Writing the Fantasy Film  Heroes and Journeys in Alternate Realities

I am proud to join the distinguished writers with Michael Wiese Productions. An author couldn't ask for a better publisher. Check out the many wonderful books at:  www.mwp.com  

A Few Reviews

“This book will cast its spell on you as it breaks down the fantasy genre into an easy-to-understand blueprint that is sure to inform, challenge and fire-up your imagination!”Kathie Fong Yoneda, Author: The Script-Selling Game

“Jak’s approach is to provide a toolbox for writers: she examines all of the building blocks of fantasy narratives, from characters to monsters to the use of religion to music and poetry. In each case, she provides lots of lists and examples for writers to use as inspiration (for example, when discussing possible types of second-tier villains), and presents storytelling and screenwriting advice. The chapter on research is exceptionally good. Sable Jak is obviously a fantasy fan and she does know the territory quite well.” Screentalk Magazine

“No writer preparing to embark upon the epic journey of writing a fantasy script should start without this literary talisman.” Shelly Mellott, Editor: Scr(i)pt Magazine

"Having read more than my share of creative writing books, with several titles focused on fantasy, I was pleasantly surprised that this one got it right.  -- As a fantasy author, I especially enjoyed the chapter on Character Creation.

Overall, I found this to be a strong entry into the field of creative writing for fantasy and sci-fi. A field where most of the books are minefields, roadmaps to oblivion, mind stultifiers, or very limited in their scope. This book is none of those. It has currently joined my small list of works I regularly turn to in my writing carreer. These include "The Writer's Journey" by Chris Vogler, "Creating Unforgetable Characters" by Linda Seger, and "The Character Naming Sourcebook." Ian Frost review, Amazon.com

"Okay, I'll admit two things right off the bat: 1. I've never written a fantasy script. 2. I'm not a big fan of the genre. Yes, I love "Star Wars (Episodes III, IV and V)" but don't really think of them as "fantasy." The Lord of the Rings Trilogy really can't be beat and truly feel the human elements of the story transcended the "fantasy" elements. I guess my biggest issue of the fantasy film genre is that I really can't relate to it much. Whether I'm too distant, too grounded in my work-a-day reality, or just a bit too distracted to believe in Wizards, Dragons, Damsels in Distress, Magic Potions and Ogres.

Then I read this book.

Coming at screenwriting from more of a "logical" point of view I kept reading this book in hopes of picking apart the whole grasp of fantasy films. This is the book, I thought, that was going to help me make my arguments against the whole genre. What it did was teach me that Fantasy Films (adventure, romantic, sci-fi, modern world based ("BIG," "It's A Wonderful Life"), middle world based, outer world based, etc.) have many of the same elements you find in your standard genres (romantic comedy, western, action film, buddy picture, etc.). In fact, the more I read the book, the more I realized that if some of the archetypes found in fantasy films were plopped into the middle of a standard drama film - it would add an whole element that would enhance the film, not take away from it." Matthew Terry review, Amazon.com