The Write to Happiness

Veteran screenwriter Samantha Shad finds that stories are fertile ground for working out problems because narrative is the essential language of the brain. She packs a lot into her short, readable two-part book – showing first how to “write to happiness,” and then giving the scientific reasons why storytelling works for your brain. By pairing a step-by-step guide on how to write  fictitious, therapeutic stories with a survey of neuroscience and storytelling conventions, Shad shows with great empathy that making up stories is how humans compose and understand their lives. The brain is geared for stories, so writing one – yes, now you can – is a powerful way to understand and resolve life’s dilemmas.