Ira Glass on Effective Storytelling

Ira Glass is a master storyteller, as anyone who has ever listened to This American Life can attest. Below, in a series of occasionally hilarious videos and articles, Ira reveals his secrets of effective storytelling: from how to tell when a story isn’t working, to turning the creative process into a polished, finished product.

The 13 principles to creating “more, better radio”, from a 1998 lecture

Three-part ‘manifesto’ on storytelling and working in radio, from 2004

Ira’s fantastic speech at Gel (32:25)

Four-part interview series:

• Part One: The building blocks of a good story (5:24)
• Part Two: On finding great stories (4:02)
• Part Three: On good taste (5:20)
• Part Four: On two common pitfalls (2:46)

(Mostly) via Kottke (1, 2)