My books have sold over 250,000 copies and have been translated into 11 languages.
But every writer knows the feeling — the work goes out into the world, and then . . . crickets. Is it landing? Is it helping? Maybe. Maybe not. That's why emails like this mean everything to me:
"I read books on characters, dialogue, and scene structure and poured what I learned into that same scene, rewriting it over and over again. But instead of getting better, it felt like I was only getting worse.
Enter your books!
I feel seen and lifted — the story is what matters! Now I have the tools to not get bogged down by the classic 'do you use dialogue tags?' debate, but rather to focus on what is important in delivering a killer story.
I am so grateful you have dedicated so much time, energy, and brainpower to helping writers find their way. Thank you for being a light."
— Kim Jacobson
Yes, I’m blushing.
Wired for Story
The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence
If I ask you to think about something, you can decide not to. But if I make you feel something? Now I have your attention.” — Wired for Story
Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets--and it's a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper.
The vast majority of writing advice focuses on "writing well" as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail--they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain's hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won't hold anyone's interest.
Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.
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“For me, no one — not Syd Field, not Save the Cat, not Truby or Aristotle — has put into words as brilliantly as you have the things that make stories work, and the pitfalls that are so common.”
— Meredith Kadlec
"I can't fully express what a game changer Wired for Story has been. It has illuminated a dark, underdeveloped corner of my creative mind.”
— David Rajter
Praise for Wired for Story
“As both a publishing veteran and a TV pro, Lisa Cron knows storytelling. In Wired for Story she shares her fascinating psychological approaches to the craft. Her fresh way of looking at the core essentials of writing has our neurons firing.”
— Writer’s Digest
“... how can you craft a story compelling enough to keep readers turning the pages deep into the night? The answer lies in a new book linking writing to neuroscience, Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science.”
— Arnie Cooper, Poets & Writers
"I am reading Wired for Story and cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to jump up on my chair and shout, 'Yes! Exactly! This is what I have been saying!' For me, no one — not Syd Field, not Save the Cat, not Truby or Aristotle — has put into words as brilliantly as you have the things that make stories work, and the pitfalls that are so common. You are speaking so many vital truths in this book. I have no doubt it will be the one I pull off the shelf most often."
— Meredith Kadlec
"I can't fully express what a game changer Wired for Story has been. It has illuminated a dark, underdeveloped corner of my creative mind. Your writing style is clear and you do a great job emphasizing the most vital takeaways. Citing brain science to back up your insights is so much more persuasive than 'do as I say because I'm a story guru.'"
— David Rajter
"I recently read each of your books, got them from my local library. I ended up buying them all. The breakthroughs I've had with each have been astounding. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. It's invaluable."
— Ross Bishoff
"When I found Wired for Story, I had already read several books on how to write novels and the craft of fiction, but your book was like a revelation to me. It has done wonders for my writing, and is a gem of a book — one of those books where it feels like the author is talking directly to me. Wired for Story is a beacon."
— Chad Smith
Story Genius
How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel
“We don't turn to story to escape reality. We turn to story to navigate reality.” — Story Genius
It’s every writer’s greatest fear—pouring blood, sweat, and tears into writing hundreds of pages only to realize the story has no sense of urgency and no internal logic, so it’s a complete do-over.
The prevailing wisdom in the writing community is that there are just two ways around this problem: pantsing (winging it) and plotting (focusing on the external plot). Story coach Lisa Cron has spent decades discovering why these methods rarely work and coming up with a powerful alternative, based on the science of what our brains are wired to crave in every story we read (and it’s not what you think).
In this revolutionary guide, Cron helps you crack the story code and create a novel, screenplay, or memoir that will keep readers riveted. Using one novelist’s evolving story as an example throughout, Story Genius takes you step-by-step from the first glimmer of an idea to an expansive, multilayered cause-and-effect blueprint—including fully realized scenes. By plumbing the nitty-gritty details of your raw idea to organically generate your story’s internal logic, meaning, and urgency, you’ll end up with a first draft that has the authority, richness, and command of a sixth or seventh.
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"Thank you so much for this awesome guide! I am diving into writing my first book, and Story Genius has beaten out the other 'how-to' guides I've tried. Hands-down, not even close!"
— Lee Smit
“You have unlocked the mystery of story for me in a way no other craft book ever has. Your book has been fun to read, insightful to the nth degree, and I love the way I feel like I know where I'm going without it being formulaic.”
— Amy Collini
Praise for Story Genius
“Using brain science, Cron busts the myths of good writing to help you find the real story behind all that plot and metaphor.”
—The Writer
“The concepts are easy to understand and they are certainly important. Even if you can’t go on a retreat, you should try to find time to do the exercises for your own blueprint.”
—Psychology Today
“Cron, author of Wired for Story, proposes this new book as the answer to the question, What’s the biggest mistake writers make? She uses psychology and other sciences to explain what makes an utterly compelling story and how to write one. . . . Novice writers looking for a step-by-step guide to how to build—or fix—their novel might find a lot of useful information in here.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Lost in the quagmire of trying to write a novel? Well, forget everything you've ever been told about story, because chances are, it's totally wrong. So where to turn? Story guru Cron not only gives you the skinny on why and how stories work (and why and how we respond to them), she also shows you how to craft a novel step by step, working with author Jenny Nash from the germ of an idea to a living, breathing story. I'd never consider writing a novel without Lisa's input, and neither should you.”
