Want to write thrilling stories? Nick Bilton has the playbook. He's written for Netflix and The New York Times, and this episode is a tell-all class on how to create tension with hooks, cliffhangers, drama, and conflict. Highlights below: 1. Evil characters only work if readers care about them. 2. The best way to make readers care about an evil character is to humanize them. You can do that by focusing on simple details like how they lose their keys. Or, you can write about their mother because every murderer has a mother who loves them. 3. You can't look down on your characters. You have to look out with them. 4. Rule for writing screenplays: Get into the scene as late as you can, and get out of it as early as you can. 5. Fiction stories have the opposite shape as non-fiction ones. 6. In fiction, the kicker comes at the beginning and the summary comes at the end. In non-fiction, the summary comes at the beginning and the kicker comes at the end. 7. How’d Nick learn to tell better stories? By reading murder mysteries. 8. If the story's good enough, the book will fly off the shelves. Look at the Twilight series. The books sold like crazy even though the writing stinks. 9. How do you write good cliffhangers? Show people a little bit of the future, but don't reveal everything. 10. Ask the question at the end of one chapter and answer it shortly after. The answer doesn't need to come right away, but you have to answer it soon. 11. There are two kinds of stories that work: Big ones about something small, and small ones about something big. Stories in the middle are usually terrible. 12. Nick once asked the legendary journalist David Carr for advice. The response: “Keep typing until it turns into writing.” 13. You can tell a good story without knowing everything that happened, but you do need to know enough to make the reader feel like they're there. 14. Writers often over-describe their scenes. You only need three details. For example, if you're at a campground, you might only need the sight of the pine needles on the ground, the smell of a nearby campfire, and the sound of crickets in the distance. 15. We admire characters more for trying than their successes (this is rule #1 in Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling).
What was the book he read on how to write murder mysteries? Also, I'm distracted in watching this - I see a manual typewriter in the corner on the bottom shelf and I'm so jealous. lol
What a great interview, I listen to it twice and will probably listen to it again. But I have two-story ideas for you, big ideas little people. The first big story is I work at a space center ever going to the moon. That’s kinda huge. The second idea in St. Louis. There’s a landfill with 80 tons of nuclear waste and the landfills on fire, he does not do about it. If the stuff catches on fire, they would have to evacuate St. Louis and everything east to New York.. that is kind of a big story, lol
the second one about nuclear landfills in St. Louis is interesting, what stops him from not doing anything about the landfills that it burns...or it would burn if he doesn't do anything about it?
@@samasora9398 Must have been speaking into the phone, as my comment was a little incoherent. 1. I finished the radiation story, sent it out to some test readers. 2. The burning landfill with Manhattan project radioactive waste is true and sad because of the terrible cancer rates in the St. Louis area. The EPA does not know what to do with the fire or waste. Look it up. 'West lake landfill'. 3. The garbled part of my comment, is the no one can do anything about the fire or nuke waste, so the story has the land fill burning & cancer rates as a back drop. 4. The rough drafts of the first half of the book are on line at my blog site (errors and all) at "Bruce Ryba Ongoing writing projects"
Just Read a few pages of nicks book *American Kingpin* Main character is _Ross Ulbricht_ Ross meaning promontory Ulbricht Meaning illustrious. Ross is in charge of a dark website called _Silk Road_ The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected Asia with Europe and the Mediterranean from the second century .... Reading a few pages... Seems _ok_ Thanks for the interview . A good story teller needs to have subtly.... Finness... (Hard to find these days) Happy autumn 2024 everyone
I know ideas aren't worth spit. But there's a book idea that I'm debating with myself whether or not I should put it here because I'm thinking of writing it myself.
That's not creepy, it just sounds like great research! And now I have Tetris songs in my head. I haven't read the elon musk piece, but its not fun so much to read articles about people when they're bias bleeds through too much. And it's clear he cannot stand him, and is looking down on his subject and not out with them.
Story idea: autism outcome improves with diagnosis by 3 years old. But very few doctors (like me) will assess for autism before 3yo. They tell mom's " your child will out grow it" or " can't diagnose less than 6 yo".
This was really interesting BUT you interrupted him and took him on a tangent and so never got the question answered : what’s on his syllabus. Seriously that was the logical question and I really wanted to know as I’m sure all your viewers did as well.
With this much quality in these episodes, am starting to get worried, that we are raising the bar high for the Sam Altman episode. Am worried. Worried in a positive way...?
Did you notice the change in the level of what you were getting back from Nick at around 1 hour 4 mins? I watch a lot of your content and you have fantastic guests, but you as an interviewer need to learn how to connect with your guests much earlier and your channel will be phenomenal!
It’s because David is chiming in with his opinion too much. The guest is a New York Times bestselling author, he’s probably shocked that a TH-camr is piggybacking on his points.
Want to write thrilling stories? Nick Bilton has the playbook.
He's written for Netflix and The New York Times, and this episode is a tell-all class on how to create tension with hooks, cliffhangers, drama, and conflict.
Highlights below:
1. Evil characters only work if readers care about them.
2. The best way to make readers care about an evil character is to humanize them. You can do that by focusing on simple details like how they lose their keys. Or, you can write about their mother because every murderer has a mother who loves them.
