Episode Details

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My guest today is Will Storr, an award-winning writer and author of the book The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better. In our conversation together, Will and I dive deep down the rabbit hole to understand the inner workings of storytelling and discuss why the attraction to stories is a key part in not only our own personal human evolution, but the evolution of our society as a whole.

Will shares many of his unconventional approaches to storytelling (including why he doesn’t believe we need to follow a strict formula). He also shares why he believes character development should come before the plot and how that approach can even be used to help you achieve your own goals. Will and I also talk about why ‘gossip’ is fundamental to us as humans and why it can make even the smartest people believe the craziest things.

As you’ll hear in our conversation, Will and I fully nerd out on the science and psychology of storytelling. Not only will you understand as a creative how to better write your own stories, but you’ll learn how to apply Will’s unconventional approaches to rewrite the story of your own life. Whether or not you’re working in a creative industry, I know you’ll find this conversation as helpful and entertaining as I did.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Why Will says there's 'science' in storytelling (and doesn’t believe we need to follow a formula)
• The real reason stories are so important to us as human beings
• Why 'gossip' is fundamental to the human condition
• Why the way we see reality affects the way we tell stories (and how you can use your brain to shift that perspective)
• How our brains are programmed to be interested in pursuit of goals and overcoming the obstacles along the way
• How can people be so smart, yet still believe the craziest things (some people believe the holocaust didn't happen?!)
• Why we tend to believe what makes us feel good and heroic
• What makes the aspect of ‘change’ so crucial to the art of storytelling
• What the Kuleshov Effect is and how we can apply it to both our storytelling and lives
• What Will means when he says we are our own personal projects

Useful Resources Mentioned:

The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better by Will Storr

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Chris Vogler

The Hero’s Journey (Joseph Campbell)

Downfall movie

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (with Bill Moyers)