How to become a masterful storyteller

From novels to screenwriting, storytelling is one of our most powerful forms of communication.

  • Reading has been shown to make you more intelligent and empathic, a trait that good writers learn to master.
  • Storytelling is one of the most important forms of communication that humans engage in.
  • While "finding your voice" is what writers crave, beginning with the basics is an essential step on any writer's path.
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Write killer sentences with Ludwig, the premium writing tool

This sentence search engine takes an innovative approach to improving your writing skills.

  • Ludwig is a search engine that critiques and offers help to improve your sentences.
  • Ludwig's database includes 200 million expert English sentences for reference.
  • Regularly $299.99, a lifetime of Ludwig access is now only $119.
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Five essential writing tips backed by science

Will Storr has written a masterful guide to writing with "The Science of Storytelling."

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  • In "The Science of Storytelling," journalist Will Storr investigates the science behind great storytelling.
  • While good plots are important, Storr writes that great stories revolve around complex characters.
  • As in life, readers are drawn to flawed characters, yet many writers become too attached to their protagonists.
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People aren't reading less. In fact, literature has never been so interactive.

A new study at the University of Basel shows how interactive literature has become.

Photo by Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images
  • Researchers at the University of Basel tracked the habits of millions of readers using the platform Wattpad.
  • Over 100,000 stories written in over 50 languages are shared every day by predominantly young readers.
  • "Social reading"—everything related to the experience of reading ebooks, including bookmarking, sharing, and commenting—has emerged from interacting with digital texts.
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Ethan Hawke: Why ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are fickle concepts in history

When you simplify history, you obliterate the truth, says Ethan Hawke.

  • In 2016, Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth published the graphic novel Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars. Who were the good guys and bad guys in that era of history? It's not a straightforward question.
  • The novel includes historical characters like Geronimo, Cochise and General O.O. Howard, all of whom were at times arguably heroes and villains.
  • "One of the things that I love about studying history," says Hawke, "is that you see that it's not like 'Oh, one thing was bad and one thing was good.' You know, the wrong people won certain battles. The wrong people won certain elections."
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