Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence

by Lisa Cron

Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets--and it's a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper. 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. Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Psychology, Crafts, Business, Reference, Communication

262 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2012

About the author

Lisa Cron is a story coach, speaker, and the author of Wired for Story and Story Genius. Her TEDx talk, Wired for Story, opened Furman University’s 2014 TEDx conference. Lisa has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton and John Muir Publications, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and Court TV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency. Since 2006, she’s been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, and she has been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in Visual Narrative in New York City. On March 2, 2021 her new book aimed at the leadership/ business/nonprofit world, Story or Die: Why Story is the Only Way to Engage, Persuade and Inspire – and How to Use Brain Science to Create One that Will, will be published by Ten Speed Press. Lisa works with writers, business leaders, nonprofits, educators, and organizations, helping them master the unparalleled power of story, so they can move people to action – whether that action is turning the pages of a compelling novel, or taking to the streets to change the world for the better. Or both. For a library of her free myth-busting writing tips, and information on how to work with her one-on-one, you can find her at: wiredforstory.com

Reviews

[Mignon · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the fourth page I had dug my highlighter out of my purse, and by page 10 I was dog-earring pages. I had started reading it while waiting for a doctor's appointment, and I was actually disappointed when the doctor finally showed up because I had to stop reading.

Lisa's insights about what makes a good story from her work in television and teaching are amazing, and the way she weaves in studies from neuroscience that explain *why* we like certain kinds of stories and elements gives it a level of credibility you don't often find in books about writing. The sections about why writers often get things wrong were also head-thumpingly revealing.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and I'm sure I'm going to read it many times again over the years as I work on my own stories. As a whole book it's inspirational, and with all my highlighted and dog-earred parts, I'll be looking at it for reminders about what's important.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know me at all, you know that I strongly disagree with most "writing advice." Not because I think authors are wrong in the way they write -- but as part of human nature, we will always transfer information that is relevant to us and us alone. For instance, if you pick up a book called "How To Write A Novel" by P.G. Krolmeister, you're not going to learn how to write a novel. You're going to learn how P.G. Krolmeister writes a novel. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this! It's just the way things are. You and I do it every day. Every word that leaves our mouths is slightly (or vastly) bent by our opinions and views of the world. There is no way to stop this. And yes, Wired For Story did have a lot of the author's opinions in it, but something truly unusual happened to me when I read this book: I AGREED WITH LIKE 99% OF HER ADVICE. And here's why.

This book isn't first and foremost about "how to write good" -- it's about exploring the intricacies of the brain and how we subconsciously respond to stories...good ones or bad ones. That's what I loved about this book. Call me a geek, if you'd like (spoiler I call myself a geek most of the time) but to me, nothing is more helpful to understand your readers than to peek inside their brain and witness their reactions to your storytelling.

So, yes, this is a writing advice book -- but what makes it so unique is that it's not telling you "do this that and the other thing and boom you'll have a great book." Rather, it points you in the right direction so that YOU can conduct your own studies on your story as well as other stories that have affected you. I now feel equipped to not just be like "wow that was a good book I wish I could write like that" but to take it apart in my mind, explore it, analyze it, and come out the other side feeling enlightened. Why do some stories consume us and crush us and leave us breathless ...and other stories fall short?? I feel like I know why, now. I don't know everything there is it know about writing, for sure. But this book has opened new doors of exploration for me, and I couldn't ask for anything more in a "writing advice" book.

10/10 RECOMMEND TO ANYONE LIKE ME WHO HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTED IN "WRITING ADVICE" -- YOU'RE NOT ALONE. READ THIS BOOK.

[Jasmine Walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can only buy one book on the craft of writing, let it be this one. I read it in a handful of days and there was so much stellar information I know I'll be reading it several times and making copious notes. If you're looking for a handbook that tells you about not using adverbs and avoiding dream scenes and all those other writers rules that everyone touts but hardly anyone knows why, then pass over it. But if you really want to know what story is about, and how to use it to hook your readers and have them racing to the end of your novel, this is your baby. Not to mention Crohn doesn't just tell you what to do, she tells you WHY, with a lot of great, tangible explanations and case studies of novels and films so you can really see what she's talking about.

I've been writing since I was sixteen, and I've been around the block as far as how-to guides and blogs are concerned. This is the second one I've finished to the end, and the only one I've read to date that has changed my view on writing so drastically. Reading this book was like one of those times when you meet someone and click with them, and everything they do or say completely resonates with you. In case you couldn't tell, I highly recommend it.

[Berengaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
*highly recommended*

short review for busy readers: definitely one of the better guides for creative writers out there, esp if you have already been writing for a while. New angles on old advice that actually make more sense. Not necessarily for beginner writers.

in detail:
If you are a reasonably experienced writer with an analytical mindset - vs a passionate or emotional mindset - then this book will probably speak your language far more than most guides which focus on formulaic baby steps or cultivating your wild pantser imagination.

Mainly what Cron offers are unique twists on all the old saws of writing, many of which I found extremely helpful as it made them easier, not only to understand, but also to apply. She also includes some brain science tidbits to underscore why some things work a charm with readers and others will end you up in 'meh' territory.

Example: “Write what you know.”

That leads to a lot of lawyers writing novels about lawyers, doctors about doctors, chemists about chemists and authors about…yeah, never seen that before, have we?

Cron says: no. Not what you professionally or intellectually know, but what you *emotionally* know. That is, what emotional states are you very familiar with. Grief? Flashes of intuition? Being fawned over? Loving in vain? Being picked last for the team? Your appearance meaning more to others than who you are? Things coming too easily? Things not coming at all?

Look at what repeat cycles have you been through. THAT is what you know. Write THAT because it will draw in the reader with its real life relevance and authenticity.

I’d love to wholeheartedly endorse this book, but there are two drawbacks I have to mention first.

1/ Cron focuses almost entirely on mainstream fiction. She’s not really at home to literary, off-beat, niche, foreign or experimental. She’s not at home to award winners, intellectual pieces, nor novels with words the average 12-year old wouldn't know.

She does backpedal a bit in the later chapters, claiming that the same rules for contemporary bestseller genre fiction apply for literary works. This is true, but you can tell she'd rather stick with the domestic thrillers, the chick lit and the Harry Potters...but more people are writing and reading literary so... *sigh*.

2/ at times her conversational style can get a bit grating when it becomes too conversational and jokey.

Despite those two minor grumbles, this is definitely a book to have in your writer's library. Cron's advice is excellent (even if I don't always agree with her 100%).

It's easy to read, easy to understand and has a lot of highly applicable advice for writers in (almost) all genres. One of the best I've run across.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been the best book on story writing that I've read that wasn't written specifically for screenwriters if it wasn't for the poor writing. It's as if the author has done little of it over the years and the book only got a proofreader rather than an editor. Because of that, I found it difficult to get through and had to force myself to read a chapter a day rather than a whole bunch at the same time.

Content-wise, the book is good, but it doesn't say anything new, although it reinforces a lot of important concepts. I was disappointed that it didn't have much content on brain science. Probably the most helpful thing about it is a checklist at the back of each chapter, which describes the main concepts of each chapter and is there to help you make sure what you're writing follows the concepts.

The concepts the book uses are usually only found in books on screenwriting rather than books on writing prose fiction. Since this book is for storytellers of all kinds rather than just screenwriters, it was nice that I didn't have to wade through all this screenwriting stuff that I don't care about as a prose fiction writer.

Add a star or two if you're new to fiction writing or haven't read any books on the subject yet.

[Dmitry Berkut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is yet another book about writing, and I already have a whole shelf of them. Yet I keep buying more — perhaps because they give me a sense of connection. It’s comforting to know that someone else is just as concerned with the craft and the search for better ways to tell stories. Wired for Story by Lisa Cron promises something fresh — the use of neuroscience to "hook" readers from the very first sentence.
However, despite its intriguing concept, the book falls short. Cron does a good job of explaining the basic principles of storytelling but often becomes repetitive and leans on superficial generalizations. The so-called "scientific" foundation feels underdeveloped, and examples drawn from pop culture sometimes seem outdated and out of place. By the middle of the book, I found myself skipping the main text and relying on the summary tables at the end of each chapter, as they contained all the useful information in a concise format.
In the end, this is more of a book for beginners who are just getting acquainted with the art of storytelling. For more experienced writers, it’s unlikely to offer new insights, but it might still provide that sense of connection.

[Kerry Allen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This little gem on page 24 is a representative sample of the content of this book:

"Here's a disconcerting thought: marketers, politicians, and televangelists know more about story than most writers. That is because, by definition, they start with something writers often never even think about--the point their story will make."

If you're the "most writers" referred to, for whom writing is merely self-indulgent and self-gratifying creative masturbation, you might find something you don't already know in this book.

