It doesn’t matter whether you’re telling a story to sell, persuade, or entertain – there’s 3 things you always need: A beginning that grabs A middle that keeps An ending that lingers I was reminded of this by a post on the Nieman Storyboard – it’s talking about storytelling in journalism, but the principles of writing something that sticks in the reader’s head well after they’ve finished are pretty...

Ken Burns on story, via the phenomenally good BrainPicker blog. 1 + 1 = 3 Check it. Share this:FacebookTwitterGoogleLinkedIn

Today, a story post, because my latest one is being a pain. I like stories with elements of the fantastic, but where the fantastic is just part of how the world works. Tamed fantastic. The kind of fantastic where a man can be followed everywhere he goes by a cloud of yellow butterflies, and no-one remarks on it. It’s just his thing. I think this is because I like the stories I read (and write) to have something to say…...

What were you doing when you heard that Ray Bradbury had died? I found out in a Skype chat. As a few of us worked through an under-performing presell campaign for another member of the group, it was dropped in. I’m being a bit dramatic here. I’ve only read a couple of his books, and though they were good he wasn’t in my top 5 authors. (Yes, I have a top 5. And so should you.) But I’ve got to admit, the guy knew how...