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

Wired for Story may just be the very book that has convinced me that I now know enough to complete my long-awaited first book of fiction. But let me complete that manuscript first before we get all giddy and excited.

It took me about 4 months to read through Wired for Story. Less because it was in any way difficult and more because I was simultaneously adjusting to new living conditions. In other words, I was too busy living life to read the book. But when I finally sat down to give it my full attention, it felt like I was reading a cheat book with all the secrets to make my currently incomplete manuscript a smashing hit.

With each sentence, I became more convinced that this knowledge might be exactly what I need to make progress on my stalled manuscript, and more importantly, to approach story writing as a whole. As the chapters stacked up, I made a vow to return to their pages once I complete my manuscript. I became increasingly excited about my story, evaluating the suggested approaches against the story I already had and making mental notes about fixes I might want to apply.

The truth is, I haven't been able to progress on my story because I felt I lacked what I needed to complete it. I can't be certain that the knowledge enshrined in this book is it, but right now it certainly feels that way. More than anything though, I am happy because it has made me more capable of analysing my story and more motivated to finish it up.

For anyone who is writing, or has written a story, I recommend putting the story through its paces by testing it against the questions posed in this book. I can guarantee that it will be worth the exercise. It sure has been for me, and will be even more useful when I come back to it with my finished manuscript.

So What is the Book Really About?

Honestly in my excitement, I was going to end this blog post at the last sentence - forgetting to even talk about the contents of the book itself. Wired for Story tackles chapter by chapter, the techniques writers can use to make their stories more irresistable.

The book revolves around a single fact -  that human beings have evolved to be intrinsically susceptible to the elements of story. It is not just that we like stories no. It is that biologically we are actually wired to process stories in ways that trigger biological responses which in turn drive us further into the story world. So if a book is written to harness these story elements, we can more or less guarantee a great read.

Everything from how to "hook" the reader to developing the protagonist's internal and external conflicts and even considering what role your brain (as the writer) has to play in your story is covered in the book. Each chapter begins with a "cognitive secret" and its corresponding "story secret." In other words a secret about how we think, followed by one about how this applies to stories. Along the way, it also busts popular myths like "Beautiful writing trumps all" and gives us the real truth, which in this case is "Storytelling trumps Beautiful writing every time."

At the end of each chapter, readers are also given some checkpoints to test if their story is benefitting from the tips given in the chapter. More than anything, I think that these checkpoints make it easy to evaluate a manuscript - and are one of the core reasons I want to come back to this book after I finish my manuscript.

So that's what the book is about, how it is organized, and why I want to come back to it - in addition to the rave review I gave at the start of this blog post. Interestingly enough, I only rated it a 4/5 in my Goodreads library and I'm not quite sure why yet. Maybe because I haven't yet applied the advice? Something sha doesn't make me comfortable with a full 5-star rating. But if you read it and feel differently, please rate it accordingly.

If you've written an unpublished book or are in the middle of writing one, this is definitely a book for you. Give it a whirl and see if it doesn't excite you.