The Science of Storytelling
Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better
Published on 10. March 2020
Book
Hardback
291 pages
978-1-4197-4303-0 (ISBN)
Description
The compelling, groundbreaking guide to creative writing that reveals how the brain responds to storytellingStories 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? In The Science of Storytelling, 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.
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. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling is destined to become an invaluable resource for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction.
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. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling is destined to become an invaluable resource for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Abrams
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 144 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
487 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4197-4303-0 (9781419743030)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2020
Abrams Press
€15.49
Available for download
Person
Will Storr is an award-winning journalist and novelist whose work has appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. His books include Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed and The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science (Overlook/Abrams Press). His writing courses are among the most in-demand offerings of the Guardian Masterclasses and the Faber Academy. He lives in Kent, England.