The Science of Storytelling
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- Create Date：2021-04-27 11:53:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Will Storr
- ISBN：0008276978
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Summary
‘One of my absolute favourite writers’ Decca Aitkenhead
Who would we be without stories？
Stories mould who we are， from our character to our cultural identity。 They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions， and shape our politics and beliefs。 We use them to construct our relationships， to keep order in our law courts， to interpret events in our newspapers and social media。 Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human。
There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story – from Joseph Campbell’s well-worn theories about myth and archetype to recent attempts to crack the ‘Bestseller Code’。 But few have used a scientific approach。 This is curious， for if we are to truly understand storytelling in its grandest sense， we must first come to understand the ultimate storyteller – the human brain。
In this scalpel-sharp， thought-provoking book， Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us， leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr Men， from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV。 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。
Reviews
Kirsten
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Great book， packed with helpful info！
Bree
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Liked it until the part where he says that writing outside your race and sexuality is totally fine。 And anyone who stays within their own voice has， “Chimpish Xenophobia。” Wasn’t expecting that， not sure why it’s even in here。
Nithesh Satish
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This book helps us understand why stories capture our attention and why they are essential。 It talks about the five-act structure （which is different from the well-known three act structure）。 It takes great examples from well known stories to explain the 'science' behind storytelling。 The book not only helps you to write better， but also helps you figure out why some stories are popular。 Lastly， it also helps you unravel yourself as it enables you to dissect the stories that you have been tellin This book helps us understand why stories capture our attention and why they are essential。 It talks about the five-act structure （which is different from the well-known three act structure）。 It takes great examples from well known stories to explain the 'science' behind storytelling。 The book not only helps you to write better， but also helps you figure out why some stories are popular。 Lastly， it also helps you unravel yourself as it enables you to dissect the stories that you have been telling yourself。 。。。more
Omar Delawar
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Readability: Hard ---o- Easy Practicality: Low ---o- High Insights: Few ---o- Many Length: Long --o-- Short Overall: Bad --o-- Amazing
Jeremy Ray
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Really appreciate this book。 As with any craft or skill， the more you read and learn the less "new" information you come across。 However， I do highly recommend this book to new writers who predominantly focus on story centered on character。 The way Storr develops story is shockingly similar to the way I write。 Reading this book might save you some time with the trial and error， though I'd say that is the best teacher of all。 For me， the most worthwhile parts were the "whys" about story rules。 It Really appreciate this book。 As with any craft or skill， the more you read and learn the less "new" information you come across。 However， I do highly recommend this book to new writers who predominantly focus on story centered on character。 The way Storr develops story is shockingly similar to the way I write。 Reading this book might save you some time with the trial and error， though I'd say that is the best teacher of all。 For me， the most worthwhile parts were the "whys" about story rules。 It was wonderful to explore the human behaviorial sciences behind them。 As with any book on writing， approach the read with critical thinking。 Take what works and leave the rest behind。 。。。more
chris tervit
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Enjoyable and informative even if you don’t plan to write a book yourself。 Loved his revisiting and analysis of ‘Remains of the Day’ Booker winner （1989） by Kazuo Ishiguro- both the book and film are in my favourites。 Liked his Qs to ask yourself when creating an authentic protagonist and how events on our formative years can shape our “unshakable beliefs”。 He references so many books and film we’d all be familiar with。 This came recommended to me by a podcast guest （？ someone on ‘How To Own the Enjoyable and informative even if you don’t plan to write a book yourself。 Loved his revisiting and analysis of ‘Remains of the Day’ Booker winner （1989） by Kazuo Ishiguro- both the book and film are in my favourites。 Liked his Qs to ask yourself when creating an authentic protagonist and how events on our formative years can shape our “unshakable beliefs”。 He references so many books and film we’d all be familiar with。 This came recommended to me by a podcast guest （？ someone on ‘How To Own the Room’- cannot recall who now） but in turn it got me onto ‘How to Fail’ podcast episode with Kazuo Ishiguro which is great- go listen。 。。。more
Annalisa Ponti
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Scrivere storie partendo dal personaggio。Forse è colpa della convalescenza da COVID， o forse no。 Ma ho fatto fatica a seguire il discorso， non ho riconosciuto il filo conduttore。 Molti gli spunti interessanti。Molto convincenti le riflessioni su Shakespeare。
Matthew
