🔭 Narrative Distance

Literary works that play with closeness and remove between narrator and subject, using shifts in perspective to modulate empathy, irony, and emotional impact.

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint

by Nancy Kress • 2005

Viewpoint controls what your readers know, who they root for, and what the story finally means.

4.05

2k+

🖋️ Narrative Craft 👁️ Point Of View 🎭 Character Development ✍️ Writing Exercises 📐 Narrative Structure

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint 89%

Viewpoint controls what your readers know, who they root for, and what the story finally means.

by Nancy Kress 2005

4.05

2k+ ratings

🖋️ Narrative Craft 👁️ Point Of View 🎭 Character Development ✍️ Writing Exercises 📐 Narrative Structure

The Lonely Voice

by Frank O'Connor • 1961

The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.

3.89

246

📐 Short Story Theory ✍️ Writers On Writing 🔨 Craft Of Fiction 🌿 Outsider Narratives 💔 Literary Loneliness

The Lonely Voice 87%

The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.

by Frank O'Connor 1961

3.89

246 ratings

📐 Short Story Theory ✍️ Writers On Writing 🔨 Craft Of Fiction 🌿 Outsider Narratives 💔 Literary Loneliness

Dialogism

by Michael Holquist • 1990

All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.

4.09

📖 Literary Theory 💬 Philosophy Of Language 👥 Intersubjectivity 📚 Intertextuality 🇷🇺 Russian Formalism

Dialogism 87%

All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.

by Michael Holquist 1990

4.09

88 ratings

📖 Literary Theory 💬 Philosophy Of Language 👥 Intersubjectivity 📚 Intertextuality 🇷🇺 Russian Formalism

Aspects of the Novel

by E.M. Forster • 1927

A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.

3.80

5k+

🛠️ Novel Craft 🎭 Character Development 🏗️ Narrative Structure 🔍 Literary Analysis ✍️ Practitioner Criticism

Aspects of the Novel 87%

A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.

by E.M. Forster 1927

3.80

5k+ ratings

🛠️ Novel Craft 🎭 Character Development 🏗️ Narrative Structure 🔍 Literary Analysis ✍️ Practitioner Criticism

How Fiction Works

by James Wood • 2008

How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.

3.99

8k+

📚 Literary Criticism 🔍 Narrative Technique 👁️ Point Of View 🔬 Close Reading 🎭 Realism In Fiction

How Fiction Works 87%

How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.

by James Wood 2008

3.99

8k+ ratings

📚 Literary Criticism 🔍 Narrative Technique 👁️ Point Of View 🔬 Close Reading 🎭 Realism In Fiction

Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends

by Michael White • 1990

Your life is a story under revision. A therapeutic method for taking back the pen.

4.06

396

🕸️ Narrative Therapy 🧱 Social Constructionism ✍️ Therapeutic Writing 🏛️ Post-Structuralism ⚖️ Power And Knowledge

Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends Summary

Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends 87%

Your life is a story under revision. A therapeutic method for taking back the pen.

by Michael White 1990

4.06

396 ratings

🕸️ Narrative Therapy 🧱 Social Constructionism ✍️ Therapeutic Writing 🏛️ Post-Structuralism ⚖️ Power And Knowledge

The Art of Intimacy

by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013

Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.

3.93

248

🎓 Literary Criticism ✍️ Craft Of Fiction 🗣️ Narrative Voice 🤫 Subtext 🕰️ Modernist Literature

The Art of Intimacy 86%

Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.

by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013

3.93

248 ratings

🎓 Literary Criticism ✍️ Craft Of Fiction 🗣️ Narrative Voice 🤫 Subtext 🕰️ Modernist Literature

Video Game Storytelling

by Evan Skolnick • 2014

Screenwriting's classic tools applied to games, so story and gameplay pull the same direction.

3.99

503

🎮 Game Writing 📖 Interactive Storytelling 📐 Story Structure 🧑 Character Arcs 🏛️ Mythic Structure

Video Game Storytelling 86%

Screenwriting's classic tools applied to games, so story and gameplay pull the same direction.

by Evan Skolnick 2014

3.99

503 ratings

🎮 Game Writing 📖 Interactive Storytelling 📐 Story Structure 🧑 Character Arcs 🏛️ Mythic Structure

How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division

by Elif Shafak • 2020

We have never been more connected, nor more divided. Storytelling, not information, is the bridge.

