Blog on Writing

Storytelling

• Whatever Happened to TED Talks?
• Genre, Simplified
• Broken and Whole
• The Lucrative Drama of Super Bowl Ads
• Eric R. Williams on the Machinery of Genre and Storytelling
• Let Us Now Praise Robert McKee
• ‘What If?’ Angus Fletcher on the Brain and Storythinking
• Kate Daloz on Exploring a Bygone Era and Research as Me-Search
• Why the Hidden Architecture Matters
• John Truby’s Story Beats for 14 Genres
• John Truby on the New Rules of Genre Writing (Part 2)
• John Truby on the New Rules of Genre Writing (Part 1)
• Can We Dispense the Myth about King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Passage?
• Naming Right: A Chance to Fix a Mistake by the Lake
• Will Storr on Storytelling, Writing, and the Brain
• The Quietest Hero: Remembering Bob Moses
• The Dangerous Stoicism of Lou Gehrig
• Slot Man: The Battle Over Truth and Ethics Between Seth Abramson and Lyz Lenz
• How To Draw Readers into the Story – Right Away
• How Donald Trump’s Rhetoric Jazzes His Base … And Splits the Nation
• Beware the Gaslighters: Some Simple Questions to Ask To Avoid Getting Manipulated
• The Broken House of Race in America
• Writing in the Time of Coronavirus
• Use Plotto. It Was Good Enough for Hitch …
• Tommy Tomlinson on the Craft of Writing
• Tommy Tomlinson on Writing a Memoir About Obesity
• Haskell Wexler’s Lesson for Writers: Gather Lots and Lots of Materials … And Only Then, Organize and Write Your Piece
• Edwin Wong on Risk and Tragedy: The Literary Power of High-Stakes Gambles, One-in-a-Million Chances, and Extreme Losses
• Daniel Menaker on Tragedy, Checking Facts, Writing, and the State of Publishing
• How He Does It: Robert Caro Explains His Research and Writing Process
• Tina Cassidy on Beats, Book Topics, Foils, and Plotting
• The One Idea: Success and Failure
• Always Write About Just One Idea. Here’s How.
• Create a Great Setting for a Story: A Small, Knowable Place
• The Power of Artifacts in Storytelling: Put Something in Your Character’s Hands
• Seven Essential Skills for Storytelling
• The Arc: How ‘Mad Men’ Tracked the Emotions of Life in Its Campaigns
• The Two Yous
• Science and Storytelling
• Storytelling and Branding
• That Pixar Storytelling List
• Avery Chenoweth on Telling Stories for Business
• Howard Bryant on Tricks of the Trade
• How to Be Creative, One Step at a Time
• Tim Ferriss and the Titans (4): On Divergent Thinking, Storytelling, and Integrity
• Why We Must Cultivate a ‘Beginner’s Mind’ … And How To Do It
• Follow This Day-by-Day Guide To Write Your Book (Not Just During NaNoWriMo)
• Beyond the Character Dossier: Fifty Questions for Donald Trump
• The Clue Where You Sit
• Shut Up and Listen: Brian Lamb’s Approach to Interviewing
• How to Create Cliffhangers and Surprise
• The Power of Status Details
• Spinning the Wheel: Change Your Characters’ Roles
• The Power of Parables and Fairy Tales
• The Enduring (And Sometimes Creepy) Power of Fairy Tales
• Hitchcock on the Element of Time
• The Power of Beats
• Use the 1-2-3 Code to Give Your Writing Clarity and Power
• Writing Tips from the Pros
• The Power of Patterns
• Use the Character Dossier To Create a Memorable Character
• Halberstamitis
• Presidents and Metaphors
• Dennis Littky Writes the Story of School Reform