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I teach psychology。 I think my students would be fairly well educated in personality and motivation of they read this book and spend the time， so the work， to ponder the points of character development and the trajectory of plot and narrative。 If we can penetrate to the Sacred Value and understand the Sacred Flaw in ourselves and others we can gain valuable insight into our own lives and how to improve them， asking with the hard work it requires to do so in any meaningful fashion。
Nick Caddick
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I'm with Charlie Higson on this book， packed with lots of great thinking about storytelling -it feels like cheating。 It's stimulating， challenging and inspiring and now worthy of closer scrutiny。 The thing that really impressed was the way he drew other writers into the mix such as Booker， Yorke and McGee where others have been highly critical of these works。 It was all blended seamlessly and made so much sense。 Inspired to continue with my writing now。 I'm with Charlie Higson on this book， packed with lots of great thinking about storytelling -it feels like cheating。 It's stimulating， challenging and inspiring and now worthy of closer scrutiny。 The thing that really impressed was the way he drew other writers into the mix such as Booker， Yorke and McGee where others have been highly critical of these works。 It was all blended seamlessly and made so much sense。 Inspired to continue with my writing now。 。。。more
Paulgtr234
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This is a great insight into the neuroscience of why we relate stories and how narrative creates the world around us。 I found the science compelling。 The only reason I did not rate this book higher is hat parts of the story around the science seemed incomplete。 The concept is fully formed it just need slightly more fleshing out at times。 Otherwise this is a great read and key information to understanding our world。
Ciaran Gibson
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An amazing tool for all our aspiring writers who really want to get to grips with creating living， breathing characters。 I'll be referring back to this for years to come。 An amazing tool for all our aspiring writers who really want to get to grips with creating living， breathing characters。 I'll be referring back to this for years to come。 。。。more
Cristian
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Excellent exploration into the human psyche， useful far beyond the scope of aspiring authors。 Anyone that needs to deliver a presentation， understand humans better or simply wants to enjoy stories more by having a peek behind the curtains， will find many golden nuggets in this book。
Sara
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3。5 stars。 This was a really interesting， if uneven， book about the science behind storytelling and why we're so drawn to narratives。 I think I expected this to be more about how to improve your own storytelling capabilities by using the science behind what we're attracted to， and while this book touched on this subject， the bulk of it was not。 Instead， the author used the science behind what drives humans， much of it psychological research， to try to understand why specific narratives move us a 3。5 stars。 This was a really interesting， if uneven， book about the science behind storytelling and why we're so drawn to narratives。 I think I expected this to be more about how to improve your own storytelling capabilities by using the science behind what we're attracted to， and while this book touched on this subject， the bulk of it was not。 Instead， the author used the science behind what drives humans， much of it psychological research， to try to understand why specific narratives move us and what this means for how we tell stories， both to others and to ourselves。The most fascinating parts of this were when the author explained why we're drawn to certain stories and how our minds are hardwired to add details to flesh out a story that makes sense to us， if we don't have all the information。 He noted how we're all the heroes of our own lives， and so we often misremember stuff or subconsciously fill in blanks in order for us to continue to be the hero we think we are。 This of course has parallels to storytelling， as every character is the hero of their own narrative， which explains why when we know what's driving a person's actions， they become all that more real and their decisions more understandable， even if we vehemently disagree。 I was also intrigued by his description of how the world we each live in is really a projection of our own perceived reality， as our brain doesn't actually "see" anything and is instead creating a projection of what's around us based on information its taken in from various senses。 So true！ And a perspective I'd never actually thought of before。For all the parts I did enjoy， I felt like the momentum in here was occasionally slowed down by the various examples from literature that he provided， complete with quotes and descriptions of plots。 Some of the books I'd read and could understand， while others weren't ones that piqued my interest and I tended to skim over， not really getting much out of them。 The descriptions of how some of this research related to the structure of solid storytelling was also less fleshed out than I think it could have been， which was fine since I didn't get as much out of these parts anyway。While I don't think this book will necessarily improve anyone's storytelling abilities， I do think this was an intriguing look at why we're drawn to stories and the kinds of storytelling we're drawn to， regardless of genre。 I really enjoyed reading about his findings about how and why we are receptive to various stories。 。。。more
K8
