Science of Storytelling

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.

‘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

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.