The Science of Storytelling

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER INCLUDES NEW MATERIAL 'If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book' SUNDAY TIMES 'The best book on the craft of storytelling I've ever read' MATT HAIG 'A masterpiece. I am in awe' ADAM RUTHERFORD Why stories make us human and how to tell them better. There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story - but few have used a scientific approach. In this incisive, thought-provoking book, award-winning writer Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us. Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories - and make sense of our chaotic modern world. 'A hugely compelling reading experience. Storr's superb exploration of the enduring appeal of the novel offers a smart, fascinating exploration of the science and psychology behind our most sophisticated art form that also works as an effective how-to guide' OBSERVER 'It is clear, compelling and tightly shaped around one fascinating and productive idea ... Storr wants to free writers from programmatic, plot-based writing guides, and his approach feels liberating' SUNDAY TIMES

Will Storr is an award-winning writer. His work has appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, New Yorker and New York Times. He is the author of four critically acclaimed books, most recently Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed. He teaches popular journalism and storytelling classes in London. He is an in-demand ghostwriter whose books have spent months at the top of the Sunday Times bestseller chart, selling more than 300,000 copies in 2018 alone.