I enjoyed how the author paired the writting with neuroscience and psychology. If we want our stories to be reach minds and hearts these sciences are of great help. “Story is what brain does. It is a ‘story processor’, “ writes the psychologist Professor Jonathan Haidt, ‘not a logic processor’. “The storytellers and the scientists had started off in completely different places and had ended up discovering the same things.” The author’s hope is that his research “is of interest to anyone curious about the science of the human condition, even if they have little practical interest in storytelling. But it’s also for the storytellers. The challenge any of us faces is that of grabbing and keeping the attention of other people’s brains.”

If you recognise this as your need, then the book is a fantastic resource or even guide to working on your story. Creating a World (chapter 1) to The Flawed Self (chapter 2), The Dramatic Question (chapter 3), Plots, Endings and Meaning (chapter 4), and the technique of the Sacred Flaw Approach are inestimable for crafting stories.

And it is useful to humbly remember that “We’re all fictional characters. We’re the partial, biased, stubborn creations of our own minds. To help us feel in control of the outside world, our brains lull us into believing things that aren’t true. Among the most powerful of these beliefs are the ones that serve to bolster our sense of our moral superiority. Our brains are hero-makers that emit seductive lies. They want to make us feel like the plucky, brave protagonist in the story of our own lives.”

One more aspect which made me appreciate the book was that I found many intriguing recommendations for books to read. I also rejoiced when I found referrenced books I already read. Pat on the shoulder.