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The Science of Storytelling

Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better

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The Science of Storytelling

By: Will Storr
Narrated by: Will Storr
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About this listen

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book’ Sunday Times

The best book on the craft of storytelling I’ve ever read’ Matt Haig

‘Rarely has a book engrossed me more, and forced me to question everything I’ve ever read, seen or written. A masterpiece’ Adam Rutherford

Why stories make us human and how to tell them better.

There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story – but few have used a scientific approach.

In this incisive, thought-provoking book, award-winning writer Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us.

Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories – and make sense of our chaotic modern world.

INCLUDES NEW MATERIAL.

©2019 Will Storr (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Science Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Thought-Provoking Storytelling Human Brain
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Critic reviews

"One of my absolute favourite writers." (Decca Aitkenhead)

"There’s nothing else quite like Will’s approach, with its illuminating, scientific take on storytelling. All writers, no matter what their level of experience, are likely to go away with a new understanding that will deepen and nourish their work." (Craig Pearce, screenwriter of Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby)

"Storr is irascibly good company, and has something approaching genius for marshalling his material." (Sunday Times)

What listeners say about The Science of Storytelling

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  • Overall
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    3 out of 5 stars

Opening your mind to the basics of storytelling

Overall a good book to understand the basics of a great storytelling. The introduction is well structured and easy to follow. As the book progresses in the chapters, it became quite disjointed. I will listen to it again.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very insightful

Well thought out, brilliantly researched. This book is an excellent follow up to Will Store's previous book 'selfie'. Human nature explored through the stories we tell. Fascinating stuff.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

own dog food he did not eat!

As the book was about driving narratives it is odd that he didn't write it as a kind of story. There is some good stuff but I struggled to pay attention. The narration is too forced. Shame because I have enjoyed Storr's other work.

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18 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Storr is a genius

This is a brilliant book not only for writers but for anyone who wants a fascinating answer to the question 'what is it to be human?' I have read it several times now and learned more each time. It is beautifully written and beautifully narrated by the author. It is one of my favourite books and definitely in my audible library.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is a must-read if you got a story to tell...

I'm always right (well, most of the time :-) ) and my brother is usually wrong... sounds familiar?! Well, after reading this book I understand why! A must-read for aspiring story tellers, screenwriters, and for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of human psychology associated with the story telling. I write for a YouTube channel and this book gave me a fresh perspective on how to approach my scripts. And Yes, I'll buy this book for my brother as well!

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Fascinating and insightful

I was working on a storytelling speech project for my Toastmasters club and thought this might make good research material. Really, I think it is much more about writing stories and understanding story structure and value, so it wasn't especially helpful to my project but it was profoundly interesting and insightful.
I haven't come across Will Storr before but I will definitely be checking out some of his other books now and also adding this to my re-listen list. Even if you're not a writer, we build our world and concepts of reality on stories and understanding that more is incredibly valuable.
One of my biggest passions is understanding why we are who we are and why we do what we do and to that end, this book delivered more than I had expected. Highly recommended and definitely essential reading to professional writers who want to be successful.

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15 people found this helpful

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Recommended

Easy read with deep ideas.
With very organised chapter structure.
Lovely narration by the author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Probably a great book, but recording skips

Despite being fully downloaded, and progressing apparently at normal speed second by second, the recording skips words, and is impossible to listen to. Don’t buy until Audible have fixed this.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty good book.

Decent presenting of many of the building blocks of story, narrative and dramatic journeys. Though was not quite as narratively spellbinding as I was hoping, especially considering the topic.

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incredibly useful

as a performer and writer, I found this book fascinating and incredibility helpful. I'll certainly be using this structure and wisdom in my work from here on.

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3 people found this helpful