Episode · How I Write · 2024-09-11
Books mentioned on The Secret to Storytelling?
Nick Bilton recommended Save the cat! by Blake Snyder, and discussed The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. David Perell recommended Rocket men by Robert Kurson.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Save the cat!
Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder is a foundational screenwriting guide that breaks down storytelling into clear structural frameworks, beats, and specific page-number milestones.
Recommended“So, learning all of that and like reading books like there's a great book on screenwriting called Kill the Save the Cat.”
Where to get it
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The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novella by Ernest Hemingway about an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
Discussed“He's Hemingway. But what he does is like pick up The Old Man and the Sea. He says old man and sea and blue and boat like 10 times.”
Where to get it
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a celebrated philosophical novel that follows a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago on his journey across the desert in search of treasure, ultimately discovering a message about listening to one's heart and pursuing personal destiny.
Discussed“And I I went and was talking to him and I was like, "How does it feel to know that like your book The Alchemist has been on the New York Times best seller list for like 15 years, you know?"”
Where to get it
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Rocket men
Rocket Men by Robert Kurson is a gripping narrative nonfiction account detailing the historic Apollo 8 mission and the daring astronauts who journeyed to the moon.
Recommended“And to do that, I'm going to read you a quote from a book that I love called Rocket Men by Robert Kurson.”
Where to get it
