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

This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers' brains and captivate them through each plot element. As a recent brain-imaging study revealed, the regions of the brain that process real-life sights and sounds are activated when we are engrossed in a compelling narrative-and having our curiosity piqued about a plot point releases a dopamine boost. So how can writers take advantage of the brain's hard-wired responses to weave reader-addicting tales? Enter Lisa Cron, seasoned producer, writing instructor, and plot consultant, whose groundbreaking guide reveals the 12 cognitive secrets that writers can use to start making a point on page one, help their readers experience things through the protagonist's eyes, and move enticingly from setup to payoff-grabbing the reader's attention from the inside out.

Lisa Cron is an instructor at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. She has worked in publishing at W. W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow. She lives in Santa Monica, California. Visit wiredforstory.com.