Benjamin Franklin has a great quote, “Lost time is never found again.”

Your time is valuable, and I’m so grateful you spent a chunk of it leveling up your storytelling skills with me in 2023. Going into the new year, I want to make sure you’re aware of a few initiatives:

• On Feb 5th, I’m launching Digital Storytelling: a limited-time course that trains you on the fundamentals and advanced techniques for short-form storytelling on the internet—Write devilishly good story-based hooks, leverage your 3 key Personal Stories (even if you hate talking about yourself), and attract the right audience for you. Verify your interest by clicking here.

• Big things are coming the rest of the year. From opportunities to hone your stories as part of a curated group to course partnerships to Q&As with published authors (as well as other storytellers), I’m pumped for what we’re launching this year. Keep an eye out.

To wrap up the year, I dug through the 50+ letters I published and picked out the 10 best to help you become a better storyteller (judged by popularity, vibes, and reader engagement).

Hope you enjoy:

1. The Rule of Three

People better understand concepts, situations, and ideas in groups of three. Why? Because the number three is the smallest number of elements needed to create a pattern.

2. The 8 Shapes of Stories

In the early 1950s, Kurt Vonnegut submitted his thesis paper to the University of Chicago’s Department of Anthropology. His idea? That the vast majority of all stories in western culture come down to just eight shapes. Brilliant stuff from a brilliant man.

3. Rhetoric & Rhythm

Aristotle’s Rhetoric is far more than just ethos, pathos, logos. It includes an excellent breakdown of narrative structure that many of today’s storytelling models are based on.

4. Gamify Your Storytelling

Video games tell some of the best stories. And it largely comes down to three things: Clear progress, setting as a character, and story engines.

5. I Open at the Close

Write the end first. That way you know what you need to achieve, what you need to mention, and what matters throughout your story. The end drives the beginning and middle, not the other way around.

6. But, Therefore

The creators of South Park say, “If the words ‘and then’ belong between those beats… you got something pretty boring. What should happen between every beat you’ve written down is the words ‘therefore’ or ‘but.’” Because stories are about causation, not continuation.

7. Open Loops

If you understand open loops, you can write hooks, keep readers engaged, and control the pace of your story. They’re the ultimate tool for any kind of storyteller.

8. Creating a Villain

Robert McKee says, “A protagonist in a story can only be as intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling as the forces of antagonism make them.” The Joker makes Batman, not the other way around.

9. Open Endings

Christopher Nolan uses “Open Endings” in almost every movie. The main plot is wrapped up. We know how the story ends. But you get the sense that the broader story could continue. The world didn’t stop existing.

10. Promise, Progress, Payoff

The most powerful yet flexible storytelling structure I’ve found. My personal favorite letter from the year.

Thank you for taking some of your valuable time to read this letter. I appreciate it more than you know. Have an awesome New Year.

Nathan

Nathan’s Picks

3 things I found interesting this week:

• This newsletter finds the most interesting biz stories I’d otherwise miss, and writes 10/10 breakdowns on them. Check out Morning Brew here for a free newsletter that is guaranteed to inform and entertain you, every single day.*

• The 3 worst ways to start a story. My first thought after watching this video was, “Wow, I’m really guilty of all three.” Excellent watch.

• A children’s book entirely illustrated with MidJourney. MJ’s recent update blew my mind. You can tell it to write words in English on the AI generated photo. Just make sure you’re using v6 and it’ll be good to go.

*Sponsored