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A review by rwatkins
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron
2.0
I don't usually write reviews for non-fiction that I read, but I have a couple main points to explain my lower rating for this book on improving writing skills.
Many aspiring writers will get more from this book than I did, personally. It is a writing tool aimed at writers who prefer entertainment/extras mixed in with the more serious content of improving outlining and plotting skills. There are a lot of similes, metaphors, witty commentary and sidetracks, some within parenthesis and some without, throughout this book. Readers who find this to be entertaining, valuable in breaking-up the more serious writing content being laid out, and still educational, may enjoy this book.
For me, it was just filler. It made me weed through a bunch of time-wasting setup and unnecessary explanation before getting to the pearls of wisdom. Navigating to the sections I was interested in wasn't user-friendly, as there could be pages and pages of filler material before getting to the main points. I found the quips and commentary and extras to be distracting, not helpful, in understanding the writing tips presented. There was far too much of it, in relation to the actual useful information on writing provided. I'm in academics, where I'm used to boring, but beneficial, presentation - and finding what I need when I need it is valuable to me. This book is not that, as it aims to try and entertain at least as much as it does to help writers write better. I would rather all the time, energy and page space be dedicated to more and more writing guidance and tips. For me, it was just filler.
Next, this book is focused almost entirely on inner character development. If that is not something you need help with, this book will not offer much value. I did not get that from the title or blurb, which promises "brain science" and an alternative to plotting and pantsing. There is minimal, if any, actual brain science in this book. There is no alternative to plotting and pantsing provided, but instead a style of plotting that focuses first on character development and then plot development secondarily. I was expecting story-telling tips rooted in the foundation of neuroscience and there is none of that. It's a book about how to do better character arcs, and not one I found to be very effective or detailed in that venture.
Many aspiring writers will get more from this book than I did, personally. It is a writing tool aimed at writers who prefer entertainment/extras mixed in with the more serious content of improving outlining and plotting skills. There are a lot of similes, metaphors, witty commentary and sidetracks, some within parenthesis and some without, throughout this book. Readers who find this to be entertaining, valuable in breaking-up the more serious writing content being laid out, and still educational, may enjoy this book.
For me, it was just filler. It made me weed through a bunch of time-wasting setup and unnecessary explanation before getting to the pearls of wisdom. Navigating to the sections I was interested in wasn't user-friendly, as there could be pages and pages of filler material before getting to the main points. I found the quips and commentary and extras to be distracting, not helpful, in understanding the writing tips presented. There was far too much of it, in relation to the actual useful information on writing provided. I'm in academics, where I'm used to boring, but beneficial, presentation - and finding what I need when I need it is valuable to me. This book is not that, as it aims to try and entertain at least as much as it does to help writers write better. I would rather all the time, energy and page space be dedicated to more and more writing guidance and tips. For me, it was just filler.
Next, this book is focused almost entirely on inner character development. If that is not something you need help with, this book will not offer much value. I did not get that from the title or blurb, which promises "brain science" and an alternative to plotting and pantsing. There is minimal, if any, actual brain science in this book. There is no alternative to plotting and pantsing provided, but instead a style of plotting that focuses first on character development and then plot development secondarily. I was expecting story-telling tips rooted in the foundation of neuroscience and there is none of that. It's a book about how to do better character arcs, and not one I found to be very effective or detailed in that venture.