Overview

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘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 ‘Rarely has a book engrossed me more, and forced me to question everything I’ve ever read, seen or written. A masterpiece’ 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. INCLUDES NEW MATERIAL.

Full Product Details

9780008276973

Table of Contents

Reviews

`Rarely has a book engrossed me more, and forced me to question everything I've ever read, seen or written. It's a masterpiece. I am in awe' Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived `The best book on the craft of storytelling I've ever read' Matt Haig `Easily the best book I've read this year' Hannah Fry `Reading this book feels like cheating. It gives you an unfair advantage over other writers. A fascinating new way of looking at writing and how to exploit the fact that storytelling is hardwired into our brains' Charlie Higson `A brilliant, accessible and very human book not just for writers but for anyone interested in how the mind works - not least their own. Will manages to be both detached and compassionate on every page, sometimes within the same sentence. That such a complicated book is so easy to read is testament to his clarity of thought and skill as writer. A stupendous achievement' Robert Webb `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' Alex Preston, Observer `If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book. 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 'If you've ever read a book, watched a movie, binged a television series, or tried to write one, this book is mandatory reading. A truly revolutionary look at the how and why of storytelling' Craig Pearce, screenwriter of Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby `So much more than a book about how to write stories. It's a book about what it means to be alive' Tim Lott

Author Information

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. 

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