The Shapes of Stories

21K votes, 289 comments. 5.5M subscribers in the coolguides community. Picture based reference guides for anything and everything. If it seems like…

The Real Star of M*A*S*H

A personal tribute to the overlooked genius of writer W.C. Heinz.

The Anatomy of an Amazon 6-pager

A deep dive into writing detailed planning docs from one of the most successful companies in the world

The messages that survived civilisation's collapse - BBC Future

The Sumerians, Maya and other ancient cultures created texts that have lasted hundreds and even thousands of years. Here's what they can teach us about crafting an immortal message.

5 tips for writing amazingly jargon-free product copy

These five tactics will help simplify and clarify your technical copy.

The 50 Greatest Fictional Deaths of All Time

The most tearjerking, hilarious, satisfying, and shocking death scenes in 2,500 years of culture.

14 Persuasive Writing Techniques That Trigger A Response

Here are 14 persuasive writing techniques that will make your website appeal to visitors and increase your conversion rates.

RTFM? How to write a manual worth reading

Patience and empathy are the basis of good documentation, much as they are the basis for being a decent person. Here's a how-to for creating better open source project docs, which can help your users and grow your community.

“Writing is Thinking”—an annotated twitter thread

“Writing is thinking” is my favorite expression for how to work in a company. This annotated thread explores the value of writing.

Kurt Vonnegut on the 8 "shapes" of stories

Before fame, Kurt Vonnegut wrote a master's thesis on the shapes of stories for the anthropology department at the University of Chicago.

The Ten Commandments for Detective Fiction (1929): A Brief History and Update – Elizabeth Spann Craig

Writer @GretchenMdm9524 gives a brief history of 1929's 10 Commandments for Detective Fiction and offers some modern updates.

12 Innovative Mobile Payment Apps

Paying with a smartphone is easier than ever. Innovative mobile payment apps are providing consumers with new ways to exchange money with peers, purchase

The Periodic Table of Storytelling

The basic building blocks of storytelling

The History of the Singular 'They'

The singular form of 'they' has been endorsed by writers like Jane Austen and William Shakespeare.

Improve Your Storytelling with the Word "But"

Telling a story is the most powerful way to activate our brains . If you want to become a better storyteller, UCLA Film School Howard Suber says you

Ultimate Terms

There are words which have special meaning within each culture and carry power where they are used.

How To Improve Your Writing: 5 Secrets From Hollywood - Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Andrew Kevin Walker, writer of the movie "Seven", gives five tips on how to improve your writing.

How to Write Email with Military Precision | Flipboard

Harvard Business Review - When you send an email, the first thing your recipient sees is the subject line, so make sure it’s as clear as possible: What is your email’s purpose? What do you want your recipient to do? Take a page from military personnel. Their subject lines use…

30 Genius Cover Letter Openers Recruiters Will LOVE

Don’t waste space with “I’m writing to apply…”

Elmore Leonard's rules for writers

Next month, the doyen of hardboiled crime writers is publishing a new book, 10 Rules of Writing. The following is a brief summary of his advice

How the Ballpoint Pen Killed Cursive

Thicker ink meant it didn't smudge as easily as its predecessor, the fountain pen—but it also made writing by hand more physically demanding.

How to Write Better with The Why, What, How Framework

Three documents I write (one-pager, design doc, after-action review) and how I structure them.

43 of the Most Iconic Short Stories in the English Language

From Washington Irving to Kristen Roupenian.

I've Used All The Notebooks - Tyler Cipriani

The power of TK

The origin of the editor’s mark “TK” is murky. It’s what you write when there’s a fact or addition you’re waiting on. Instead of stopping everything, simply type…

How I learned to stop worrying and structure all writing as a list

We like lists because they are an objectively good way to organize information. They allow readers to quickly and easily get what they want.

Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck

On the value of unconscious association, or why the best advice is no advice.

What Makes a Great Opening Line?

Maybe it has happened to you: a stranger catches your eye while you peruse the plant identification section of the library, or wander a mossy hillock speckled with Amanita bisporigera, or shuffle a…

In a world gone digital, Moleskine still believes in the power of paper

"Paper is not going away, it's not going anywhere," CEO Daniela Riccardi said. Here's how she's keeping it relevant for consumers.

Amazon.com : Miquelrius 8.25 x 11.75 A4 Wirebound Notebook, 6-Subject, Graph Paper, Black : Graph Paper Pads : Office Products

Kurt Vonnegut’s Greatest Writing Advice

No-nonsense advice with a little bit of nonsense.

The 41 Best Pens for 2022: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens |

We draw on years of testing to crown the best beginner fountain pen, best gel pen, best pen for note-taking, and more. Each recommendation includes links to related guides so that you can evaluate the competition for yourself.

Write like you code

Similarities between good writing and good code.

Japan's Paper Culture | JetPens

With Japan’s rich traditions in paper, it’s no wonder that paper is such a big part of Japanese culture. Keep reading to learn more about why paper is so important in Japan—plus, take a look at a few of our favorite Japanese paper companies.

Taking Humor Seriously on “The Simpsons”

David Owen’s 2000 Profile of George Meyer: Humor has to reframe reality, Meyer says. “It’s like seeing in two dimensions and then opening the other eye or looking through a View-Master and suddenly seeing in three.”

Two Tips That Instantly Improve Your Everyday Writing Forever

If you think about it, you accomplish most daily tasks with writing.

The Commas That Cost Companies Millions

For most people, a stray comma isn’t the end of the world. But in some cases, the exact placement of a punctuation mark can cost huge sums of money.

Writing well

Learn how to write well. Topics include figuring out what to write about, how to write an introduction, the writing process, writing style, and copyediting.

Chekhov's gun

Chekhov's gun is a narrative principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary and irrelevant elements should be removed. For example, if a writer features a gun in a story, there must be a reason for it, such as it being fired some time later in the plot…

21 Rhetorical Devices Explained - Mental Floss - Pocket

From the ones you know to a few new tricks. Pleonasm, anyone?

Raymond Chandler’s guide to street, hoodlum, and prison lingo

Writers keep notebooks because ideas come in the most unexpected of places. Notebooks contain a junkyard of treasures waiting to be discovered. They provide ports of entry to the imagination. And as Joan Didion once wrote, a place to keep “on nodding terms with the people we…

How to Create the Plot of a Story: The Ultimate Guide for Writers

Having trouble developing the plot of a story? You aren't alone—this is no small task. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. This guide is here to help.

The four kinds of documentation, and why you need to understand what they a

The Joy of Writing a Recommendation

5 tips on putting together a recommendation to help a young adult

From teen wizards to Harry Styles romances: How Wattpad created a user-gene

Wattpad is turning these user-generated stories into books, TV shows, and movies.

The one where writing books is not really a good idea - The Novelleist

Could the creator economy provide a better one?

John Swartzwelder, Sage of “The Simpsons” | The New Yorker

The first major interview with one of the most revered comedy writers of all time.

The Six Keys to Positive Communication

Communicating better can help you achieve your goals and deepen your relationships.

How to | How to write cold emails to investors – lessons from 30 VCs

Want to get your cold email to investors opened and read? Learn from the tips of some of the top VC investors.

These 7 phrases can help you sound more powerful at work - Fast Company

Sometimes, it really is what you say that makes a difference.