Storytelling imbibes a lot of elements – right from your research, to the core idea and the construct. Here we present a list of 8 books that can help you become better at the art of storytelling.
The best method to write better is to read more. The more you read, the better you’re going to get at storytelling. All kinds of storytelling for that matter – be it a childhood memory you’re sharing with your spouse or making a PPT and wish to apply business storytelling.
The most effective way for people to communicate information is through storytelling. Stories are simple to understand since we can envision what is being spoken. But it’s crucial to understand how to tell a compelling story.
Discover in this article, 8 of the best books that will help you in answering the age-old question – how to become a good storyteller?
- The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall
Gottschall attempts to explain some of the mystique surrounding storytelling in this book. He is interested in learning more about how stories shape the human experience. It is crucial to comprehend the function that storytelling has played throughout history because doing so will encourage you to create stories that matter.
- Wired For Story by Lisa Cron
Wired For Story tells you how to write a story that captivates the reader from the very first sentence, using the science of the brain. Not only does it talk about the fundamentals of storytelling but also teaches the writer how to construct a story that will keep the reader interested throughout.
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger
This book offers a wealth of knowledge about how to embed an idea in the minds of your readers. Show, don’t tell is one of the fundamental storytelling strategies, that this book will teach you.
- Made To Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
This is an intriguing book on how to persuade through the art of storytelling. In this book, Chip and Dan Heath describe how ideas stick and how to increase the stickiness of your own ideas. They advise methods including the Velcro Theory of Memory, the Human Scale Principle, and creating curiosity gaps.
- Ernest Hemingway on Writing edited by Larry W. Phillips
Ernest Hemingway never put his writing-related wisdom into a book, but he did express it in commissioned essays, letters to his agents, publishers, and friends, as well as via his fiction. Ernest Hemingway on Writing is a compilation of the author’s observations on the writing process and offers a number of helpful and inspiring suggestions.
- Long Story Short by Margot Leitman
This is a contemporary and useful handbook that lays down the essential elements of storytelling in a lighthearted, witty, and graphical manner. The author offers advice on content, structure, emotional effect, delivery, and other topics while creating a story. This helpful manual is jam-packed with relatable examples, hands-on exercises, and anecdotes from Leitman.
- The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell
One of the greatest storytellers to have lived is Joseph Campbell. The book examines Campbell’s path to becoming one of the top mythologists in the 20th century. Despite the fact that it is a biography and not a manual for storytelling, it offers great insight into what made Campbell so skilled at telling stories. It will assist you in better shaping your own stories.
- Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klikenborg
Verlyn Klinkenborg teaches creative writing at Yale. In the preface of this book, he makes the claim that “most of the received wisdom about how writing works is not only wrong but harmful.” The remainder of the book is devoted to shattering preconceptions and clearing up misinformation about the art of storytelling.
This list covers every element of a fantastic and memorable story – from plot structure to the human psyche. You’ll discover that each of them enhances your writing and presentation skills with new perspectives. So add a handful of these books to your library and start learning about the craft of writing and storytelling.
