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WriteOn! The Science of Compelling Stories [1]
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Date: 2023-11-30
Hat tip to novapsyche for bringing this paper to my attention:
In “Why Inspiring Stories Make Us React: The Neuroscience of Narrative,” Paul Zak explained that “compelling narratives cause oxytocin release”—the “love” or bonding hormone—“and have the power to affect our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors."
We also found that the change in oxytocin was associated with concern for the characters in the story, replicating our earlier finding. If you pay attention to the story and become emotionally engaged with the story’s characters, then it is as if you have been transported into the story’s world. This is why your palms sweat when James Bond dodges bullets. And why you stifle a sniffle when Bambi’s mother dies.
While much of the article is dense with discussion of neurochemicals, EEGs, and experiments, the author makes points that we as authors would do well to consider.
Attention is a scarce neural resource because it is metabolically costly to a brain that needs to conserve resources. If a story does not sustain our attention, then the brain will look for something else more interesting to do.
Even formulaic fiction, which sells extremely well in certain genres, needs fresh characters and twists to be really satisfying.
To the brain, good stories are good stories, whether first-person or third-person, on topics happy or sad, as long as they get us to care about their characters. Psycholinguists have shown that effective stories induce “transportation” into the narrative.14 Transportation happens when one loses oneself in the flow of the story—just like I did while watching Million Dollar Baby.
Our stories have to use suspense, to hold attention, and they need characters readers can care about and identify with.
Now, the author also notes that what people say they like is not always what engages them. Sometimes we want to read for fun and relaxation, not tension and suspense. Sometimes we just want to watch the cat video. If that is your forte, you can probably sell some. But the larger market is for engaging stories.
It has recently been noted that younger readers are not as enthralled with romantic/sexual storylines as previous generations have been, and prefer strong friendships and characters overcoming adversity. Traditional publishers have famously wanted a certain number of sex scenes in their adult novels, but they are no longer the only outlet for publication, and we can serve the market that we find, the readers that like what we offer.
Challenge: write a scene using these three words, and attempt to portray a character or situation in that scene that a reader will want to engage with. notches bittersweet replica
So, how's that story going? Last day of NaNo!
Aashirs nani -- get this novel together. Nov 23: The end is in sight. I made a list of things that need to happen before I get there. bonetti -- 50,000 words, hopefully completing a story and associated world-building. 11/22 : 112,211 words. dconrad -- 50,000 words. 23 Nov: 41,565 words. elenacarlena -- write every day. 11-23 injury made impossible. Evail -- write two books 2 Nov: 10k words. mettle fatigue -- just write some stuff fiction. Nov 23. ...still not yet… :( mockingbird1971 -- finish what I've started. NoBlinkers -- hit daily par, finish romantasy, get farther on epic fantasy. 23 Nov: 36k, daily par lost. Reppa -- 10-15,000 words, plus spending some extra time planning/prepping for January 2 Nov: 2k words. sagesource- insert & proofread classical Chinese original text for translating the Daodejing (aka Tao-te ching) ... I’ve been picking away at that book for thirty years: Nov. 23: Text added and proofread up to Verse 30. There are several variant texts, and the criteria editors use to choose between readings is sometimes questionable. More on that later, perhaps. Sonnet- making a major subplot from one novel into another all on its own. Nov 17: Still writing!!!! strawbale - 250 words a day, no matter how good or bad. Nov 30: missed several days, but got decent storylines going. ThurzdaysChild - Goal: 5 writing self-appointments during November, one to 4 hours each; continue editing/revising the current WIP ('memoir'). Nov 9: 5 hours.
READERS & BOOK LOVERS SERIES SCHEDULE
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