If you're the apparently rare writer who has heard of obscure literary concepts such as THEME, you're too advanced for this book. If being talked down to as if you're in a remedial fourth-grade ELA class pisses you off, don't even pick this up for laughs.

[Bruce Henricksen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wired for Story claims to apply neuroscience to the teaching of writing. Each chapter begins with a maxim derived form brain science and then explores its significance for the would-be writer. Unfortunately, that significance always turns out to be one of the old, familiar rules that writing teachers beat to death: hook the reader early, eliminate irrelevancies, and even the dusty one about showing not telling.

A much better book is Jonathan Gottschall's The Storytelling Animal. It actually delves into neuroscience in depth as it discusses to ubiquity of story in culture and the individual mind, and he spends some time showing us how the storytelling impulse can lead to moral and intellectual error. It's a much more thoughtful book.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good stuff in this one.

[Jenny Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Patrick (Kunle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Recall what we've said about stories: they are the brain's virtual reality, allowing us to benefit from the experience of hard-pressed protagonists."

I couldn't agree more.

In this book, Lisa Cron masterfully breaks down the elements of narrative fiction. I particularly love how she elaborates on each of these elements by using cases from popular films and novels; in my opinion, the best way to understand something conceptual is to see it in practice.

I'm happy I made the decision to read this.

[Haley Whitehall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book based on the recommendation of a fellow author. He said it was a must read. After finishing it, I believe it is a must read for beginning authors. I have done the writing conferences, online classes, critique groups, and read other books on writing. Wired for Story is different because it does take more of a scientific approach, but I found this approach confusing. I know internal vs. external conflicts, story plot, theme, cause and effect etc. Having these things explained in detail through a scientific writing style did not help me.

If you are a new writer this book explains everything you need to know to write a story that will engage your readers and keep them turning the page. If you are a veteran writer this book could be a good review or it could, as in my case, just make you question your solid basis of knowledge by over-analyzing every detail. After all, it is my belief that some aspect of storytelling involves intuition.

[Christi Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve left pencil tracks in 80% of this book. That's how much I love it, and why this book has earned permanent status on my shelf of books on writing.

Story ideas, when viewed in a general way, are not unique. Nor are they very exciting. But, as Lisa Cron says in her book, story comes alive in the specifics. Throughout Wired for Story, Lisa takes a look at storytelling from the inside out, using research in neuroscience to focus on what makes a story work and to explain why a story works. She gives writers tips, tools, and strategies to take back to their works in progress, to make their characters their own, to add depth to their stories and turn them into ones readers won’t want to put down. Wired for Story is a great resource to keep close at hand while working through that first, second, and tenth draft.

[Brigitte Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

I define my editing skills by before and after I read 'Wired for Story' by Lisa Cron. Discovering why we want story - what lies beneath our fascination, what our brain is subconsciously looking for - my perspective on reading took a 180 degree turn after finishing this book.

'Wired for Story' reveals the psychology and neurology behind the mechanics of fiction, and shows how to harness this knowledge to create compelling writing, from hook to closing sentence. I admit, there were times I felt like I was reading about a fail-safe formula for success every time; and that fiction could end up taking on the sinister ways of advertising if everyone had access to this knowledge. Or worse, that all stories might end up predictable and similar. However, Cron does not go into the psychology of creative language features like metaphor, syntax or voice, so I reminded myself, and thanked my mythical namesake for the infinite pleasure to be had from these, no matter how many times I read an un-put-downable story about a protagonist coming through.

This book has become one of my 'most annotated', and I see that others who have reviewed it elsewhere are never without it as they write. A crutch or an essential tool? You be the judge.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it took me a very long time to read this. I think the bulk of the interesting psychological tips are at the start of the book, the first half. Full of wonderful lines such as: "Before there were books, we read each other." Love that. Cron delves into brain science as it relates to the craft of writing. Those parts are a 5. The rest seems to be filler for me. I began highlighting in the beginning, then stopped. However, still was wroth the read to learn more about the science of storytelling.

[Nafiza · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more cohesive review at a later date and at a different time but while the advice in this book is solid, the kind of books that will be written following said advice will be formulaic. It doesn't take joy in the art of the craft but is slave to the story. While story is indeed important, I would argue that so are the accoutrements of a story.

[Allyson Jamison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely loved all of the writing advice this book had to give and I thought it was really powerful. However, it sadly had some language that highly disappointed and disgusted me. By the end I was just kind of skimming because I was so fed up with it that I couldn't even enjoy the book. I barely finished it. But what I did read was very helpful and insightful.

