Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them by John Yorke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are lots of books about the ‘how’ of story. This book is about the ‘why’ of story.
Humans learn through stories. You will always remember a story more easily than a fact, which is why the earliest lessons we learn are through fables and cautionary tales. John Yorke looks at the way stories are structured and draws parallels between the structure of popular/successful stories and the human learning process.
It’s reasonably academic in tone and it won’t teach you how to write – but if you’re already some way along in the writing journey, then it’s definitely worth reading.
This is a fascinating book that makes you think about why stories have a structure and why it’s important. Highly recommended for writers.
Rhoda Baxter 