Ira Glass on Storytelling [editor]

Ira class is a storyteller, executive producer and host of This American Life, which is, of course, an NPR radio show by those hipster know-it-alls who talk about how fascinating ordinary people are.

In these short video casts, Ira gives some nuggets of wisdom about storytelling. Though the focus is on audio/video media, many of his points are transferable in the grander scheme of written word as well.

Perhaps the most relevant issue, in my opinion, for us at Silhouette is what he says in episode three about the phase in any creative persons life of being somewhat crappy in their work. This can go on for years and the problem is that most people quit too soon before they get their groove on. The best way to get through this phase is to simply do a lot of work to catch up reality with your ideal.

Number One [Building Blocks]


Number Two [Finding a Good Story]


Number Three [Being Crappy]


Number Four [Pitfalls]