The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth

All of James N. Frey's books are excellent. And entertaining. This one covers novel writing from the requirements and characteristics of the quest, a format that seems to fit most of the novels written today, either loosely or quite closely.

There are other books on this subject, including Joseph Campbell's works and Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey. There are important differences in Frey's book. It is written by a fiction writer for fiction writers. It is a quicker read and an easy one. And Frey shows us how to actually build a novel, using the power of myth. And he does this right in his book. So you get explanations but also enlightening examples constantly.

Some feel that we need Campbell and Vogler for an indepth treatment of myth. Phooey. We don't need to become myth scholars. What those of us need to know is the characteristics of quest fiction so that when we wish we can use them in the building of our fiction. The Key provides plenty of that.

Whether building the Parthenon or the pyramids, the ancients created with a wisdom that often astonishes us. So it is with the power of myth. Get this book and learn what you need to know.

As both a author and reader of fiction I was impressed with The Key. I guess that I just like books that can hold my interest and make me think at the same time. I recommend this book. Time keeps me from writing a longer review but I wanted to get something posted.
Tommy Taylor

...this is not a book on writing Myths. Rather, it is a book explaining how humans have for millenia crafted great stories using mythic structure, stories that appeal to countless generations, even into modern times. Did you know that "Columbo" can be explained via mythic structure? Or that "The Godfather" is also a mythic-based tale? Frey explains the use of the traditional element of mythic structure in modern writing, and shows the writer how to craft modern stories based on it, stories that can be as compelling and exciting as any ancient tale that has lasted through the centuries.

As a professional writer and teacher of writing, I have found this to be the best of Frey's four books on writing, and recommend that if you are serious about crafting damn good fiction, that you get a copy of this book and read it.

This book is about an approach to writing based on Joseph Campbell's book, "The Hero with 1000 Faces" which is well known and considered a useful guide to writing because George Lucas famously based his script for Star Wars firmly on its principles. Better and more detailed books about the theory of using myth for writing are out there, such as Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey."
What Frey tells you about in this book is not wrong. I personally find the elements of the monomyth more helpful for composing a story with a begining middle and end than the well known devices of outlining or considering conflict, the buildup of tension and the resolution. It gives you something concrete to go on. Frey's way of explaining it though seems to have a bit more air and vagueness than the subject requires. You're getting the information second-hand when you're getting it from him, and my judgment of the sections of his own writing that he includes as an example leads me to say you're getting it from a mediocre writer here as well.
This book also has all the earmarks of the kind of how-to product that is more marketing campaign than substance. Frey has a catch-phrase that he works into the title of several books, he gives you vague advice while implying that he knows his subject very deeply, and that his method works very well for him. Frey seems to be drawing the reader on with his "Damn Good" brand much like Kiyosaki does with his "Rich Dad" brand, giving advice so vague and tantalizing that you're sure to want to snap up the next book in the series so that you can learn truly useful things that maybe you can at last apply. And of course this has the effect of keeping his books on how to write fiction selling even if he can't manage to sell his actual fiction, just as Kiyosaki is obviously making money on his books and seminars even if he isn't making any money with real estate or other investments.
Actually such a comparison is at least a little unfair to Frey, because though the information he gives may be a little watered down it is information that I've genuinely found helpful, and the first two-thirds of the book, including the story he was developing as an example, initially held my interest. I just can't honestly see why anyone should buy this book instead of something closer to the source.

Frey takes the deep and universal themes explored by Joseph Campbell and reduces them to a simple template for writers of fiction to follow. This can be handy for aspiring writers, but the danger is that you'll end up with very shallow characters and stories unless you explore this subject much more extensively. And although the summaries of particular themes are helpful, you would probably be better off going straight to the source and reading Campbell yourself. Otherwise you run the risk of spitting out a cookie cutter story that has all the technical ingredients of myth-based fiction but nevertheless fails to capture the reader because the story itself isn't compelling. If, as I did, you can find this book at your local library, it is probably worth your time to read it. However, I certainly wouldn't pay much money for it.