[Suzanne]

Who am I kidding? I’m not going to finish this.

She lost me in the first chapter when she said prose doesn’t matter – only story. ARRGGGGHHH! Sure, it’s a great song, don’t pay any attention to the fact the orchestra is out of tune, screeching away. A style that sets my teeth on edge is not going to keep me reading, no matter how great the story. Maybe it’s just me, but the sound and rhythms of good writing is what keeps me engaged every bit as much as story. Inferior writing distracts and even repels me.

Lisa Cron has taught writing through the UCLA Extension Program, so clearly she has some credentials, and what do I know? But subsequent chapters weren’t really clicking with me either, so maybe this just isn’t the book for me. There’s an intriguing bibliography though, which I intend to explore more fully at some other time. But Wired for Story wasn’t my cuppa.

[Lisa Reads & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Loved the research and insight.

[Ben Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wired for Story is an excellent book about fiction writing with the wrong title. First, the book is definitely geared towards fiction writing, even though the title makes it sound more general. Some of the advice in this book translates very easily to all writing, but I struggled to convert some of the advice to the non-fiction writing that I was mostly interested in. Secondly, the title makes it sound like the book is primarily about brain science, but in fact, there is almost no brain science at all in the book.

The neuroscience that is presented is general and vague and only loosely connected to the writing advice. Most of the brain science is summarized as "cognitive secrets" that begin each of the chapters. Some of these "cognitive secrets" are dubious given what we know about neuroscience or difficult to understand. They help scaffold the writing tips well, but as a neuroscientist, I was getting really hung up on how the cognitive statements were presented - phrases like, "we think in story," "if we're not feeling [emotion] we're not conscious," "we don't think in the abstract," and "the brain is wired to stubbornly resist change, even good change." There is very little actual support for the neuroscientific or cognitive statements. Mostly there will be a couple of anecdotes or quotes from popular science writers, who are sometimes also scientists. Some of the concepts that are presented as neuroscience are distantly used to support a topic in writing. Here is an example to give you an idea of the flavor, using the neuroscience topic of emergent properties to convince writers that their vision will be evident without them needing to explicitly present their specific ideas about the world: "As neuroscientist David Eagleman says, 'when you put together large numbers of pieces and parts, the whole can become something larger than the sum. The concept of emergent properties means that something new can be introduced that is not inherent in any of the parts.' What emerges is your vision, seen through the eyes of your readers, experienced by your readers."

The only example I remember of an actual study being cited was a 2010 paper that found that different parts of the brain were activated by different elements of story vignettes. These different activated brain areas overlapped with areas that had been shown in other papers to be involved in the actual experience of the activity. So for example, a motor area in the brain may become active when reading about a character executing a motor action. This paper was used to support the assertion that reading simulates real-world activities. To me, this was an interesting fact about how the brain works that wasn't actually needed to support Cron's point, so I wasn't exactly sure why it was there. I found myself wondering what the conclusion would even be if only one area of the brain...say a reading area...was active during the reading in the study. I would have concluded that the apparent simulation of real-world activities that occurs in my mind is supported by this one area instead of the many different areas that it appears to be. It doesn't seem necessary to claim that the brain is simulating real-world activities - especially when that simulation is pretty self-evident to everyone who uses their imagination.

To me, this poor use of neuroscience struck me as a missed opportunity for a really interesting book described by this title. I kept thinking of lots of applications to writing that were probably supported by studies in cognitive neuroscience or cognitive psychology. How many characters can an average person track over some defined period of time? How many levels of intention can an average person track (i.e. who knows what about who knows what about ....etc.)? How long can the average person remember a detail containing important information for predicting something later on? What salient ways can you draw the reader's attention to extra important information? How much suffering can a reader read about before they get emotionally drained themselves?

Once I got over the fact that there wasn't going to be any neuroscience, even though the book was chosen for a neuroscience book club, I found the advice quite helpful. I dabble a bit in fiction writing, and the advice helped clarify a lot why some things work and some things don't in my own writing. It also gave me lots of ideas about how to improve. I see a lot of Goodreads reviews about how a lot of the tips in the book are sort of offensively obvious. Most of the tips do seem obvious after you read them because they are so clearly presented and make so much sense. It leaves you feeling a little bit stupid that you weren't already writing along such obvious principles. But if I'm reflecting honestly, I definitely wasn't using these sorts of "obvious" principles to guide my writing before reading this book.

