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Five essential writing tips backed by science
Will Storr has written a masterful guide to writing with "The Science of Storytelling."
24 February, 2020
Photo by Steve Johnson / Unsplash
- In "The Science of Storytelling," journalist Will Storr investigates the science behind great storytelling.
- While good plots are important, Storr writes that great stories revolve around complex characters.
- As in life, readers are drawn to flawed characters, yet many writers become too attached to their protagonists.
<p>We are all hallucinating. No one dropped LSD into the water supply—they didn't have to. "Reality," an ambiguous term coined to denote a common set of shared facts, is a construction we've created in an attempt to comfort us that a master plan exists. It does not. </p><p>In his latest book, "The Science of Storytelling," journalist and novelist Will Storr opens with a simple yet disconcerting message: "Humans might be in unique possession of the knowledge that our existence is essentially meaningless, but we carry on as if in ignorance of it." </p><p>This is why we're all hallucinating. We're not living reality as much as constructing one based on personal history and environment. Over 7 billion human animals walking around, telling ourselves stories about ourselves, using them as emotional shields to guard against the ravages of an indifferent universe. </p><p>That's how powerful stories are. </p><p>Pouring over his notes from years of teaching creative writing, as well as research from his previous works (including "The Unpersuadables" about science deniers, and "Selfie" about our <a href="https://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/how-our-obsession-with-self-esteem-created-the-selfie-generation" target="_self">obsession with ourselves</a>), Storr has written a masterful guide to storytelling. Compact and illuminating, the book combines the last century of neuroscience with 4,000 years of written storytelling to pinpoint what makes stories effective, and what does not. </p><p>Becoming better at writing stories "is simply a matter of peering inwards, at the mind itself, and asking how it does it." At its best, a story mirrors the complexity of the human condition without the fear of danger that occurs in real life. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"It's a rollercoaster, but not one made from ramps, rails and steel wheels, but from love, hope, dread, curiosity, status play, constriction, release, unexpected change and moral outrage. Story is a thrill-ride of control." </p><p>There is also, it should be noted, the development of empathy. Storr notes that the invention of the novel may have helped kick off the idea of human rights. Understanding the plight and experiences of others would have been impossible on any meaningful scale before this format was introduced. With the novel, other worlds were exposed. Even in our visual realm of tweet-sized stories, such an ability to communicate across borders still matters. </p><p>While no summation can perfectly capture the totality of this exceptional book, below are five techniques for becoming a better storyteller. As with any good read, Storr takes the advice he's spent years studying and teaching. He's an excellent writer. Reading "The Science of Storytelling" is in itself a pleasure.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3efe53ec301645adb77ce16caf751c5a"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P2CVIGuRg4E?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><h2>Change Matters</h2><p>As neuroscientist Rodolfo Llinás <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/i-vortex" target="_blank">points out</a>, all life is based on prediction. Even unicellular organisms detect changes in the environment and either embrace them (food; sex) or flee (predators). Humans are no different. We depend on and react to environmental changes all the time: the deer bounding across the street breaking up the monotony of a long drive; the distracted ambivalence of a scorned lover; the anxiety-creating noise of your phone's alerts. We are primed for change. </p><p>Good stories require that a character changes. The best require that the protagonist faces an ultimate challenge, forcing them to confront life-altering change. As mentioned, we are all hallucinating reality all the time, so what happens when the illusion is exposed? Are we willing to explore our trauma and heal the scar tissue, or will we allow that pain to fester until death? Characters must be offered an opportunity for change or else the story never gets off the ground. </p><h2>Cause and Effect</h2><p>When a story is incomplete, <a href="http://jonathangottschall.com/storytelling-animal" target="_blank">writes</a> literary scholar Jonathan Gottschall, our brain automatically fills in the gaps. This is part of the hallucination: we need everything to <em>mean</em> something. Religion is based on this neurological quirk: there <em>must</em> be a reason we're here. So too is our view on medicine and healing: for some, vaccines <em>must</em> cause autism because teasing apart the myriad other causes, from diet and genetics to environmental changes and toxic social structures, is too overwhelming to consider. We demand meaning, yet our brains are lazy, which is why we tend to believe the simplest explanations. </p><p>Storr writes that plots "that play too loose with cause and effect risk becoming confusing, because they're not speaking in the brain's language." Good stories are filled with cause and effect. As a writer, show the cause, don't tell it. If you