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An interesting and well written book， however I knocked a star off for his passage about capitalism that read "this great freedom is under constant attack from leftists who resent the idea that the most productive individuals are properly rewarded for their hard work。 They want everyone to be equal and equally poor。" I found this to be an inaccurate and reductive claim in an otherwise insightful book， though I'm not yet finished。 Also， be prepared for some spoilers of classic novels/films/tv ser An interesting and well written book， however I knocked a star off for his passage about capitalism that read "this great freedom is under constant attack from leftists who resent the idea that the most productive individuals are properly rewarded for their hard work。 They want everyone to be equal and equally poor。" I found this to be an inaccurate and reductive claim in an otherwise insightful book， though I'm not yet finished。 Also， be prepared for some spoilers of classic novels/films/tv series。 Would still recommend if you have an interest in psychology 。。。more
Lucy
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Not just the best book I've read on the craft of writing， but one of the most interesting and thought-provoking books I've ever read。 Anyone could/should read and enjoy this， writer or not。 It's mainly an examination of how our human brains work and you may find your behaviour adjusting after reading this， not just your writing。 Not just the best book I've read on the craft of writing， but one of the most interesting and thought-provoking books I've ever read。 Anyone could/should read and enjoy this， writer or not。 It's mainly an examination of how our human brains work and you may find your behaviour adjusting after reading this， not just your writing。 。。。more
Ignacio
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Wow！ This book is something else。 Not only does it do a great job at explaining the science of storytelling， it thoroughly shows and explains why and what's the reasoning behind everything the author says。 It does a great job of describing the human psyche and how our brains work and how it reflects and influences what we like and dislike in stories， the way they develop， and how it affects us as people and the story's characters。 And it does it with very clear and easy to understand examples。Lo Wow！ This book is something else。 Not only does it do a great job at explaining the science of storytelling， it thoroughly shows and explains why and what's the reasoning behind everything the author says。 It does a great job of describing the human psyche and how our brains work and how it reflects and influences what we like and dislike in stories， the way they develop， and how it affects us as people and the story's characters。 And it does it with very clear and easy to understand examples。Love it from beginning to end。 。。。more
Stephen Palmer
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I don’t read many ‘How To Write’ books， but "The Science Of Storytelling" by Will Storr was recommended by a couple of author friends and looked pretty good from the reviews。 It is however much better than pretty good: it’s exceptional。Why？ In a word – clarity。 Not only is this a fantastically clear， insightful and succinct look at how and why we tell tales， it’s a clear， insightful and succinct look at human beings。 In some respects it transcends its subject to become a primer on aspects of the I don’t read many ‘How To Write’ books， but "The Science Of Storytelling" by Will Storr was recommended by a couple of author friends and looked pretty good from the reviews。 It is however much better than pretty good: it’s exceptional。Why？ In a word – clarity。 Not only is this a fantastically clear， insightful and succinct look at how and why we tell tales， it’s a clear， insightful and succinct look at human beings。 In some respects it transcends its subject to become a primer on aspects of the human condition。The book has a single thesis: that telling stories is about people， about character， about our visible and concealed flaws， about our irrationality around those flaws， and about what authors can do with all this。 Split into four sections it covers scenario （including theory of mind） and the importance of change， our flawed characters and why they’re endlessly compelling， asking the dramatic question which not only kick-starts a novel but sustains it， and plot/endings/meaning。 A concluding section details the author’s own technique of the Sacred Flaw， which he uses in his writing classes。At this stage of a review I usually add a few quibbles or point out some things I didn’t like， but in this case I have nothing to add。 Compelling， lucid， engaging and fascinating， it is above all true。 I recognise the truth of the human condition in this book， and much of it matches my own notions， for instance a point about emotion being about value – here summarised in a single sentence！ The book is comparatively short， yet contains terrific insight， which， with skill and grace， the author lays out for his readers。I was reminded when I read this book of another short work containing wisdom and clear insight， Karen Armstrong’s "A Short History Of Myth。" Storr’s book is a kind of partner work: where he looks at storytelling and the individual， Armstrong looks at storytelling and cultures。 Reading the two together is a real lesson in life。Unreservedly recommended。 。。。more
Andrew Rose
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This is an incredible book for budding novelists but brilliant even if you’re not。 What makes a story compelling？ What makes characters believable？ Storr presents the science that reveals the answers and does so in a way that is always engaging。
Oliver Blue
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was super good！ It was really interesting how this book combined psychology with writing it made for a very interesting book！ I also liked all the analysis that he did of famous movies and books like Lawrence Of Arabia。 Overall this book was great and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good book about writing！
Paul
