<p><strong><em>Want to hook your readers from the very first sentence? This episode is for you!</em></strong><br />This is a fantastic <em>Classic Replay</em> of an interview we recorded with Lisa Cron a few years back. </p> <p>Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of:<em> Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence</em>,<em> Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere</em>), and most recently, <em>Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade and Change Minds in Business and in Life</em></p> <p>She explains what actually keeps readers turning pages, why both pantsing AND plotting can lead you astray, and how to build a riveting novel from the inside out. If you&#8217;ve ever wasted months on pages that go nowhere, and want to really connect with readers, this one&#8217;s a must listen/re-listen!</p> <p><strong>About Lisa</strong></p> <p>Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of:<em>&#160;</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wired-Story-Writers-Science-Sentence/dp/1607742454/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_FMXR" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence</em></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/252747/story-genius-by-lisa-cron/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere)</em></a>&#160;</p> <p>And most recently, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617855/story-or-die-by-lisa-cron/9781984857682/"><em>Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade and Change Minds in Business and in Life</em></a><em>, </em>all three published by Ten Speed Press.</p> <p>Her 7 hour video class <a href="https://www.creativelive.com/class/wired-for-story-lisa-cron?via=catalog-class_2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Wired for Story</em></a><em> </em>can be found at CreativeLive.com.</p> <p>Her video tutorial <a href="http://www.lynda.com/Business-Business-Skills-tutorials/Writing-Fundamentals-Craft-Story/89962-2.html?srchtrk=index%3a0%0alinktypeid%3a2%0aq%3alisa+cron%0apage%3a1%0as%3arelevance%0asa%3atrue%0aproducttypeid%3a2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Writing Fundamentals: The Craft of Stor</em>y</a>&#160;can be found at Lynda.com<em>.</em></p> <p>Lisa has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency.</p> <p>Since 2006, she&#8217;s been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers&#8217; Program and been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative in New York City.</p> <p>Lisa works with writers, nonprofits, educators and organizations, helping them master the unparalleled power of story, so they can move people to action – whether that action is turning the pages of a compelling novel, or taking to the streets to change the world for the better. Or both!</p> <p>Lisa&#8217;s website: <a href="http://wiredforstory.com/">http://wiredforstory.com/</a></p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-SPA-Girls-YT-Thumbnail-Template-1.png"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-SPA-Girls-YT-Thumbnail-Template-1-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3649" srcset="https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-SPA-Girls-YT-Thumbnail-Template-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-SPA-Girls-YT-Thumbnail-Template-1-300x169.png 300w, https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-SPA-Girls-YT-Thumbnail-Template-1-768x432.png 768w, https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-SPA-Girls-YT-Thumbnail-Template-1.png 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure> <p>💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. 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