refuse the reader will grow uninterested. </p><p>While this is a debate I'll likely have with fans until the end of time, season four of "Lost" lost me. There were way too many variables introduced that were dropped in the last two seasons. Too many effects, not enough causes. </p><h2>Expose the Flaws</h2><p>We are all flawed. You, me, Will Storr, every religious figure ever. Storr cites Joseph Campbell throughout his book, yet he doesn't include <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/23332/the-power-of-myth-by-joseph-campbell-with-bill-moyers/" target="_blank">one of my favorites</a>: "It is the imperfections of life that are lovable…it's Christ on the cross that becomes lovable." It's not the Son of God but the infallible man that makes him meaningful to followers. </p><p>Just as we crave meaning, we like to believe we're in control. Flaws often derive from the fact that control is also an illusion. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We're all fictional characters. We're the partial, biased, stubborn creations of our own minds."</p><p>A character's "terrible power" comes from their belief that they're right; in that rightness they feel superior to others. All stories are ultimately about character. Plots are important but without convincing characters, they fall flat. The key to creating memorable characters is by exposing their flaws.</p>
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Will Storr, author of 'The Heretics', appears at a photocall prior to an event at the 30th Edinburgh International Book Festival, on August 13, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Photo by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Getty Images
<h2>The Many Us</h2><p>Many writers fail because they become too emotionally invested in their protagonist, which is often constructed from pieces of the writer. Another way to phrase it: the writer must be willing to expose their own flaws. </p><p>The Buddhist concept of no-self derives from the idea that none of us are ever one single thing. We're influenced by the environment we're in and the people we're around and the amount of caffeine we drink. We have much less willpower at night than in the morning. Our goals and desires shift by the hour. We are many people throughout the day. </p><p>"The difference," Storr writes, "is that in life, unlike in story, the dramatic question of who we are never has a final and truly satisfying answer." Humans are complex animals. We love stories that make us the hero. To be heroic requires recognizing the many conflicting desires and thoughts that make us what we are.</p><h2>The Hero's Journey</h2><p>Which is really what all of this is about: championing the hero. "Stories are tribal propaganda," Storr concludes. The modern storyteller is working with a different landscape than those past. "A unique quality of humans is that we've evolved the ability to <em>think</em> our way into many tribes simultaneously." We're no longer bound by the traditional tribal structure that dominated for hundreds of thousands of years, nor the caste system that commenced with the development of Harappan civilization. Today's hero transcends prior boundaries. </p><p>Though we cannot write off tribalism completely. We're still biologically Stone Age. Just because we have an opportunity to grow does not mean everyone chooses to. "A tribal challenge is existentially disturbing." </p><p>We all believe in stories, and all stories are inventions. If we lose our own hero narrative, depression and anxiety are certain to follow, so invested in our stories have we become. The best storytellers carry their hero through to the end. Their flaws result in transformation. It's what we all crave in a story because it's what we all desire, regardless of how illusive notions of control and closure actually are. </p><p>For the time being, while we're here, we're storytelling animals. Will Storr has contributed a wonderful guide of how to master the craft of invention. To pull a random quote from the formative years of my childhood, as Axl Rose sang, use your illusion. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. His next book is "</em><em>Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."</em></p>
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Salman Rushie: ‘Write for readers, not for critics’
"You get to this age, you realize that there are people who will not like what you do no matter what you do," says Booker Prize-winner Salman Rushdie.
15 December, 2019
- Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie recounts his evolution as a writer who has grown more aware of the reader and less aware of the critic.
- Literary reviews, famously the Times Literary Supplement, were once anonymous—and brutal. Once the Times started publishing bylines with reviews, critics suddenly got much nicer.
- Anonymity, especially online, is a double-edged sword. In authoritarian societies, it gives people great freedom. However anonymity is also the reason people say things online they would never say if they were in a room with you. That may be a degrading force in a highly digital society.
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'Read 2,000 books': Werner Herzog's advice on reading.
The famed German filmmaker offers his thoughts on reading during Eric Weinstein's podcast.
07 August, 2019
Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage
- During Eric Weinstein's podcast, The Portal, Werner Herzog said that reading is essential for any creative endeavor.
- In the past, Herzog has stated that you can't be a filmmaker without a regular reading habit.
