A review by aliyah_d
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron

funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

 TL;DR : This book is essentially about two things : outlining and worldbuilding with utility and then writing each scene according to a pattern that will give them coherence and weight. Like all writing guidebooks, it’s not a one-size-fit-all methodology and this one is specific. The brain science is only a short part and at the beginning so I wouldn’t recommend this to people seeking out a scientific analysis of our relationship to stories (see the author earlier work for that). The middle section offers a good dissection of the thought process any writer should approximately go through in regard to their (single-pov) protagonist, plot, setting and message. If the events you write sounds like a bunch of “And then and then, and then”, this could help you. If you think your characters are fleshed out, this might make you reconsider.

Whole review :

I did not pick up this book for the science’s brain dive in. I feel obligated to announce this right out of the gates, as I sense this is a driving force in why I loved this book so much while others felt like they didn’t get what was advertised.

Now, I will segment my review by following the way the book itself is divided.  

Regarding the first part of the novel, on using science to understand what is a story : I considered the overall length of this part to be sufficient to explain the way our brains are wired to create or enjoy stories. Although, even as a non expert on the subject, the analysis did feel quite barebones for a book that has “how to use brain science…” as part of its title. So, if you’re a brain science nerd, like the majority has already pointed out, this won’t satisfy you much and you might as well stop reading here. I can see why some felt misled in that regard.

Moreover, I have mixed feelings about the myth galore section. Like a lot of books of that sort, or I’ve been told, it was a series of affirmations about writing and writers, what's definitely bad and what's definitely better, which I don’t necessarily agree with. 

The second part of the novel is where it all came to life for me. Cron has a gift for explaining things that seem simple and acquired and making you truly assimilate them. This section of the book will help you construct credible characters by helping you build their worldview, therefore their personality therefore giving weight to their actions and the events they will go through. The word « Why » in particular is hammered down but powerful and layered. 

The pattern of thinking laid out by Cron is a good way to worldbuild with meaning and usefulness. It greatly helped me understand and shape the points I was trying to make with my own story and most importantly, define my protagonist by diving into their specificities.

If, like me, you like to dive into your character’s psychology and think about the mechanics of their behaviors, this will help you keep doing that but in a way that will benefit your story, not sidetrack you from it.

Finally, the third part which, from what I’ve read, is where the mixed opinions are the most prevalent. I adored it. I also totally see why it lost a lot of people : it’s a precise structural method.  Cron’s guide to blueprinting is exactly why I purchased this book as I needed a structure model to build a full fledged story. And this is what this part is, pure structure.

Moreover, it’s an elevated, much more coherent and layered version of my original writing process so adjusting my way of working in accordance to her methodology was no hassle, it greatly relieved me even. It allowed me to work again on my novel without feeling overwhelmed by all the floating ideas and notes at a renewed steady pace. 

So, this last part and in essence, this book is about outlining and prebuilting with intent and utility, for one part, then writing EACH scene making sure they fit a series of requirements (how does it connect to your protagonist's inner struggle, external plot, subplot ect.). But like all writing guidebooks, it’s not a one-size-fit-all methodology.

Still, if your story feels like a chain of “And then and then and then”, I’d say there’s a lot you can pick from this book without having to adopt the outlining method, just pick up where you fall short and what you are not considering, amongst what's cited. If you have a hard time understanding your characters and their motivations or making your readers care about them, this applies as well. 

I think this book does a great job of dissecting how to make a well paced novel with layers and soul, step by step as well as nullifying the frustrations that can rise from writing. It’s also a guideline to creating good writing habits, at least for me.

The author does tend to insist too much on things way too evident or already hammered down in previous paragraphs, which makes the book a slog in some parts (I put it down three different times for a few weeks when these parts came) and I rarely connected with the examples taken from her friend’s writing exercises which made the examples less concrete for me than the explanations and definitions. Still, if any of the positives I listed resonates with you, I’d recommend this read.