Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 P

ABOUT STORY GENIUSFollowing the success of her initial book, Wired for Story, Lisa Cron presents a guide on employing cognitive storytelling techniques to create a detailed scene-by-scene plan for an engaging narrative. Many novelists dread pouring countless hours and energy into a manuscript only to discover it lacks urgency and internal consistency, leading to a full rewrite. Traditionally, writers have two ways to tackle this issue: "pantsing" (writing by the seat of their pants) or plotting (focusing solely on external events). However, Lisa Cron, a story coach, has dedicated her career to uncovering why these strategies often fall short and has developed a compelling alternative grounded in the science of what our minds need from stories—not necessarily what one might assume. In her book, Story Genius, Cron meticulously guides readers through the process of crafting a novel, starting from the initial spark of inspiration to constructing a comprehensive, layered blueprint. This approach results in a first draft that possesses the depth, authority, and refinement often found only in later drafts.