How to Write Powerful Stories — Brandon Stanton
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Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York, came on the show to talk about how he wrote his way to five published books and 13 million Instagram followers. Along the way, the man basically invented his own genre of biography. There are short stories, there are long stories.
What he would do every single day is he'd walk out onto the streets of New York, photograph people, and interview them. He would say, "How do I tell this person's story?"
What he discovered is that these people's stories were stories about the human condition itself. It went completely viral.
So if you're interested in thinking about how to tell better stories about people, how to find your voice as a writer, then you're going to like this conversation.
00:02:23 The story of Humans of New York
00:05:35 How to interview strangers
00:08:35 Where to find the truth
00:23:14 The keys to a good conversation
00:27:14 How to write somebody’s story
00:33:39 Escaping the algorithm
00:40:07 Telling ordinary people’s stories
00:49:09 Brandon’s unique writing style
00:57:11 Lessons from Robert Caro
1:01:11 The one thing every story needs
1:06:18 Brandon’s best writing advice
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
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