Is Story Genius by Lisa Cron Worth The Hype?

If you were someone in my family looking to purchase me a gift you would look no further than my ever-expanding shelf of reference works about writing. 

I collect them as much as I used to collect novels about brooding vampires and changing werewolves in the prime of my high school reading days. 

With this, I have decided to turn my pile of books into a weekly series. I'll read and review these books to let you know if they are worth the time or the money and keep them from simply sitting and gathering dust on my shelves. 

Let's start with a book that has followed me for quite some time. 

Recently there's been one book about writing circling my network from social media posts to recommendations from friends to even my partner and one of my critique partners graciously gifting me the same book via Amazon delivery the same week. 

Story Genius by Lisa Cron though published in 2016, has recently gained a cult-like following with seemingly every writer and author on social media praising it and promising how it will revolutionize the way you approach storytelling. 

But is Story Genius worth the hype? Or is it just another overhyped writing guide?

I've got my notes and the book in hand so let's assess. 

Understanding the Core Concept 

Story Genius claims it will help writers "use brain science to go beyond outlining and write a riveting novel" and at its heart tells writers that successful storytelling begins with understanding who your characters are, the why behind their actions, and having an answer to every, "and so?" That could be asked. 

Plot and structure should be the furthest things in the writer's mind as they create the blueprint for their novel. Not an outline, a blueprint, that will help you move from the very concept of what lies in the heart of your novel to how it all comes together to mean something not for your characters but for your readers.

Story is not about the plot, or what happens. Story is about how the things that happen in the plot affect the protagonist and how he or she changes as a result.

Practical Application 

Story Genius walks the writer through every possible thought they could have about their story from having the writer write down when the first glimmer of the idea came to them, what the importance of it is, and why the writer cares about it, as well as fleshing out that pesky "What If" that most likely brought them to the page to begin with. 

From there the writer answered a series of questions diving deep into who the protagonist is before they stepped foot onto the first page of the novel. Who are they? What do they want? What misconception are they going to carry with them throughout the novel? 

Cron sets the writer up to go step-by-step through each layer of their novel and by the time they've reached the end page in the book they should have their opening scene, their ending, and several of the beginning chapters ready to write with a clear direction on where they need to go. 

Considering the Criticisms 

Despite all the good that has been said about Cron's technique for blueprinting a novel and delving deep into what motivates the protagonists there have also been concerns about the rigidity of the method and how it seems that it doesn't have equal adaptability across all genres. 

I had thought this for myself when going through the blueprinting process, but the more I thought about it. It wasn't that the method wasn't fit for my genre - I was being stubborn. All protagonists need to want something, every scene should be about what they want, what's standing in the way, and what they do to get around that. 

While I disagreed with and even skipped several steps in the blueprinting process such as writing out three full scenes of my protagonist's backstory, ( I did write one) I can still see how this could aid writers in understanding their protagonist. 

Conclusion: Is Story Genius Worth Your Time?

I was going to give a diplomatic answer about this book only being worth it to readers depending on their writing style, their preferences, and their writing goals, but to be honest - 

If you write fiction you should give this book a read. 

I'm not going to tell you it's going to change your life or give you the ability to turn your novel idea into a bestseller, however, it will open you up to a way of thinking about your novel that puts your protagonist first and may have you asking questions about them that you never considered before. 

I used the methods in the book to rework the outline for my current work in progress and Cron let me know I had a lot of work to do. She opened my eyes to an entire subplot I hadn't considered - I believe my novel will be all the better for it. 

This book is available through many online sellers and most local libraries.  

With love, 

B.K. xo xo

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This story was originally posted on Medium.

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