3.95

8k+

🗳️ Political Division 🤝 Civic Engagement 🔁 Echo Chambers 📚 Narrative Empathy 💬 Emotional Honesty

How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division Summary

How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division 86%

We have never been more connected, nor more divided. Storytelling, not information, is the bridge.

by Elif Shafak 2020

3.95

8k+ ratings

🗳️ Political Division 🤝 Civic Engagement 🔁 Echo Chambers 📚 Narrative Empathy 💬 Emotional Honesty

Maps of Narrative Practice

by Michael White • 2007

A problem is a story that has become the only story. The maps for finding the others.

4.34

621

🎭 Narrative Therapy 🛋️ Psychotherapy Methods 📖 Narrative Psychology 💬 Therapeutic Conversations 🧱 Social Constructionism

Maps of Narrative Practice 86%

A problem is a story that has become the only story. The maps for finding the others.

by Michael White 2007

4.34

621 ratings

🎭 Narrative Therapy 🛋️ Psychotherapy Methods 📖 Narrative Psychology 💬 Therapeutic Conversations 🧱 Social Constructionism

Wired for Story

by Lisa Cron • 2012

Your reader's brain evolved to crave story. Neuroscience now knows what it expects from yours.

4.20

6k+

🧱 Storytelling Craft 🧠 Neuroscience Of Story 🏗️ Story Structure 👤 Character Development ⚡ Conflict And Tension

Wired for Story 86%

Your reader's brain evolved to crave story. Neuroscience now knows what it expects from yours.

by Lisa Cron 2012

4.20

6k+ ratings

🧱 Storytelling Craft 🧠 Neuroscience Of Story 🏗️ Story Structure 👤 Character Development ⚡ Conflict And Tension

Acts of Meaning

by Jerome Bruner • 1990

The cognitive revolution was supposed to study meaning. It gave us a machine instead.

4.06

346

🧠 Cultural Psychology 📖 Narrative Psychology 🗣️ Folk Psychology 💬 Meaning Making 🪞 Self And Identity

Acts of Meaning 86%

The cognitive revolution was supposed to study meaning. It gave us a machine instead.

by Jerome Bruner 1990

4.06

346 ratings

🧠 Cultural Psychology 📖 Narrative Psychology 🗣️ Folk Psychology 💬 Meaning Making 🪞 Self And Identity

Wordcraft

by Jack R. Hart • 2021

Writing isn't magic. A step-by-step method for clear, powerful prose, from idea to final polish.

4.13

107

🛠️ Writing Craft 📖 Narrative Nonfiction 🖋️ Prose Style 🎬 Show Don't Tell 🎵 Sentence Rhythm

Wordcraft 86%

Writing isn't magic. A step-by-step method for clear, powerful prose, from idea to final polish.

by Jack R. Hart 2021

4.13

107 ratings

🛠️ Writing Craft 📖 Narrative Nonfiction 🖋️ Prose Style 🎬 Show Don't Tell 🎵 Sentence Rhythm

Documentary Storytelling

by Sheila Curran Bernard • 2010

From research to final cut: the craft rules for making nonfiction films that grip like fiction.

4.00

148

🎬 Documentary Filmmaking 📐 Narrative Structure 👁️ Visual Storytelling ✍️ Creative Nonfiction 🎥 Film Production

Documentary Storytelling 86%

From research to final cut: the craft rules for making nonfiction films that grip like fiction.

by Sheila Curran Bernard 2010

4.00

148 ratings

🎬 Documentary Filmmaking 📐 Narrative Structure 👁️ Visual Storytelling ✍️ Creative Nonfiction 🎥 Film Production

The Emotional Craft of Fiction

by Donald Maass • 2016

Move past showing versus telling: design a story that gives readers their own emotional journey.

4.25

3k+

🖋️ Fiction Writing 📖 Storytelling Techniques 💕 Reader Engagement 🎭 Subtext 🧑 Character Development

The Emotional Craft of Fiction 86%

Move past showing versus telling: design a story that gives readers their own emotional journey.

by Donald Maass 2016

4.25

3k+ ratings

🖋️ Fiction Writing 📖 Storytelling Techniques 💕 Reader Engagement 🎭 Subtext 🧑 Character Development

Le troisième mensonge

by Ágota Kristóf • 1991

Returning home to die, an exile's search for his twin unravels a lifetime of deceptions.

4.04

7k+

🪞 Metafiction 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 🧩 Fragmented Narrative 👯 Twin Brothers 🌍 Exile

Le troisième mensonge 86%

Returning home to die, an exile's search for his twin unravels a lifetime of deceptions.

by Ágota Kristóf 1991

4.04

7k+ ratings

🪞 Metafiction 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 🧩 Fragmented Narrative 👯 Twin Brothers 🌍 Exile

To Be Taught, If Fortunate

by Becky Chambers • 2019

Four astronauts explore alien worlds in bodies engineered for each one. Then Earth stops answering.

4.19

58k+

🫂 Found Family 🌈 Queer Ensemble 🧬 Genetic Adaptation 🌱 Hopepunk 🧘 Quiet Contemplation

To Be Taught, If Fortunate 86%

Four astronauts explore alien worlds in bodies engineered for each one. Then Earth stops answering.

by Becky Chambers 2019

4.19

58k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🌈 Queer Ensemble 🧬 Genetic Adaptation 🌱 Hopepunk 🧘 Quiet Contemplation

How to Write Short Stories And Use Them to Further Your Writing Career

by James Scott Bell • 2016

One moment, properly placed, can make a short story unforgettable and launch a career.

3.87

743

📖 Short Fiction 🏗️ Narrative Structure 💓 Emotional Resonance 👁️ Point Of View 📈 Publishing Strategy

How to Write Short Stories And Use Them to Further Your Writing Career Summary

How to Write Short Stories And Use Them to Further Your Writing Career 86%

One moment, properly placed, can make a short story unforgettable and launch a career.

by James Scott Bell 2016

3.87

743 ratings

📖 Short Fiction 🏗️ Narrative Structure 💓 Emotional Resonance 👁️ Point Of View 📈 Publishing Strategy

Identity And Story

by Dan P. McAdams • 2006

The self is not one voice but many, and identity is the story they rewrite together.

4.12

🧠 Narrative Psychology 🪪 Self And Identity 💭 Autobiographical Memory 🗣️ Internal Voices 🌱 Adversity And Growth

Identity And Story 86%

The self is not one voice but many, and identity is the story they rewrite together.

by Dan P. McAdams 2006

4.12

26 ratings

🧠 Narrative Psychology 🪪 Self And Identity 💭 Autobiographical Memory 🗣️ Internal Voices 🌱 Adversity And Growth

Alone Together

by Sherry Turkle • 2011

Robots comfort the elderly, screens raise children. What we lose when machines mediate intimacy.

3.62

6k+

🤖 Social Robotics 📱 Digital Isolation 🎭 Online Identity 💌 Mediated Intimacy 🔔 Always On Culture

Alone Together 86%

Robots comfort the elderly, screens raise children. What we lose when machines mediate intimacy.

by Sherry Turkle 2011

3.62

6k+ ratings

🤖 Social Robotics 📱 Digital Isolation 🎭 Online Identity 💌 Mediated Intimacy 🔔 Always On Culture

Orbital

by Samantha Harvey • 2023

One day in orbit: six astronauts, sixteen sunrises, a typhoon's eye, and a beautiful fragile Earth.

3.49

150k+

🧘 Meditative Fiction 🚀 Introspective Sci-Fi 👥 Crew Dynamics 🌍 Earth From Space 🌪️ Climate Grief

Orbital 86%

One day in orbit: six astronauts, sixteen sunrises, a typhoon's eye, and a beautiful fragile Earth.

by Samantha Harvey 2023

3.49

150k+ ratings

🧘 Meditative Fiction 🚀 Introspective Sci-Fi 👥 Crew Dynamics 🌍 Earth From Space 🌪️ Climate Grief

Outline

by Rachel Cusk • 2014

In Athens to teach writing, she listens to every story but tells none of her own.

