This tweet got me thinking about what resources I’d recommend to someone who wants to become a better storyteller but isn’t sure where to start.

So, today, let’s take a break from storytelling breakdowns and techniques to give you a curated list of my favorite resources to help you become a better storyteller. This isn’t exhaustive but I’ve filtered it down to what’s been the most helpful for me.

I broke it into different buckets such as Books, Podcasts, Lectures, Essays, etc so you can pick and choose based on your preferred mediums. Enjoy!

Books

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

• This is a brilliant book, and one I appreciate all the more each time I flip it open. A detailed breakdown of what makes some of the best short stories ever so effective, with a focus on classic Russian short stories.

Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

• I can’t recommend this book enough. Matthew has a way of distilling years of storytelling knowledge in such an approachable way. With this book, he changed how I view the stories that happen every single day that usually pass us by.

• If you want to improve your everyday storytelling, either written or spoken, start here.

Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott

• I’m between this one and King’s On Writing, but I picked Bird by Bird because it delves deep into the mindset of a storyteller. LaMott’s concept of a “shitty first draft” changes the way I build stories. Instead of needing to be perfect, you can iterate.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

• I mean, this book is a work of art. The storytelling, the writing, the world building are impeccable. Steinbeck’s able to resonate across generations blows me away. If you want to get deep into story, read fiction.

Podcasts, Channels, & Interviews

Like Stories of Old

• First, excellent name for a YouTube channel. Second, the folks behind it do an amazing job breaking down stories (mainly movies) from the lens of storytelling, culture, and psychology. I’ve spent an outrageous number of minutes on this channel.

How I Write with David Perell

• An interview podcast focused on one thing — the art and science of writing. I’ll give you 3 specific episodes that dig deep on story…

• Entrepreneur Shaan Puri, author Amor Towles, and communications expert Lulu Cheng Meservey.

Writing Excuses with Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson and friends

• Experienced authors share their biggest writing and story mistakes, plus how to avoid them yourself. They’re also hilarious and usually ~15 minutes long.

But, Therefore with the creators of South Park

• A simple yet powerful storytelling technique behind South Park's success. They actually filmed it back when MTV was relavent, but you can check it out on YouTube in less than 3 minutes.

The Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut

• Vonnegut argues that stories come in recognizable “shapes” that are repeated throughout history. He identified 8, and a recent scientific research project built on his original theory (more here). Shout out Robbie Crabtree for sharing this with me a few years back.

Lectures & Courses

Brandon Sanderson’s Creative Writing Lectures

• I cannot believe these are free on YouTube. If you’re at all interested in storytelling, really of any variety, the hours you invest watching these will return tenfold.

UltraSpeaking

• I love writing but put a camera in my face and all the sudden my hands get clammy and I forget how to talk. So, I took an UltraSpeaking cohort. It was great (though it is a bit pricey).

Masterclass Lessons on Writing & Storytelling

• Most courses on Masterclass are a bit woo-woo for me, but I’ve found 3 from excellent storytellers that were the right mix of tactical and ‘pie in the sky.’

• Those storytellers are Neil Gaiman, N.K. Jemisin, and Dan Brown. I wrote about Brown’s “3 Cs” a bit here.

Essays & Newsletters

Story Club with George Saunders

• The one newsletter I pay for (and do so happily). Saunders details what makes short stories tick, both technically and emotionally.

Start Right Before You Get Eaten by the Bear by Wes Kao

• One of the best explanations on where to start your story I’ve come across. You know that first bit of your story is so important — you gotta deal with tiktok attention spans, after all — and picking where to start is as important as how you start.

Write Simply by Paul Graham

• On simple words and complex ideas. PG writes the best essays on the internet, and this one will walk you through the beauty of simple writing.

Better Stories by Jeremy Connell-Waite

• This isn’t an essay but rather a website. Think of it as a collection of storytelling wisdom.

Practice

Copywork

• Take your favorite storyteller, copy their best work by hand, and tear apart what they do that makes you love it. The tone, the style, the techniques. Everything. I teach this in StoryWork, but you can do it for any kind of writing. I find it makes for an amazing warm up before a writing session. I also recently took Sam Parr’s CopyThat and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially if you’re want to become a better copywriter.

Story Teardowns

• This is difficulty level Hard. Copywork forces you to understand story on a scene level, but breaking down a story from beginning to end is a different beast. Start with the structure — is it 3 Act, Hero’s Journey, something else? Then dig into each subarea to see exactly how the storyteller builds their tale.

I love copywork and story teardowns because of how versatile they are. Whether you’re writing books or giving speeches or anything between, you can do those activities to practice.

That’s a lot of resources, so I’ll pause here. Have you come across something excellent that I haven’t included here? If so, I’d love to check it out and maybe include it at the bottom of next week’s letter. And if you end up poking around any of these suggestions, let me know what you think of them.

Have an awesome week,

Nathan

PS.

I’m slammed working through upgrades to my course Storytelling: Zero to One. Click here to jump on the waitlist for V2. I’m aiming for a late July release, but quality comes first.

(If you got V1, of course you get access to V2 automatically.)

Trivia — A Sentence I Wish I Wrote

Here’s a line from one of my three favorite movies. What movie does it come from?