Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories
Less then five minutes long. Entertaining and true. (His Slaughtehouse-Five is the only successful anti-war novel I’ve read).
Books and Recommendations
Technology (22): Francis Bacon on Combinatorial Innovation, the Big Three Technologies of the Renaissance, and Pure Science
CX. There are, moreover, some inventions which render it probable that men may pass and hurry over the most noble discoveries which lie immediately before… Read More »Technology (22): Francis Bacon on Combinatorial Innovation, the Big Three Technologies of the Renaissance, and Pure Science
George Saunders: A Hill of One’s Own
I’ve been really enjoying George Saunders’ fantastic A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. As well as showcasing some great Russian short stories it’s… Read More »George Saunders: A Hill of One’s Own
“I read a line and I like it enough to read the next”: George Saunders on Stories as Linear Temporal Phenomena
From the so-far excellent A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: Years ago, on the phone with Bill Buford, then fiction editor of The… Read More »“I read a line and I like it enough to read the next”: George Saunders on Stories as Linear Temporal Phenomena
Michael Seibel (2): On Digital Technology and Physical Products
This video from UC Berkeley’s entrepreneurship class is an entertaining take on building successful companies (read: organisations) that work. Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel is nice… Read More »Michael Seibel (2): On Digital Technology and Physical Products
Michael Seibel (1): How to Know if You’re Winning
This video from UC Berkeley’s entrepreneurship class is an entertaining take on building successful companies (i.e. organisations) that work. Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel is nice… Read More »Michael Seibel (1): How to Know if You’re Winning
Marc Andreessen on Scar Tissue, Trying and Failing in the Probabilistic Domain
This was a good interview on Farnham Street’s The Knowledge Project – listen here. Marc Andreessen: It’s the most natural thing in the world to… Read More »Marc Andreessen on Scar Tissue, Trying and Failing in the Probabilistic Domain
Resource: Structuring Stories with Mary Robinette Kowal (2) – MICE Nests and the Pinging of Narrative Elastic
The Information Architecture of Narrative If you came in late, start here. Tool 2: MICE nests Mary Robinette Kowal’s second insight into story structure is… Read More »Resource: Structuring Stories with Mary Robinette Kowal (2) – MICE Nests and the Pinging of Narrative Elastic
Resource: Structuring Stories with Mary Robinette Kowal (1) – the MICE Quotient
I’ve been enjoying Brandon Sanderson‘s lecture series on writing fantasy and science fiction at Brigham Young University. The standout so far has been Mary Robinette… Read More »Resource: Structuring Stories with Mary Robinette Kowal (1) – the MICE Quotient
Get Back: Thoughts on Watching The Beatles
For those who came in late… So did I. Get Back (released in November 2021) is a 7 hour documentary in three parts, made almost… Read More »Get Back: Thoughts on Watching The Beatles