Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

This book stands apart from every other book about story I've ever read. And I've read quite a few.For someone who's primarily "interested" in the art and/or science of story, this book is bound to disappoint.But, for someone who's *engaged* in the hobby or profession of crafting stories that need to *work*, "Story Genius" is a godsend.Here's why:Lisa Cron has nailed down, in deceptively simple language, the very exact steps a writer needs to take to go from interesting prose to a compelling story. While the book is highly readable and doesn't have lots of (any, in my reading) frightening and impressive words, I see the fingerprints of other geniuses on the page: Rupert Sheldrake, Nick Arrizza, Anders Ericcson, and even (and in this context, it's a high compliment), L. Ron Hubbard.Just fingerprints, though. The vast majority of the work here is all Cron's. She is so lighthearted and playful, you could easily miss the profound value (to the working storyteller) in her book IF YOU WEREN'T ALREADY STARVING FOR IT.Which I am. Because with all the wonderful books I've read and courses I've taken, a few things have been missing.Like: After you've identified the "wound" in the protagonist's past that informs the inner part of their journey through the story, what in the world do you do with that information? Most other writers, teachers, and gurus implicitly leave you with the challenge, "Well, that's for you to figure out."Translation: They don't know, and they don't want you to know that they don't know.Cron does, and she lays it out explicitly and generously. On the point of the protagonist's "wound" alone, this book is a complete though concise master class.Another thing I've found missing almost everywhere else: How much of your character's past do you need to tell your reader about -- and how do you determine what that how much is?I've only seen a partial answer to that question one place else -- in Aaron Sorkin's MasterClass on screenwriting -- and while he gave essentially the same answer, I find Cron's coverage of this topic in this book, much more useful and comprehensive."Story Genius" might not be the best book for a beginner for one simple and ironic reason:Until you've been burned over and over again by the overconfident gurus of this field (and I don't include Sorkin here -- he's great, but again, not as comprehensive on certain key points), you won't be able to appreciate the finesse and extraordinary practical value of what's in this book.I know if I had read it, say, 30 years ago, I would have shrugged a lot of this stuff off. Might have called it "repetitive" or "incomplete."These days, I struggle with the real problems that Cron addresses in this book -- both as a working writer myself, and as a coach to other writers.In that way, I am like an experienced jeweler walking through a flea market of cubic zirconium. I have to make stuff work, rather than read or hear it five times just to understand what it is.So, I recognize a gem when I see it.If any of this resonates, you should get this book to ease your own suffering and increase your own productivity -- and satisfaction with the experience -- sooner, rather than later.

