R.H. Walker, Author

Story Genius feels like a revelation. Another millennial snark-coded revelation, sure. But a revelation nonetheless.

I flew back out to Utah to attend LTUE back in February, and was lucky enough to attend Johnny Worthen’s presentation on writing engaging book series. He took the opportunity to plug his U of U summer course and the book he uses in the class, Story Genius, and immediately my ears perked up. Thanks to his praise, when I first conceived of the By Writers For Writers project, this book was at the top of my reading list.

Praise first: this book asks all the right questions. Cron cuts straight to the chase and forces you to make the tough choices about your character and their arc up front, which in turn empowers you to strike true to the heart of your project in the first draft.

This keeps up as we get into the more structural, plot-based elements of the book. Cron knows exactly how to turn the author’s mind, often with laser-pointed accuracy. By continually nagging at the “whys” and the “so whats”, the budding author is encouraged to methodically overturn every stone until the final plot is revealed. This is the instinct young writers have, but the method given here is meant to make sure you cover all your bases, and I hope to prove its effectiveness in future manuscripts.

As we turn towards my criticisms, let me give a disclaimer on my millennial snark accusation: the sarcasm is mostly in part 1. Once Cron starts diving into the process this mostly falls away, leaving room for earnest sincerity and excitement for the craft of writing. I wish she had felt more empowered to show that sincerity from the beginning, instead of falling into the trap of sarcasm.

Aside from the snark, Cron’s insistence on the “brain science” branding is the biggest thing working against her book. While she make some attempts at citing real studies, it really is just a gimmick to get people reading. That doesn’t stop it from being effective writing advice, but it does still feel icky. You shouldn’t read this book because it will tell you how to biohack your readers’ brains, you should read this book because it asks exactly the right questions to build an effective story.

Overall I enjoyed this book! I think Cron’s method will fit itself to my existing habits quite nicely, and I hope to produce results with her blueprinting method.