3.67

72k+

🖋️ Autofiction 🧩 Fragmented Narrative 📖 Stories Within Stories ✍️ Writer Protagonist 👁️ Unreliable Narrator

Outline 86%

In Athens to teach writing, she listens to every story but tells none of her own.

by Rachel Cusk 2014

3.67

72k+ ratings

🖋️ Autofiction 🧩 Fragmented Narrative 📖 Stories Within Stories ✍️ Writer Protagonist 👁️ Unreliable Narrator

Techniques of the Selling Writer

by Dwight V. Swain • 1965

Master the rhythm of conflict and emotional reaction that makes any story impossible to put down.

4.33

2k+

🎬 Scene Structure ⚡ Dramatic Tension 👥 Character Development 💓 Emotional Resonance 🧱 Story Structure

Techniques of the Selling Writer Summary

Techniques of the Selling Writer 86%

Master the rhythm of conflict and emotional reaction that makes any story impossible to put down.

by Dwight V. Swain 1965

4.33

2k+ ratings

🎬 Scene Structure ⚡ Dramatic Tension 👥 Character Development 💓 Emotional Resonance 🧱 Story Structure

Characters & Viewpoint

by Orson Scott Card • 1988

Shape characters your readers will follow anywhere: the techniques that turn ink into people.

4.04

5k+

🎭 Character Creation 👁️ Point Of View ✍️ Fiction Craft 📈 Character Arcs 📖 Narrative Technique

Characters & Viewpoint 86%

Shape characters your readers will follow anywhere: the techniques that turn ink into people.

by Orson Scott Card 1988

4.04

5k+ ratings

🎭 Character Creation 👁️ Point Of View ✍️ Fiction Craft 📈 Character Arcs 📖 Narrative Technique

Description

by Monica Wood • 1995

Description isn't decoration: the craft of building a world readers can see, hear, and feel.

4.06

610

🛠️ Fiction Craft 🖊️ Descriptive Writing ⚖️ Showing Vs Telling 👁️ Point Of View 💬 Dialogue Craft

Description 86%

Description isn't decoration: the craft of building a world readers can see, hear, and feel.

by Monica Wood 1995

4.06

610 ratings

🛠️ Fiction Craft 🖊️ Descriptive Writing ⚖️ Showing Vs Telling 👁️ Point Of View 💬 Dialogue Craft

My Phantoms

by Gwendoline Riley • 2021

A daughter traces her mother's rituals and evasions, searching for the connection that never came.

3.77

6k+

💔 Difficult Mother 🌫️ Emotional Distance 🪞 Parental Narcissism 🥀 Understated Grief 📖 Book Club Fiction

My Phantoms 86%

A daughter traces her mother's rituals and evasions, searching for the connection that never came.

by Gwendoline Riley 2021

3.77

6k+ ratings

💔 Difficult Mother 🌫️ Emotional Distance 🪞 Parental Narcissism 🥀 Understated Grief 📖 Book Club Fiction

The Seven Basic Plots

by Christopher Booker • 2004

All stories are one of seven shapes. And they all solve the same psychological problem.

3.76

2k+

📚 Narrative Theory 🗺️ Plot Archetypes 🧠 Jungian Analysis 🏗️ Story Structure 🌌 Universal Archetypes

The Seven Basic Plots 86%

All stories are one of seven shapes. And they all solve the same psychological problem.

by Christopher Booker 2004

3.76

2k+ ratings

📚 Narrative Theory 🗺️ Plot Archetypes 🧠 Jungian Analysis 🏗️ Story Structure 🌌 Universal Archetypes

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

by Renni Browne • 1993

The self-editing techniques that find and fix the flaws keeping your novel from publication.

4.25

7k+

✍️ Fiction Editing 🔍 Self-Editing 🎭 Show Don't Tell 💬 Dialogue Craft 👁️ Point Of View

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers Summary

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers 86%

The self-editing techniques that find and fix the flaws keeping your novel from publication.

by Renni Browne 1993

4.25

7k+ ratings

✍️ Fiction Editing 🔍 Self-Editing 🎭 Show Don't Tell 💬 Dialogue Craft 👁️ Point Of View

How to Tell a Story

by Meg Bowles • 2022

Find your story's stakes, build its scenes, and deliver it so a room leans in.

