Lisa Cron

There's a lot to like about this book, and it will be very helpful to those who need an imposed structure. But I think her structure is too prescriptive for me. In addition, it felt like there was a LOT of padding. I found myself skimming the parts that didn't relate directly to her methodology. This book could have been half as long, and thus twice as helpful. I'm keeping it (for now) because I do feel like there was a lot of good content, but I don't know that I would re-read it again from show more start to finish. show less

A better title for this book: "The Successful Author's Bible."

Sage advice and much more than short term inspiration fix. Rather than another book on writing mechanics, you get the "real secrets" to hooking your readers and keeping them hooked. Lisa Cron shows you how to blueprint your book, keeping the data organized and cohesive as you build. This gave me the framework I desperately needed to funnel my creativity and keep sudden flashes of inspiration from taking a rabbit trail. You get a show more step by step process and can write your story as you read. I did this for a while, but I digested her process and her points better when I kept reading. I now reference it as I continue building my story.

If MLM publishes a blockbuster in 3-ish years, I'll come back with proof. :-) show less

Cron would like you believe she’s found a way of cutting to the most essential aspect of storytelling. The thesis is that the protagonist’s internal struggle with a problem is all. This leads her to admire the 50 shades of grey because it sold well despite being forgettable garbage. Therefore Cron makes no effort to write well. This is a bloated mess weighed down by her annoying asides and flat jokes. The actual content would be 15-20 pages (tops) if this was edited to help the reader. I show more think this person is really doing a disservice to share such flatulence with aspiring writers. show less

Wow! This is the book I have spent years searching for. This is the first book I have read that explains the process of storytelling. Lisa Cron has cracked the storytelling code and reveals its secrets.

Our brains actually are wired for story. Stories help us identify and remember what is most important, connect events, experiment safely, anticipate consequences, teach, play, and learn. A good story draws us in so completely that we become lost in the story and unable to know why it works. As show more a result we quickly dismiss a boring or disorganized story, yet the explicit understanding of how to go about crafting a good story remains elusive.

So many disappointing books on storytelling describe stories without providing the instructional insight needed to understand what makes them tick. It’s like trying to learn algebra by pouring over an endless collection of calculations, without even knowing which ones are correct and which ones are not. This book closes that gap—it actually clearly identifies and teaches the mechanisms of great storytelling.

In each of a dozen enlightening and well-written chapters the author presents a finding from cognitive science, translates it into practical advice for storytelling, expands on those ideas, helps us understand what works and why, provides clear examples, corrects some myths, and ends with a practical check list.

This book was a joy to read, and light bulbs were lighting up on every page. This book may just unveil the secret to crossing the chasm that separates tedious writing from good storytelling. show less