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My kind of book。 A mixture of science and storytelling， with a lot of memorable examples。 Mr。 Storr incorporates a lot of psychological research in support of his theories and includes a helpful appendix to help the would-be writer apply the principles taught。
Ed
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I didn't find this scientific at all。 Little more than a few obvious statements about human minds/behaviour and then a number of examples from literature/film that fits with that theme。 But there's no real argument behind what he's saying， that links these two things。For example he points out that human senses are good at detecting changes in our environment （not a ground breaking statement） and then suggests that's why story telling needs to focus on change and points out three books that open I didn't find this scientific at all。 Little more than a few obvious statements about human minds/behaviour and then a number of examples from literature/film that fits with that theme。 But there's no real argument behind what he's saying， that links these two things。For example he points out that human senses are good at detecting changes in our environment （not a ground breaking statement） and then suggests that's why story telling needs to focus on change and points out three books that open with change （i。e。 something happening）。 In my mind there's a much simpler explanation as to why stories involve change- a story in which literally nothing changed would be pointlessly boring and would never be published。There's no effort to tie his various points together， it's just a huge disorganised dump of half-developed ideas。 Indeed some points contradict previous ones （early on he says humans ignore any information inconsistent with their world view; later he says that humans have many selves with different and inconsistent world views）。Great idea for a book， but execution was way off。 Try his TED talk first， there's very little this book adds to that other than incessant repitition and a greater number of examples for his points。 。。。more
Liam Delahunty
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If you want to be a novelist or understand more about the process there are two books you need。 The first is Stephen King's On Writing， and this is the second。It has a different character driven approach to the form and marries that with insights from psychology。 Its superb， go and buy it。 If you want to be a novelist or understand more about the process there are two books you need。 The first is Stephen King's On Writing， and this is the second。It has a different character driven approach to the form and marries that with insights from psychology。 Its superb， go and buy it。 。。。more
Dave Thompsen
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Interesting insights into how people think and how storytelling conveys valuable information。 Perhaps geared more to writing stories than what I was looking for which was something to help tell better stories。 Ran out of time on the library loan， so did not finish the book。
Alexander Bancroft
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So many takeaways that it is hard to condense them all into one review without it turning into an essay。 I am in the final few edits （I hope） of a novel draft and Storr's approach helped me to focus on the characters and plot， but in particular human desire: "to experience connection， earn status， and a goal to pursue。" If a character or group of characters has a clear drive for the above your story should move forward。 So many takeaways that it is hard to condense them all into one review without it turning into an essay。 I am in the final few edits （I hope） of a novel draft and Storr's approach helped me to focus on the characters and plot， but in particular human desire: "to experience connection， earn status， and a goal to pursue。" If a character or group of characters has a clear drive for the above your story should move forward。 。。。more
Jon Dyer
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UnderwhelmingFor a book about how to tell a story， there isn't much to be inspired by。 The premises are quite basic and generic。 There is very little in this book that you won't already know。 Unfortunately， a bit of a monotonous read。 I was glad to make it to the end。 UnderwhelmingFor a book about how to tell a story， there isn't much to be inspired by。 The premises are quite basic and generic。 There is very little in this book that you won't already know。 Unfortunately， a bit of a monotonous read。 I was glad to make it to the end。 。。。more
Suzy D。
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Interesting and helpful， with lots of references and examples。
Flyingbroom
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Utterly boring and pretentious， made worse by the （author's） narration。 The level of navel-gazing in this book is simply unbearable。 Utterly boring and pretentious， made worse by the （author's） narration。 The level of navel-gazing in this book is simply unbearable。 。。。more
Cage Dunn
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It's very interesting， not too deep into the specialist side， and loved the first half of the book。The second half may have lost me， but I'll read it again one day when I've recovered from the first reading。A bit annoyed at the number of small mistakes。 One or two can be forgiven， but there are way more than that， and it marred my enjoyment。Overall， worth the effort， but the jury may need another run at it。 It's very interesting， not too deep into the specialist side， and loved the first half of the book。The second half may have lost me， but I'll read it again one day when I've recovered from the first reading。A bit annoyed at the number of small mistakes。 One or two can be forgiven， but there are way more than that， and it marred my enjoyment。Overall， worth the effort， but the jury may need another run at it。 。。。more
Eleanor
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4。5 — will definitely reread ！
Taron
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