3.86

3k+

🎤 Oral Storytelling 📖 Personal Narrative 🏗️ Story Structure 🎙️ Public Speaking 🎬 Scene Building

How to Tell a Story 86%

Find your story's stakes, build its scenes, and deliver it so a room leans in.

by Meg Bowles 2022

3.86

3k+ ratings

🎤 Oral Storytelling 📖 Personal Narrative 🏗️ Story Structure 🎙️ Public Speaking 🎬 Scene Building

Amor líquido

by Zygmunt Bauman • 2003

Relationships now work like shopping: browse, compare, discard. What happens to our ability to love.

3.74

8k+

🏙️ Late Modernity 📖 Critical Theory 🛒 Consumer Culture 🤝 Social Bonds 😶 Modern Alienation

Amor líquido 86%

Relationships now work like shopping: browse, compare, discard. What happens to our ability to love.

by Zygmunt Bauman 2003

3.74

8k+ ratings

🏙️ Late Modernity 📖 Critical Theory 🛒 Consumer Culture 🤝 Social Bonds 😶 Modern Alienation

Storythinking

by Angus Fletcher • 2023

Story isn't just for communication: it's an ancient intelligence that logic and AI can't touch.

3.57

🧠 Narrative Intelligence 🧬 Evolutionary Psychology ↔️ Logic Vs Narrative 💡 Creative Cognition 🤖 Limits Of AI

Storythinking 86%

Story isn't just for communication: it's an ancient intelligence that logic and AI can't touch.

by Angus Fletcher 2023

3.57

81 ratings

🧠 Narrative Intelligence 🧬 Evolutionary Psychology ↔️ Logic Vs Narrative 💡 Creative Cognition 🤖 Limits Of AI

Every Day Gets A Little Closer

by Irvin D. Yalom • 1991

Two diaries, one therapy room: what the patient hid and what the therapist really thought.

3.76

3k+

🧠 Psychodynamic Therapy 🌌 Existential Psychotherapy 🤝 Therapeutic Relationship 📋 Case Study 💬 Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Every Day Gets A Little Closer 86%

Two diaries, one therapy room: what the patient hid and what the therapist really thought.

by Irvin D. Yalom 1991

3.76

3k+ ratings

🧠 Psychodynamic Therapy 🌌 Existential Psychotherapy 🤝 Therapeutic Relationship 📋 Case Study 💬 Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Damaged Identities, Narrative Repair

by Hilde Lindemann Nelson • 2001

Who you are is jointly told. Oppression writes a degrading version; counterstories write the repair.

4.12

🧩 Narrative Identity 📜 Narrative Ethics ✊ Counter Storytelling 📢 Master Narratives 🪞 Internalized Oppression

Damaged Identities, Narrative Repair Summary

Damaged Identities, Narrative Repair 86%

Who you are is jointly told. Oppression writes a degrading version; counterstories write the repair.

by Hilde Lindemann Nelson 2001

4.12

50 ratings

🧩 Narrative Identity 📜 Narrative Ethics ✊ Counter Storytelling 📢 Master Narratives 🪞 Internalized Oppression

The Life of a Stupid Man

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa • 1927

A writer catalogs his life in fragments: madness, art, and a cosmos that laughs.

3.67

11k+

📖 Autobiographical Fiction 🧩 Fragmented Narrative 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 🧬 Family Madness 🌌 Cosmic Irony

The Life of a Stupid Man 86%

A writer catalogs his life in fragments: madness, art, and a cosmos that laughs.

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa 1927

3.67

11k+ ratings

📖 Autobiographical Fiction 🧩 Fragmented Narrative 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 🧬 Family Madness 🌌 Cosmic Irony

Storycraft

by Jack R. Hart • 2011

Journalists can deploy every fiction technique except making things up. A veteran editor shows how.

4.25

1k+

🎤 Narrative Journalism 📖 Literary Journalism 🏗️ Story Structure 🎭 Scene Craft 🔍 Immersion Reporting

Storycraft 86%

Journalists can deploy every fiction technique except making things up. A veteran editor shows how.

by Jack R. Hart 2011

4.25

1k+ ratings

🎤 Narrative Journalism 📖 Literary Journalism 🏗️ Story Structure 🎭 Scene Craft 🔍 Immersion Reporting

About Writing

by Samuel R. Delany • 2006

The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.