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You
"I just wanted to write and say thank you. For years I have wanted to write and always had 'something' holding me back. Story Genius has really helped me to find out what that was. I haven't even finished the book yet, but it's like the something inside that was blocking the way has been broken. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
— Whit Davis
"Story Genius changed the way that I write. That book was like getting the keys to the writing kingdom!"
— Kate Rameriz
"I came across Story Genius when I was revising and had gotten stuck. Your book unstuck me and pushed me to rewrite instead of revise — I am now nearing the end of a much better draft with more cohesive internal and external logic. I actually know where I'm going with it. Which is HUGE."
— Judith Jaeger
"Thank you so much for this awesome guide! I am diving into writing my first book, and Story Genius has beaten out the other 'how-to' guides I've tried. Hands-down, not even close!"
— Lee Smit
"By the time I began reading Story Genius, I had about 90K of a first draft of my second novel. I stopped writing immediately and began rewriting it — the flaws in what I was doing were already so obvious. This new process feels both foreign and totally natural. Maybe I should say, it feels RIGHT even as it feels awkward. You have unlocked the mystery of story for me in a way no other craft book ever has. Your book has been fun to read, insightful to the nth degree, and I love the way I feel like I know where I'm going without it being formulaic. There's still room for creative developments and mystery even as I organize my structure. Amazing."
— Amy Collini
"I went through years and years of writing novels. I even got two agents, but my books died on submission. After years of trying and failing to get published, I was at my lowest point — and then I came across Story Genius. It completely changed everything for me. I was blown away by just the first page alone.
Instead of giving up as I was tempted to do, I put your principles into practice. I wrote a new novel, The Husband Whisperer, got a brilliant new agent, and last month my dream of many decades came true — I got an Irish/US deal with Bonnier Press, and then the US rights were bought by HarperCollins in an auction.
I can trace all my success back to that pivotal day when I had a choice: quit writing or get better. Thank goodness I decided to try and improve, because it led me to Story Genius. I will continue recommending it to everyone who will listen."
— Caroline Madden, The Husband Whisperer, HarperCollins
"I own both Story Genius and Wired for Story. What caught my attention — and set them apart from other great books on writing — was your use of brain science to hook readers. My copies of your books are filled with tabs and highlighting. They are brilliant!"
— Bonnie Alston
Story or Die
How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life
“You may think that the only people who need to read this book, and therefore this review, are writers, but you would be wrong. For, as my father (and many others before him and since) said, “clear writing is just clear thinking” and Lisa Cron’s Story or Die is really a book about thinking – how we do it, how we think we do it, how we don’t do it, and how you can be efficient when you are trying to get people to think about a thing you want them to think about (you know, like in advertising. Or life).”
– Martin Bihl – the Agency Review
“Throw facts at us, we duck. Personify those facts in a story, we lean in." — Story or Die
Story isn’t just one way to persuade, it’s the way. It’s built into the architecture of the brain, and has been since early humans gathered around the camp fire, trying to figure out how outsmart the lion next door. In Story or Die, story coach Lisa Cron decodes the power of story, first by examining how the brain processes information, translates it into narrative, and then guards it as if your life depends on it. Armed with that insight, she focuses on how to find your real target audience and then pinpoint their hidden resistance.
Finally, she takes you, step-by-step, through her method for creating your own story, one that allows your audience to overcome their resistance and take up your call to action, not because you told them to (because honestly, who ever does anything because you told them to?), but because they want to.
That is the power of story. Use it wisely.
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“Since ancient times (and childhood bedtime, for that matter), we’ve known that stories are humans’ most compelling force. Now, in Story or Die, Lisa Cron masterfully shows you how to turn your stories into an unstoppable force of persuasion.”
— Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing
Praise for Story or Die
“Lisa Cron has studied the science and architecture of powerful stories for decades. In Story or Die, she translates her knowledge into a compelling storytelling guide for anyone with an idea to spread or a cause to advance. If you want to change how others see the world, then this book will show you how.”
— Bernadette Jiwa, creator of The Story Skills Workshop
“Since ancient times (and childhood bedtime, for that matter), we’ve known that stories are humans’ most compelling force. Now, in Story or Die, Lisa Cron masterfully shows you how to turn your stories into an unstoppable force of persuasion.”
— Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing
“Lisa Cron is authoritative, compelling, and always worth listening to. If storytelling is important to your work in any way, Story or Die is essential reading.”
— Andy Goodman, director, The Goodman Center
“You may think that the only people who need to read this book, and therefore this review, are writers, but you would be wrong. For, as my father (and many others before him and since) said, “clear writing is just clear thinking” and Lisa Cron’s Story or Die is really a book about thinking – how we do it, how we think we do it, how we don’t do it, and how you can be efficient when you are trying to get people to think about a thing you want them to think about (you know, like in advertising. Or life).”
– Martin Bihl – the Agency Review
Here are some ways we can work together.
