No wise people

Welcome to 66,027 storytellers! Here are 1 tip, 3 ideas, and 1 resource to help you become a better storyteller.

PS: You can grab my Storytelling Library, a curated list of the 100+ best books, podcasts, and videos on storytelling, by sharing the newsletter with 3 friends (your unique link is at the bottom of the newsletter).

A message from VenHub

Pioneering A 5X More Profitable Store

Before Shahan Ohanessian founded VenHub, he scaled a tech business to $200M working with Uber, Yelp, Amazon, and other big brands.

Now, he’s taking investors to automate the retail industry with 24/7 automated retail stores.

This is not a simple self-checkout addition. Transactions and inventory management could transform everything about how retail entrepreneurs operate, with the potential for:

• 5X higher margins

• Slashing construction time by 98%

• Preventing $100B in annual shoplifting

VenHub's vision is to make both shoppers’ and owners’ lives easier. Their modular stores can be built in just a week, are easy to relocate, and can be tailored for almostjust about any retail vertical, from convenience stores to pharmacies.

Be a part of the future of retail and invest in Venhub today.

Now to today’s piece 🌎

1 Storytelling Tip

The negative is more interesting than the positive.

On Thursday, I tried a new hook on Twitter.

The secret to its success is hidden in the first line — using a negative.

What makes this dead-simple tactic so effective?

The “Christopher Nolan doesn’t use outlines” presents a binary.

The reader thinks ‘okay, then what does he use?’

Once you get the reader to ask themselves a question, you’ve got them. They’re interested, and they’re going to pay attention to what you say next.

I immediately close that loop and offer a breakdown of the plot map. Hook, line, and sinker. A mini-story in a tweet, and a tactic you can use with any medium.

The big idea

Robert McKee had a hand in both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Nike’s ‘greatness’ series. Not a bad legacy.

McKee harps on ‘negaphobia’ — the fear of using negative messaging:

Negatives do three things:

• Open loops

• Present a binary

• Call on human nature – Loss Aversion

Next time you tell a story, even just a little tweet, don’t forget about the negative.

3 Ideas

I.

Kristin Hannah: “It’s not intentions that matter. It’s actions. We are what we do and say, not what we intend to.”

II.

Charlie Munger: “In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”

Here are a few books I’ve enjoyed recently that you might like, too:

• Save The Cat

• The Pathless Path

• The Three-Body Problem

III.

Stephen King: “My wife made a crucial difference during those two years. Tabby never voiced a single doubt. Her support was a constant, one of the few good things I could take as a given.

And whenever I see a first novel dedicated to a wife (or husband), I smile and think, there’s someone who knows.

Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference.

They don’t have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough.”

1 Resource

I recently started using Readwise to collect my book notes. It’s like someone went through my highlights, collected them, and then categorized them in a way that actually makes sense.

• Great free plan

• Syncs to Notion

• Easily re-visit your notes

Not affiliated in any way (though I’d love to be). Just a fan. Instead of scrolling Twitter, I can scroll my Readwise feed and fill my brain with good stuff.

When you’re ready to go deeper on storytelling, here are three ways I can help:

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

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

3. To sponsor the newsletter, reply to this email for details.

Hope you have a great week,

Nathan