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

protagonists have to be active and why stories wither the minute they become inert. Without desire – unless Michael pulls the trigger – there is nothing to catalyse the scene.

When a scene is emotionally meaningful to us, we can trust that it’ll be meaningful to the audience.

The art-house films of David Lynch are frequently referred to as ‘dreamlike’ because, like dreams, there’s often a dearth of logic to their cause and effect. Those who enjoy such stories are more likely to be expert readers, those lucky enough to have been born with the right kinds of minds, and raised in learning environments that nurtured the ski

One of the quirks of real human memory is that the most vivid, detailed recall doesn’t usually concern the things that are most germane. The as it were forest. It’s not just that real memory is fragmentary; I think it’s also that overall relevance and meaning are conceptual, while the experiential bits that get locked down and are easiest, years la