Timeless tales

The 3 keys to tell stories that last

Author

Nathan Baugh
June 10, 2023

Here are 1 tactic, 3 ideas, and 1 resource to help you become a more effective, creative storyteller.

Let’s do it.

Hook of the day: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

Reply with your best guess of what movie it comes from. I’ll send the 13th correct reply a copy of Storyworthy.

1 TACTIC

Make it timeless.

Nassim Taleb says, “If you want to be read in the future, make sure you would’ve been read in the past.”

There are 3 keys to timeless stories:

  • Theme

  • Category

  • Structure

Here’s how to tell timeless stories (regardless of what you talk about):

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3 IDEAS

I.

“The usual hero adventure begins with someone from whom something has been taken, or who feels there is something lacking in the normal experience available or permitted to the members of society. The person then takes off on a series of adventures beyond the ordinary, either to recover what has been lost or to discover some life-giving elixir. It’s usually a cycle, a coming and a returning.”

— Joseph Campbell

II.

“I hadn’t done the work. Writing is a byproduct of hours and hours of reading, researching, thinking, making my notecards. When a day’s writing goes well, it’s got little to do with that day at all. It’s actually a lagging indicator of hours and hours spent researching and thinking. Every passage and page has a prologue titled preparation.”

— Ryan Holiday

III.

“You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it.”

— Margaret Atwood

1 RESOURCE

One Youtube channel I’m a little bit addicted to — Lessons From the Screenplay. Videos on:

  • Evoking emotion

  • Empathy for the anti-hero

  • Underestimating your audience

And more. All based on movies or TV shows. The depth the creator goes into is astounding, and he points out details I’d miss otherwise. Give it a watch.

Want to go deeper on storytelling?

1. If you want a practical way to improve your storywriting in less than 25 minutes daily, check out StoryWork (200+ students).

2. Grab time with me for a 1:1 session on storytelling, newsletters, attracting an audience, or anything else.

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Hope you have a great week,

Nathan