on Jane Friedman site:

If you’ve read any of my other posts for Jane’s blog, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that, when it comes to story, I am a total geek.

So it should surprise no one that I am a super fan of the work of story coach Lisa Cron, who’s done so much to explicate the ways that reading fiction—reading stories, period—intersects with what we know about how the human brain works.

If you haven’t read her work, I say, run, don’t walk, to your local bookstore or library (or navigate to your favorite online retailer) to pick up your copy of Wired for Story and Story Genius. Her work has been absolutely pivotal to me as both a writer and a book coach, cutting through the vague and often impractical advice I received in the study of creative writing, revealing what a story actually is and how it actually works.

I’m also a big fan of the work of Lisa Zunshine, who likewise explores fiction through the lens of brain science—but from a different angle, that of the study of literature.

For those of you who haven’t read the work of either of these authors—or who may find yourself intimidated by the science part of neuroscience—I thought I’d provide a few key strategies for fiction writers derived from what we know about the human brain, and the human brain on books.