- Herzog's reading list includes classics by Virgil and J.A. Baker, and even the report on JFK's assassination.
<p>During the latest episode of <a href="https://bigthink.com/u/eric-weinstein" target="_self">Eric Weinstein</a>'s podcast, The Portal, an audience member asks German filmmaker Werner Herzog to recommend one or two books that this generation needs to read. His response is brilliant:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I would not want to give you two books because you would sit down and read them and think that you've done it. You should not read two books, but 2,000 books." </p><p>This isn't the first time that Herzog has offered such advice. An outspoken advocate for reading, in 2014 he really <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNAcQO2ZQBA&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" class="hoverZoomLink">drove the point home</a>: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read. If you don't read, you will never be a filmmaker." </p><p>It's not that Herzog doesn't prefer certain books over others. In fact, he created a <a href="http://www.roguefilmschool.com/about.asp" target="_blank">reading list</a> containing six books — three required, three suggested — for his film school. During his chat with Weinstein, he offered two of these classics, along with sagely advice to "read the Russians; read the Germans."</p><p>After mentioning two of those six titles during The Portal, Herzog makes it clear that they alone will not transform the reader. It's not what you read but reading itself that truly matters. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Don't believe this would make you into a different person. It's the permanence of reading, the insistence of reading." </p><p>Below are Herzog's six books from his film school. </p>
Werner Herzog on "The Portal", Episode #003: "The Outlaw as Revelator"
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How to use a thesaurus to actually improve your writing
Looking up big, fancy words won't make your writing better. But a thesaurus can help – if you use it like this.
08 February, 2019
- Using a thesaurus to find larger or more impressive words is misguided, says Martin Amis. Instead, use a thesaurus to find words with the perfect rhythm for your sentence.
- For example, the Nabokov novel "Invitation to a Beheading" was originally called – not for very long – "Invitation to an Execution". Nabokov nixed the repetitive suffix.
- A dictionary is also a writer's best friend; looking up words has a rejuvenating effect on your mind, says Amis. "When you look up a word in the dictionary you own it in a way you didn't before. You know what it comes from and you know its exact meaning."
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Margaret Atwood is writing a sequel to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
The renowned author plans to publish a follow-up to the 1985 bestseller in September 2019.
28 November, 2018
HULU
- The sequel will take place 15 years after the end of the first book.
- The Handmaid's Tale has sold more than 8 million copies in English since it was first published in 1985.
- Atwood said she was inspired to write a follow-up, in part, by the "world we've been living in."
<p>Margaret Atwood is writing a sequel to her novel <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em>.</p><p>The sequel, titled <em>The Testaments</em>, is set to be released in September 2019, and it'll be narrated by three female characters living 15 years after the final scene of the first book. </p><p><em>The Handmaid's Tale</em> takes place in the fictional Republic of Gilead, a dystopian society in a near-future New England where women are subjugated under patriarchal, theonomical law. The novel was mostly well received by critics when it was published in 1985, drawing comparisons to George Orwell's <em>Nineteen Eighty-Four</em> and Aldous Huxley's <em>Brave New World</em>, and earning Atwood the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_General%27s_Award" target="_blank">Governor General's Award</a> and the first <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke_Award" target="_blank">Arthur C. Clarke Award</a>. It's sold more than 8 million copies in English to date, according to Penguin Random House.</p><p>In 2017, Hulu converted Atwood's landmark story into a TV series that won eight Emmys. The show's first season was based on <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em>, while the action in the second season went beyond the first book. The action in Atwood's sequel won't overlap with the upcoming third season of the TV series.</p>
<div id="44fd7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SBMNL91568274697"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1067778206642683906" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Yes indeed to those who asked: I’m writing a sequel to The #HandmaidsTale. #TheTestaments is set 15 years after Off… https://t.co/phj9RxpX1v</div> — Margaret E. Atwood (@Margaret E. Atwood)<a href="https://twitter.com/MargaretAtwood/statuses/1067778206642683906">1543413137.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Atwood said in a statement that she was inspired to write a sequel from all the questions fans have asked her about the inner workings of Gilead. "The other inspiration is the world we've been living in," Atwood wrote on Twitter.</p><p>Atwood has spoken to Big Think multiple times about her creative process, Twitter and how literature can inspire empathy. Check out our most recent interview with Atwood below.</p>
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