Overall, I liked the book and thought it was an engaging guidebook for writing good fiction, but I do not think that it applies to all kinds of writing, and I do not agree that it is in any way a "guide to using brain science" to do anything.

[Rachel (Into a Story) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best writing advice books I’ve ever read. I want to buy a copy so I can highlight it and take notes.

I didn’t really enjoy the humor though, and found a lot of the examples cliche and sexist.

But the information was invaluable and I highly recommend this to any type of storyteller.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any writer. I don't think I've ever highlighted so many things from a book before.

[Mary-ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me so much to think about.

It's an interesting read that explains how and why our brains are 'Wired for Story'. It offers writers insights, based on how our brains work, into various elements of story and key things to think about to make their stories work better.

The vast majority of the content felt intuitively right. The chapter summaries are great and I'll probably reread these down the track as there's some useful ideas to consider through the editing process.

I can see why this is used in university writing courses. I'm looking forward to reading Cron's other books on writing.

[Kieran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had originally given this book a 1/5. After much thought and debate, I realize that this book simply was just not for me. However, that being said, just because it is not for me doesn't mean that it is not worth reading. While attending a book club last night concerning the book itself many opinions were brought out including my own fairly negative experience. What came out of the book club meeting was a better understanding that while I think of myself as a confident writer, others do not. Others who feel as if they could improve upon their own writing may find this book incredibly useful. While I find that the chapter structure could do without the 'key question' component in the back, others may find that a handy tool to allude to rather than reading an entire chapter. While I found that it remarked upon more film that literary references, some say I was incorrect which is fine. For me, I wholeheartedly wish that I took the frame of mind of the group member that was hosting last night. I wish while reading it I used it as a tool to think critically about others writing rather than a textbook in how to improve my own. While this book was definitely not for me, I do acknowledge that I am simply one person and think others would find it more useful.

[Blak Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I subscribe to several blogs that post informative material for authors, and when one in particular recommended 'Wired For Story' by Lisa Cron, I thought I'd give it a shot. Aside from fiction, I do read educational books as well as view tutorials, and I always gravitate toward anything to do with writing and publishing. In the case of 'Wired For Story', I have to say it wasn't my favourite read, but it certainly wasn't the worst.

The book was helpful to an extent then it transitioned rapidly into a reiteration of information that most writers are already well aware. I read the first seven and half chapters quite quickly, holding on to every page in the hopes an amazing secret would be told, but to my disappointment, nothing happened, nothing new, that is. Generally speaking, the book is well written, but also over descriptive, losing its appeal to monotony by the end. In truth, I'm not sure how to classify 'Wired For Story', whether I found Ms. Cron's information valuable or redundant. But, I am of the mindset that I will read just about anything because the more I read, the more knowledge I accumulate, and the more knowledge...well, you get the idea.

[Vaughn Roycroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only did this book change my perception of "story", it completely transformed my approach to writing. I used to say that if a new writer asked me what they could do before they began, my response would be to simply start. Now I would tell them: "Take a day or two studying Wired for Story. Then just start." It's one of a handful of writing books that I keep handy on my writing desk and refer to often. A must for any fiction writer's tool kit.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023 reads, #42. Digested as a synopsis through the summarizing service Blinkist. A kind of cartoonishly simplistic advice guide for writing novels (did you know that your readers will identity more with your hero if they can get a sense of what's going on inside your hero's head?), whose entire marketing gimmick is that author Lisa Cron occasionally throws in, "And this has been proven by science!" Neither a satisfying writing guide nor a satisfying look at the human brain.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel ripped off. The book doesn't explain the neuroscience or psycholinguistics of reading and writing a story.
Instead, it provides advise for fiction writers, like any other how-to-write-fiction book, with here and there a quote from a popular neuroscientist taken out of its context.

[Graeme Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I must admit that it was not what I expected. My expectation was that this was a book on the brain and how story fits into it. Actually, there was very little brain discussion in this book at all. The brain discussion that was in it was rather cursory. The title was rather misleading.

This was however, a very good book on how to write a novel. The author goes deep into specific tactics for character development, plot, foreshadowing, and all the things a writer needs to know in order to effectively create a compelling story.

For a book dedicated to stories, it actually had very few stories and it. Most of it was narrative explaining techniques and best practices.

I enjoyed the book, but definitely not what I expected.

[Holly Walrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has really made me rethink how I approach my writing. It uses helpful tips from Brain Science to get you thinking about how readers read. I wish more writers read this book before writing! It really simplifies the simple elements of story and why we find reading so enjoyable.