The most compelling skill any marketer can wield is the skill of storytelling. Great marketing requires it.
You need to grab attention.
You need to hold attention.
You need to change peoples hearts and minds.
Story is the only skill on Earth capable of doing all three of those things (at the same time).
Don't be confused. Storytelling and writing are different skills. According to Robert McKee, storytelling is a far more rare, far more difficult skill than writing. Just because you can write well, doesn't mean you can construct a good story.
The good news is, if you can tell a great story, you can get away with terrible writing (just ask any pop novelist).
These are the top 10 books that will help you write great stories.
1. Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters by Michael Tierno
I recommend it because it focuses only on Aristotle's points of great storytelling, and provides context and elaboration on Aristotle's notoriously complex ideas. In case you didn't know, Aristotle's Poetics, written in 330 BC, is still highly regarded by today's storytellers. Not much has changed since then, and Aristotle was able to articulate his ideas extremely well.
2. Story by Robert McKee (legendary story theorist)
Big favorite. Roberts explanations of story are by far the most passionate I've read. This is a man who deeply loves the craft of storytelling and is capable of transferring his decades of experience into you.
3. Screenplay by Syd Field
Probably one of the most straight to the point guides for screenwriting, while also giving loads of context and insight from the filmmaking industry. This book contains one of the clearest explanation of story structure I've come across. Second to number seven on this list.
4. The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
This book takes a powerfully scientific approach to what every human knows all about. The facets that make us human, according to science, shared in the context of storytelling. Absolutely enlightening.
5. Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
A little bit like the last book, but with more focused information. Lisa makes it easy to understand just why we love stories so darn much.
6. Story or Die by Lisa Cron
This is actually my number one recommendation on storytelling books FOR MARKETERS. This book, like Wired for Story sheds light on the neuroscience of storytelling, but aligns it with the context of advertising and marketing. Some of the greatest campaigns in the world save many lives, and they run on the power of great stories.
7. Storycraft by Jack Hart
Jack's approach to storytelling comes from decades of experience in narrative non-fiction. His grasp of structure is astounding, and he constantly provides stories within stories, to explain how to write stories. It's incredibly helpful and very fun to read.
8. The Anatomy of Story by John Truby (the guy that wrote Shrek, jussayin')
This book is nearly unparalleled in terms of sheer amount of knowledge it contains. I recommend getting this book and using it as a guide. Many of the chapters are broken way down to the smallest possible uses of different story elements. It would actually be really hard to just read all at once.
9. Save the Cat! (series) by Blake Snyder
Blake Snyder makes writing stories extremely approachable. He uses his own methods to break down stories so that we are able to get a clear picture on what makes screenplays successful. He uses super simple language, is very up-beat and positive, and transfers his passion to you through his words. (Note: Save the Cat! is a series of books, I recommend the original as well as Save the Cat!: Goes to the Movies).
10. Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
This is the book you get when you want to time travel to 1960s Hollywood and see exactly what went on. Goldman is famous for writing Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. And offers a complete critique of the script right in this book, along with countless other valuable lessons.
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