Story Genius by Lisa Cron

Book Description

It’s every novelist’s greatest fear: pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into writing hundreds of pages only to realize that their story has no sense of urgency, no internal logic, and so is a complete rewrite. In Story Genius, Cron takes you, step by step, through the creation of a novel from the first glimmer of an idea, to a complete, multilayered blueprint based on the science behind what our brains are wired to crave in every story we read.

Review

Several years ago, after devouring Lisa Cron’s book Wired for Story, I purchased and read Story Genius.

I mean, why not, right? The science behind Wired for Story had set my brain ablaze in explaining why story matters. Better yet, Story Genius promised to show me how to write the types of stories described in Wired for Story. And who doesn’t want to craft a story guaranteed to hook their readers?

However, when I read the book, instead of getting fired up, I got overwhelmed.

But why when Story Genius delivers exactly what it promised? It is indeed a step-by-step explanation of Cron’s process for crafting a riveting novel.

Here’s the thing. At the time I read it, the techniques described in Story Genius were too advanced for me.

I don’t tell you this to shame myself or where I was in my writing journey. Instead, I’m sharing my experience because you too may have read it and had a similar reaction.

We Learn and Grow

Fast forward a few years. To date, I’ve finished writing four novels and am currently drafting my fifth.

Recently, I reread Wired for Story and got excited about the possibilities of brain science again. I still haven’t followed Cron’s process… but I want to. And so, (that’s a nod to a step in the Story Genius process) I took a deep breath and dove back into the book.

And you know what? This time, I’m less overwhelmed.

Now don’t get me wrong, the prospect of developing a story using Cron’s method still intimidates me.

But, this time, I have a better sense of why. I know taking a dive deep into each character’s backstory will require some serious work. However, I now have a better understanding of character motivations. Of their internal wounds. And what it really means when we say a story is character driven.

After I finish Ink and Waves, I want to work on an entirely different type of story. It is a contemporary fantasy about a woman who finds herself in a heap of trouble after accidentally discovering something about herself.

This isn’t an action book, and there is no big bad guy. So to pull it off, I’ll have to dig deep into what makes this character tick.  It seems like the perfect opportunity to try out Cron’s Story Genius process.

Even if you’ve already read Story Genius, I encourage you to revisit the book. If you’re a newer writer, don’t worry if her advice feels like too much.

But if you’ve got a few books under your belt and you haven’t read it, buckle up because the ideas behind Story Genius will take you on a ride.

Content Warning

The example story contains moderate descriptions of Animal Cruelty, Death, and Grief

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash