storytelling
Out on the Wire: the Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio
Discover how the best of the best in radio and podcasting make their magic. Ira Glass, Alex Blumberg, and more.
Read MoreYour story matters. But does the audience know that?
Framing is about connecting the very specific ideas and events in a story to something larger. Use the Story Matrix to create a frame that will connect your story to something universal.
Read More“This happened, then this happened, then…” Create suspense in your storytelling
Whenever there’s a sequence of events—this happened, then that happened, then this happened—we inevitably want to find out what happened next.
Also—and this is key—this banal sequence has raised a question, namely, What’s the guy saying? And you’ll probably stick around ‘til you find out.
Read MoreGrab your audience’s attention with the XY Story Formula
What will make your audience unable to resist diving into your story?
Read MoreThe Focus Sentence: Find the Shape of Your Story
When I learned the Focus Sentence in Rob Rosenthal’s Transom Story Workshop, I felt like I’d discovered a magic wand that let me get straight to the heart of my stories.
Read MoreWhere do you get your ideas from? Notice what you notice.
The best stories come from people following their taste, diving into something that inspires them. Your taste matters.
And how do you know what your taste actually is? You have to listen to yourself, pay attention to what excites you, what you talk about.
Which idea is keeping you up at night thinking about it?
Which idea are you telling your friends about?
And then invest in it: invest your time and your attention.
Pay attention to what you pay attention to.
Drawing Words and Writing Pictures
The alchemical art of combining words and pictures to make comics: go in with nothing, and come out with a finished comic in just 15 chapters.
Read MoreMastering Comics: Drawing Words and Writing Pictures continued
Mastering Comics goes deeper and wider, introducing everything from webcomics to color, and helps the developing artist get from spark to finished work.
Read MoreFeel the burn.
Get better at helping others make their work shine. It’s a wonderful gift to give another storyteller. But it’s not all altruism: every time you work through a story, you learn more about your own work, and how to improve it.
Read MoreRadio: An Illustrated Guide
A collaboration with Ira Glass and This American Life, all about what happens behind the scenes at TAL and how they make their show.
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