Analysis

• The Case of the Missing Denominator
• Thinking, Fast and Slow: The Perfect Overview of How the Brain Works from a Nobel Laureate
• How Donald Trump’s Rhetoric Jazzes His Base … And Splits the Nation
• Beware the Gaslighters: Some Simple Questions to Ask To Avoid Getting Manipulated
• The Broken House of Race in America
• How to Write a Thesis: A Definitive Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Write a Dynamic Case Study
• The One Idea: Success and Failure
• Always Write About Just One Idea. Here’s How.
• How to Explain a Complex Process
• The Arc: How ‘Mad Men’ Tracked the Emotions of Life in Its Campaigns
• Tim Ferriss and the Titans (4): On Divergent Thinking, Storytelling, and Integrity
• How To Rewrite Even the Most Turgid Academic Prose
• The Clue Where You Sit
• Explaining Complex, Dense Topics
• Who’s Teaching Writing, Anyway?
• Make Even Analysis Suspenseful
• The Power of Patterns

Mechanics

• The Case of the Missing Denominator
• The Universal Blueprint
• How Does a Writer Develop Voice or Style?
• Varieties of Writer’s Block
• Don’t Believe a Word Your Friends and Colleagues Say. Instead, Find Someone Who Will Tell You the Truth.
• Andy Reid’s Approach to Creativity
• Kate Daloz on the Process of Researching and Writing
• Kate Daloz on Exploring a Bygone Era and Research as Me-Search
• Why the Hidden Architecture Matters
• Ellen Jovin on the Strangely Universal Fascination with Grammar (And Other Topics)
• Dusty’s Way: Lessons for Creators
• Why Do Politicians* Talk Like This?
• Paco Underhill on Shopping, Observing, and Writing
• How Donald Trump’s Rhetoric Jazzes His Base … And Splits the Nation
• The Broken House of Race in America
• How to Write a Left-Branching Sentence, With Dazzling Examples from Martin Luther King and Maureen Dowd
• Haskell Wexler’s Lesson for Writers: Gather Lots and Lots of Materials … And Only Then, Organize and Write Your Piece
• How He Does It: Robert Caro Explains His Research and Writing Process
• How to Write a Dynamic Case Study
• Write a Cover Letter That Opens Doors
• The One Idea: Success and Failure
• Always Write About Just One Idea. Here’s How.
• How to Pitch an Article or Book (It’s All the Same)
• How to Explain a Complex Process
• Ten Essential Rules for Writing Well
• How To Work With, Not Against, the Brain
• The ABCs of Writing: Simple Mnemonics to Remember the Essential Skills of Writing
• Don’t Do This! Ten Flawed Passages and How to Fix Them
• Seven Habits of Effective Writers
• Avery Chenoweth on Telling Stories for Business
• Howard Bryant on Tricks of the Trade
• How to Fix Bad Writing: Short Case Studies
• Developing Your Own Style
• What Are The Elements of Writing?
• How to Be Creative, One Step at a Time
• Tim Ferriss and the Titans (3): On Questions, Research, and Details
• Tim Ferriss and the Titans (2): On Planning, Journaling, and Note-Taking
• Tim Ferriss and the Titans (1): On Commitment and Focus.
• Why We Must Cultivate a ‘Beginner’s Mind’ … And How To Do It
• Follow This Day-by-Day Guide To Write Your Book (Not Just During NaNoWriMo)
• Russell Banks on Staying Unknowing
• How To Rewrite Even the Most Turgid Academic Prose
• Style and the Internet
• How to Develop Your Own Style as a Writer
• Explaining Complex, Dense Topics
• Effective Strategies for Editing
• Who’s Teaching Writing, Anyway?
• ‘Chunking’: The Most Important Skill for Explaining Complex Topics
• Shut Up and Listen: Brian Lamb’s Approach to Interviewing
• Brainstorming and the Creative Process
• Make Even Analysis Suspenseful
• The Power of Status Details
• The Lede: How to Start Your Piece
• The Gettysburg Variations
• How to Turn Clichés into Fresh Metaphors
• The Mighty Pinker Has Struck Out
• Wacking Weasel Words
• Ten Simple Tricks to Improve Writing Mechanics
• Getting College Writing Right
• The Power of Patterns
• Writing as Construction
• Halberstamitis
• Presidents and Metaphors
• Great Story, Wrong Angle
• Fish’s Lament