The Science of Storytelling

Based on the wildly popular creative writing class, this compelling, groundbreaking guide to creative writing is a must-have resource. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling has become an invaluable tool for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, children's writer, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction. Award-winning writer and acclaimed teacher of creative writing Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can write better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers-and also our brains-create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change. Stories shape who we are. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and mold our beliefs. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. So, how do master storytellers compel us? Will Storr's superbly chosen examples range from Harry Potter to Jane Austen to Alice Walker, Greek drama to Russian novels to Native American folk tales, King Lear to Breaking Bad to children's stories. With sections such as "The Dramatic Question," "Creating a World," and "Plot, Endings, and Meaning," as well as a practical, step-by-step appendix dedicated to "The Sacred Flaw Approach," The Science of Storytelling reveals just what makes stories work, placing it alongside such creative writing classics as John Yorke's Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey into Story and Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing. "If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book. It is clear, compelling, and tightly shaped." -Sunday Times (London)

Will Storr is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and the bestselling author of globally acclaimed books exploring psychology, human behavior, and narrative craft, including The Science of Storytelling, The Status Game, and A Story Is a Deal. His deeply researched, empirical approach to understanding the human condition has made him a highly sought-after story consultant for major global organizations including LVMH, Oracle, and Adobe. As a long-form journalist, his investigative features have appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Sunday Times. He is the creator and host of widely popular global masterclasses on creative writing and business narrative structure, teaching writers, leaders, and communicators how to harness the evolutionary architecture of the storytelling brain.