ScriptMonster.co.uk

I got a letter this morning from Raindance with a little brochure all about “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler. For the small fee of £293(!) including VAT I can go see Vogler up close and personal as he talks for 2 days about his theories on screenwriting as told in his book.

This isnt meant as a criticism of Raindance, but of these talks in general… DON’T GO TO THESE THINGS! At least if if you are a regular person who needs money to live off. I just don’t see how £250 + VAT represents good value for money when you can pick up the Writer’s Journey for £10 on Amazon.

Why should anyone spend close to £300 to hear a guy give a condensed version of a book which you can read in full for £10? Why would anyone spend close to £300 for a one-off event when for £10 you can go back to his theories whenever you want for years to come?

Sure on these sorts of events you can ask him some questions and get other perks, these talks aren’t completely without their merits… but not £300 worth of merits!

But then again… I always have been a cheap skate.

PS. I like this book. I’m not dissing the theories, just the idea of paying £300 to hear them.

Update: I’ve been reading a bunch of posts over at the excellent UNK Screenwriting blog of late, including this one, all about attending a McKee lecture where he word for word regurgitates his book. Trust me folks when I say this… just buy the book and save yourself the money!