Wired for Story
by Lisa Cron
Cron uses cognitive science to explain what the brain needs from a story: a protagonist with a goal and an internal issue, cause and effect, stakes, specificity and change. Each chapter has a checklist. It is written for fiction writers and is equally useful for anyone who needs to hold attention.
Read it if…
you write stories or presentations and want to know what the brain is actually looking for.
Skip it if…
you want pure craft tradition; this is the neuroscience angle.
Three things you will actually use
- The brain reads story for survival information; give it stakes.
- Internal change is the real story.
- Specificity makes it real.
Do this first
State in one sentence what your protagonist wants and what internal issue stands in the way.
Our verdict
Clear and practical.
Compare with other Motivation books
The Elements of Style
William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White · Motivation
Slim, durable, essential.
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