4.26

459

🚀 Science Fiction Craft 📚 Genre Theory 🌊 New Wave Sf 🔬 Experimental Fiction ✍️ Aspiring Writers

About Writing 86%

The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.

by Samuel R. Delany 2006

4.26

459 ratings

🚀 Science Fiction Craft 📚 Genre Theory 🌊 New Wave Sf 🔬 Experimental Fiction ✍️ Aspiring Writers

Invisible Ink

by Brian McDonald • 2010

Forget formulas: the deep craft of story is a hidden framework of theme, pain, and dramatic irony.

4.38

2k+

🏗️ Story Structure 🧭 Theme As Foundation 🦋 Character Transformation 🎭 Dramatic Irony 💬 Subtext And Dialogue

Invisible Ink 86%

Forget formulas: the deep craft of story is a hidden framework of theme, pain, and dramatic irony.

by Brian McDonald 2010

4.38

2k+ ratings

🏗️ Story Structure 🧭 Theme As Foundation 🦋 Character Transformation 🎭 Dramatic Irony 💬 Subtext And Dialogue

The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist

by Orhan Pamuk • 2010

Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.

3.95

3k+

🎨 Novel As Art Form 📖 Reading Experience ✍️ Novel Craft 🎭 Fiction And Reality 🌍 Comparative Literature

The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary

The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 86%

Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.

by Orhan Pamuk 2010

3.95

3k+ ratings

🎨 Novel As Art Form 📖 Reading Experience ✍️ Novel Craft 🎭 Fiction And Reality 🌍 Comparative Literature

L'empathie est politique

by Samah Karaki • 2024

Feeling another's pain isn't neutral: it's a biased, exhausting act shaped by politics.

4.35

146

🏛️ Political Psychology 🤔 Empathy Skepticism 😈 Dehumanization 💔 Compassion Fatigue 📺 Media Framing

L'empathie est politique 86%

Feeling another's pain isn't neutral: it's a biased, exhausting act shaped by politics.

by Samah Karaki 2024

4.35

146 ratings

🏛️ Political Psychology 🤔 Empathy Skepticism 😈 Dehumanization 💔 Compassion Fatigue 📺 Media Framing

Selfless

by Brian Lowery • 2023

The person you think you are was built by every relationship you have ever had.

3.77

414

🧠 Social Psychology 🧱 Social Construction 🪞 Self And Identity 👥 Group Identity 💀 Existential Psychology

Selfless 86%

The person you think you are was built by every relationship you have ever had.

by Brian Lowery 2023

3.77

414 ratings

🧠 Social Psychology 🧱 Social Construction 🪞 Self And Identity 👥 Group Identity 💀 Existential Psychology

The Faraway Nearby

by Rebecca Solnit • 2013

The frontier between a life and the story told about it is where everything important happens.

4.20

8k+

📖 Literary Memoir ✍️ Personal Essays 🕸️ Interconnectedness 🌿 Nature Writing 🧭 Meaning Making

The Faraway Nearby 86%

The frontier between a life and the story told about it is where everything important happens.

by Rebecca Solnit 2013

4.20

8k+ ratings

📖 Literary Memoir ✍️ Personal Essays 🕸️ Interconnectedness 🌿 Nature Writing 🧭 Meaning Making

Writing With Emotion, Tension, and Conflict

by Cheryl St. John • 2013

For novelists: how to build stories on emotion, tension, and conflict so readers cannot look away.

4.06

372

🖋️ Fiction Craft 💔 Emotional Storytelling 👤 Character Development ⚡ Narrative Tension 👁️ Point Of View

Writing With Emotion, Tension, and Conflict Summary

Writing With Emotion, Tension, and Conflict 86%

For novelists: how to build stories on emotion, tension, and conflict so readers cannot look away.

by Cheryl St. John 2013

4.06

372 ratings

🖋️ Fiction Craft 💔 Emotional Storytelling 👤 Character Development ⚡ Narrative Tension 👁️ Point Of View

The Anatomy of Genres

by John Truby • 2022

Genres are philosophies disguised as story types. Crack the beats and you crack writing and life.

4.21

607

🏗️ Story Structure 📚 Genre Theory 🎬 Screenwriting ✍️ Writing Craft 💭 Story Philosophy

The Anatomy of Genres 86%

Genres are philosophies disguised as story types. Crack the beats and you crack writing and life.

by John Truby 2022

4.21

607 ratings

🏗️ Story Structure 📚 Genre Theory 🎬 Screenwriting ✍️ Writing Craft 💭 Story Philosophy

Storyworthy

by Matthew Dicks • 2018

Find the hidden moments in your life and a structure to turn them into unforgettable stories.