Yes, the actual 'science' is thinly presented, but this book gets five stars for providing what few others do--a clear, specific explanation of what constitutes a compelling story and specific steps to develop and integrate those elements.The claims ala science distil to:- The human brain evolved a capacity to simulate various risk and opportunity scenarios, allowing us to step into them in our imaginations. Stories allow us to sharpen our insights and skills in areas threatening areas, including social navigation. We get to try out various strategies and tactics without incurring the real-world risks.- This capacity evolved because it improved survival (those who did it better survived to pass along their genes).- Saying we're "wired for story" means our attention favors inputs that fit the pattern of a story. We may momentarily pay attention to a movement or sound (or a string of them in a James Bond film), but we are riveted by a story. Cron's definition of a story is "someone grapples with a problem they can't avoid" and changes in the process. (p. 30)- In the presence of such a story, the protagonist becomes our 'avatar' and 'portal.' A story that contains the required elements activates brain systems that evolved to enable us to simulate the other's interior experience. Our minds are compelled to 'try on' the role and to experience the situation.Cron's definition of story may seem narrow, but it's one that's relevant to this irresistible-mental-simulation thesis. She introduces the metaphor of the 'third rail' that provides electricity to power a train's engine. Without that rail, a train is just an immobile collection of hardware. In a story, the third rail is the protagonist's 'worldview' and particularly an unresolved inner issue (usually reflected in some self-complicating misbelief). A disruptive event or situation forces the protagonist to struggle with an unavoidable, "escalating problem"--the 'difficult goal.' Throughout the story (a novel, in this case), the protagonist reflects on what has happened and is happening, evaluating what it means and what she should do next. She's looking at it through the misperception(s) that arise from her unresolved inner issue. Her reactions trigger more complications and conflict. Over the course of grappling with the escalating problem and (if she's not to be a tragic failure) frequently examining her past experiences and beliefs, her worldview changes. She learns. She changes.Cron guides the writer through the prework required to develop the protagonist and other contextual elements an organic (non-superficial) plot can spring from.One of Cron's most helpful topics regards how to tell where to start telling your (protagonist's) story.The scene card is a very useful tool for directly applying Cron's insights on story effectiveness. I added it's components to the Document Notes panel in my scene template in  Scrivener 2 for Mac [Download ]. She also has some specific suggestions for Scrivener users.Another reviewer speculated that a raw beginner may not be prepared to recognize how helpful Cron's principles and process are. Perhaps one must fumble through an assortment of misdirected writing programs or become sick of the aimless, endless wandering of pantsing before gaining the required perspective. If it is possible to shortcut the millions of bad words one must write before consistent good writing comes within reach, this is one clearly lit path.

I liked the way this book was written (although it doesn't really contain anything to do with 'Brain Science' as the title claims), and after reading the first couple of chapters I was convinced that the teachings laid out by Cron would be life-changing. But by the end I found myself lost and more confused than I was to begin with. I just found the rules within this book a little confining, and was hit with a serious bout of writers' block after reading it because I was convinced that everything I was doing instinctively in my writing was 'wrong' (according to Cron's rules). But the thing is, there is no right or wrong way to write a novel! This method may work for her (and others) but it doesn't work for me. I have since been on a writer's retreat and that was a million times more helpful than this book. Now 30,000 words into my first draft. But Cron's advice definitely hampered me!

I found the first two chapters revelatory about storytelling and not the how but the why. That was useful to bear in mind. But as I progress with the book, I found the incredibly poorly-written examples of a "good" and "well-plotted" novel distracting to the point of being unable to take the advice given seriously! Which is a pity

Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) is not just the longest title in history. It is an interesting book about the writing process with a whole bunch of tips on improving your creative writing skills with practical examples and recommended by New York Times bestselling author Delilah S. Dawson no less. So there must be something to it, right?While it is lighter on the brain science than the title suggests, it does a great job of explaining what to do and why it is important. Some of the reviews of this book have said that the advice is common sense, but it helped to crystalise what I already knew but never thought about. That process of bringing it to the surface helped me focus and see where the gaps were in my novel.The most useful part for me was the examples where Lisa Cron has a real author go through the steps that she is recommending so that you can see how it works. I found this universally informative, and they really helped me to develop my own work.I feel like I learned a lot but the proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say so I've got the Scrivener template and I'm going to give it a shot. If you end up reading one of my books, maybe it works...

As a writer I've struggled with character motivation. Lisa takes you step by step through how to build a good plot based on what your character wants, their beliefs and challenges. She makes you think and work and illustrates exactly what she means with examples from a writer friend.

Explains and illustrates how your protagonist’s misbelief, precisely identified and rooted in his/her back story, will drive all the action/reaction and hook the reader. This has to be the most eye-opening how-to book I’ve read since Robert McKee’s ‘Story’ and Blake Snyder’s ‘Save the Cat’. There’s a whole lot more to a successful novel than this book admits or explores, but I’ve not come across this particular insight into how story works before. Despite getting bogged down towards the end in advocating a labyrinthine system of working files that doesn’t tempt me at all, it offers pure gold nuggets of practical advice all the way through, and has sent me back to my current manuscript with fresh eyes and new material.