Join my Substack community at storypower.substack.com
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
Writers on Writing
- Let Us Now Praise Robert McKee
- ‘What If?’ Angus Fletcher on the Brain and Storythinking
- Kate Daloz on the Process of Researching and Writing
- Kate Daloz on Exploring a Bygone Era and Research as Me-Search
- John Truby’s Story Beats for 14 Genres
- Ellen Jovin on the Strangely Universal Fascination with Grammar (And Other Topics)
- John Truby on the New Rules of Genre Writing (Part 2)
- John Truby on the New Rules of Genre Writing (Part 1)
- Paco Underhill on Shopping, Observing, and Writing
- Will Storr on Storytelling, Writing, and the Brain
- How To Draw Readers into the Story – Right Away
- How Donald Trump’s Rhetoric Jazzes His Base … And Splits the Nation
- 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
- Charlie Bagli on The Challenges of Covering New York Real Estate
- Tina Cassidy on Beats, Book Topics, Foils, and Plotting
- Historian Garrett Peck on Discipline, Writing ‘What You Know,’ and the Importance of Hard Facts
- The Story of Bill Nack’s Classic Farewell to Secretariat
- That Pixar Storytelling List
- Virginia Postrel on Big Ideas, Overlooked Issues, Style, and Hard Reporting
- Daniel Coyle on the Talent Code, Shifting Between Story and Summary, and Chasing the Big Whale
- Laura Zigman on Make-Believe and True Stories, Writing Routines, Story Structures, and Adaptation
- Daniel Willingham on Psychology, the Brain, the Battle for Clarity, and Writing
- Katie Hafner on Writing Technical Writing, Intimate Stories, and the Hard Work of Research
- Avery Chenoweth on Telling Stories for Business
- Avery Chenoweth on Fact Versus Fiction, Discovering Stories, Finding Telling Details, and Pitching
- Howard Bryant on Tricks of the Trade
- Howard Bryant on His Inspirations as a Writer
- John McPhee’s Step-By-Step Approach to Narrative Nonfiction
- Tips from the Masters on Writing Your Book
- What Are The Elements of Writing?
- The Challenges of Writing and Editing: Q&A with Kris Spisak
- Tim Ferriss and the Titans (4): On Divergent Thinking, Storytelling, and Integrity
- 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.
- Interviewing Tips from the Pros
- Tom Wolfe’s Lesson on Writing with Pizzazz
- The Enduring (And Sometimes Creepy) Power of Fairy Tales
- Writers on Writing: Books for Your Library
- The Mighty Pinker Has Struck Out
- Malcolm Gladwell’s Rejection Letter
- Secrets of High Achievers
- Writing Well in the Age of the Internet, Technical Writing, and DIY Publishing