About the Book:

Wired for Story is a useful and easy-to-understand book used in UCLA Extension's world-famous Writers' Program.

This guide reveals why humans value storytelling and how to tap into the hard-wired human need for stories so that you ignite peoples' brains and captivate them through each plot element.

Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps people transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets. Stories are memorable, and humans are "wired for story", wired to be drawn into a story, wired to listen attentively, and wired to seek personal connection to the narrative and its characters.

The vast majority of writing advice focuses on "writing well" as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail – they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain's hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won't hold anyone's interest.

Wired for Story takes a scientific approach to understand the power of stories backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience. Using examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, it offers a revolutionary look at stories as the brain experiences them. Each chapter explores an aspect of the brain and ways to work with them to boost the impact of your storytelling.

What people say:

"We all love a good story but most of us struggle to write them. Lisa Cron enlightens us as to how to get the job done in a savvy and engaging way." — Michael Gazzaniga, neuroscientist and director of the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Story guru Lisa Cron unlocked my last novel for me over lunch, but if you can't have her by your side when you're wrestling your manuscript, the next best thing is this smart, funny, genius book about the myths, realities, and brass tacks of story. Packed with innovative tips and techniques, it's as essential to any writer as a laptop, and much more fun." — Caroline Leavitt, author of New York Times best seller Pictures of You

"Wired for Story reveals that stories are not only a metaphor for human striving and survival, but they are also the means by which the brain ensures that we survive. Lisa Cron translates the latest neuroscience into a master guidebook for how to write engaging, meaningful, and moving stories." — Elizabeth Lyon, author of Manuscript Makeover

"As a story consultant for business executives as well as artists, I am always searching for ways to convey the skill set involved in constructing a story. Wired for Story presents basic principles for harnessing the natural power of the brain to recognize and create stories in a way that is inspiring and entirely helpful." — Murray Nossel, PhD, founder of Narativ Inc.

"Remember when Luke has to drop the bomb into the small vent on the Death Star? The story writer faces a similar challenge of penetrating the brain of the reader. This book gives the blueprints." — David Eagleman, neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine and author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

About the Author:

Lisa Cron has worked as a literary agent, a TV producer, and a story consultant for Warner Brothers, the William Morris Agency, and many others. She is a frequent speaker at writers' conferences, and advises writers, nonprofits, educators, and journalists on the art and craft of story. She has taught in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, and has also served on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA in Visual Narrative Program, and is the author of Wired for Story.