not a prescription, and you can follow his steps as closely as you like in your own story. "The force of myth is irresistible," says Frey. And you can use its form and structure to create your own myth-based heroes and to build your own myth-based stories.

I wish it had an index, but I love this book for its clarity and simplicity and, most of all, for its practical approach. I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Jan. 2003.}