4.26

8k+

🎤 Personal Storytelling 🗣️ Oral Storytelling ✍️ Memoir Writing 🏗️ Narrative Structure 🎙️ Public Speaking

Storyworthy 86%

Find the hidden moments in your life and a structure to turn them into unforgettable stories.

by Matthew Dicks 2018

4.26

8k+ ratings

🎤 Personal Storytelling 🗣️ Oral Storytelling ✍️ Memoir Writing 🏗️ Narrative Structure 🎙️ Public Speaking

The Storytelling Code

by Dana Norris • 2020

The craft rules for finding, shaping, and delivering a story that holds any audience, any setting.

4.01

163

📝 Storytelling Craft 🏗️ Narrative Structure 🎤 Public Speaking 🪞 Personal Storytelling 💼 Business Communication

The Storytelling Code 86%

The craft rules for finding, shaping, and delivering a story that holds any audience, any setting.

by Dana Norris 2020

4.01

163 ratings

📝 Storytelling Craft 🏗️ Narrative Structure 🎤 Public Speaking 🪞 Personal Storytelling 💼 Business Communication

Rogue Protocol

by Martha Wells • 2018

A rogue android stows away to an abandoned station: the team's security is the real threat.

4.24

176k+

🤖 Rogue Ai 🚀 Space Thriller 😑 Reluctant Ai 🫂 Human-Ai Friendship 🏢 Corporate Conspiracy

Rogue Protocol 86%

A rogue android stows away to an abandoned station: the team's security is the real threat.

by Martha Wells 2018

4.24

176k+ ratings

🤖 Rogue Ai 🚀 Space Thriller 😑 Reluctant Ai 🫂 Human-Ai Friendship 🏢 Corporate Conspiracy

Hertzian Tales

by Anthony Dunne • 1999

Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.

4.26

125

🔮 Critical Design 📦 Poetics Of Objects 👆 Aesthetics Of Use ⚙️ Technological Determinism 🔬 Science And Technology Studies

Hertzian Tales 86%

Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.

by Anthony Dunne 1999

4.26

125 ratings

🔮 Critical Design 📦 Poetics Of Objects 👆 Aesthetics Of Use ⚙️ Technological Determinism 🔬 Science And Technology Studies

The Sense of Style

by Steven Pinker • 2014

Why can't smart people write clearly? A cognitive scientist blames one mental blind spot.

4.04

9k+

✍️ Prose Style 📖 Language Usage 🏛️ Classic Prose 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🌳 Syntax

The Sense of Style 86%

Why can't smart people write clearly? A cognitive scientist blames one mental blind spot.

by Steven Pinker 2014

4.04

9k+ ratings

✍️ Prose Style 📖 Language Usage 🏛️ Classic Prose 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🌳 Syntax

Filosofía ante el desánimo

by José Carlos Ruiz • 2021

They sold us connection, stimulation, and self-optimization. Now we're fragile, bored, and lonely.

3.99

518

🔗 Modern Alienation 🧠 Attention Economy ⏳ Life As Narrative 🏛️ Epicureanism 🧘 Philosophical Self-Help

Filosofía ante el desánimo 86%

They sold us connection, stimulation, and self-optimization. Now we're fragile, bored, and lonely.

by José Carlos Ruiz 2021

3.99

518 ratings

🔗 Modern Alienation 🧠 Attention Economy ⏳ Life As Narrative 🏛️ Epicureanism 🧘 Philosophical Self-Help

Reclaiming Conversation

by Sherry Turkle • 2015

Texts and posts replaced real conversation, and we lost something irreplaceable in the trade.

3.80

5k+

🛑 Techno Skepticism 🌐 Media Ecology 📱 Attention Crisis 🗣️ Meaningful Conversation 👨‍👩‍👧 Digital Parenting

Reclaiming Conversation 86%

Texts and posts replaced real conversation, and we lost something irreplaceable in the trade.

by Sherry Turkle 2015

3.80

5k+ ratings

🛑 Techno Skepticism 🌐 Media Ecology 📱 Attention Crisis 🗣️ Meaningful Conversation 👨‍👩‍👧 Digital Parenting

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M