3. You can't look down on your characters. You have to look out with them.
4. Rule for writing screenplays: Get into the scene as late as you can, and get out of it as early as you can.
5. Fiction stories have the opposite shape as non-fiction ones.
6. In fiction, the kicker comes at the beginning and the summary comes at the end. In non-fiction, the summary comes at the beginning and the kicker comes at the end.
7. How’d Nick learn to tell better stories? By reading murder mysteries.
8. If the story's good enough, the book will fly off the shelves. Look at the Twilight series. The books sold like crazy even though the writing stinks.
9. How do you write good cliffhangers? Show people a little bit of the future, but don't reveal everything.
10. Ask the question at the end of one chapter and answer it shortly after. The answer doesn't need to come right away, but you have to answer it soon.
11. There are two kinds of stories that work: Big ones about something small, and small ones about something big. Stories in the middle are usually terrible.
12. Nick once asked the legendary journalist David Carr for advice. The response: “Keep typing until it turns into writing.”
13. You can tell a good story without knowing everything that happened, but you do need to know enough to make the reader feel like they're there.
14. Writers often over-describe their scenes. You only need three details. For example, if you're at a campground, you might only need the sight of the pine needles on the ground, the smell of a nearby campfire, and the sound of crickets in the distance.
15. We admire characters more for trying than their successes (this is rule #1 in Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling).
What was the book he read on how to write murder mysteries? Also, I'm distracted in watching this - I see a manual typewriter in the corner on the bottom shelf and I'm so jealous. lol
@@dreamslayer2424upvote
love this. more fiction writers please
Concur. I wanna pick the brains of fiction writers.
Bilton embodies the axiom, "show don't tell." Insightful. Thank you
I like this takeaway: Overwrite. Then cut cut cut. It's probably easier to do it that way instead of trying to write it perfectly immediately.
yes but have a story in mind. dont start with nothing
Your intros hook me each time - one of my favourite parts🔥🔥🔥
Next level editing. Great video production.
@@mrjohnbaseley exactly!
100000%
SO GOOD. Been loving this series and this one knocked it outta the park! 💪💪💪
Note: When journalists say "Paint the room," It's jargon to make "show don't tell" seem new
Saving this to my playlists to come back to again! Great work guys!!
What a great interview, I listen to it twice and will probably listen to it again. But I have two-story ideas for you, big ideas little people. The first big story is I work at a space center ever going to the moon. That’s kinda huge. The second idea in St. Louis. There’s a landfill with 80 tons of nuclear waste and the landfills on fire, he does not do about it. If the stuff catches on fire, they would have to evacuate St. Louis and everything east to New York.. that is kind of a big story, lol
the second one about nuclear landfills in St. Louis is interesting, what stops him from not doing anything about the landfills that it burns...or it would burn if he doesn't do anything about it?
@@samasora9398 Must have been speaking into the phone, as my comment was a little incoherent. 1. I finished the radiation story, sent it out to some test readers. 2. The burning landfill with Manhattan project radioactive waste is true and sad because of the terrible cancer rates in the St. Louis area. The EPA does not know what to do with the fire or waste. Look it up. 'West lake landfill'. 3. The garbled part of my comment, is the no one can do anything about the fire or nuke waste, so the story has the land fill burning & cancer rates as a back drop. 4. The rough drafts of the first half of the book are on line at my blog site (errors and all) at "Bruce Ryba Ongoing writing projects"
Nick should get that FAA ruling added to his Wikipedia. Because that's an incredible life achievement
So insightful, damn 🔥
Just Read a few pages of nicks book *American Kingpin*
Main character is _Ross Ulbricht_
Ross meaning promontory
Ulbricht
Meaning illustrious.
Ross is in charge of a dark website called
_Silk Road_
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected Asia with Europe and the Mediterranean from the second century ....
Reading a few pages... Seems _ok_
Thanks for the interview .
A good story teller needs to have subtly.... Finness... (Hard to find these days)
Happy autumn 2024 everyone
I know ideas aren't worth spit. But there's a book idea that I'm debating with myself whether or not I should put it here because I'm thinking of writing it myself.
That's not creepy, it just sounds like great research! And now I have Tetris songs in my head.
I haven't read the elon musk piece, but its not fun so much to read articles about people when they're bias bleeds through too much. And it's clear he cannot stand him, and is looking down on his subject and not out with them.
Story idea: autism outcome improves with diagnosis by 3 years old. But very few doctors (like me) will assess for autism before 3yo. They tell mom's " your child will out grow it" or " can't diagnose less than 6 yo".
31:04
Which murder mystery writing book did he read? Did I just miss that?
I was wondering the same thing! I would love to know what specific one it is.
I was searching the comments for this also 😂
Shame he doesn’t have his own writing book on storytelling
This was really interesting BUT you interrupted him and took him on a tangent and so never got the question answered : what’s on his syllabus. Seriously that was the logical question and I really wanted to know as I’m sure all your viewers did as well.
With this much quality in these episodes, am starting to get worried, that we are raising the bar high for the Sam Altman episode.
Am worried. Worried in a positive way...?
TH-cam said there was a new video. Turns out you just changed the title.
Did you notice the change in the level of what you were getting back from Nick at around 1 hour 4 mins? I watch a lot of your content and you have fantastic guests, but you as an interviewer need to learn how to connect with your guests much earlier and your channel will be phenomenal!
It’s because David is chiming in with his opinion too much. The guest is a New York Times bestselling author, he’s probably shocked that a TH-camr is piggybacking on his points.