Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules of Storytelling
Narrated by the author himself
This is a video of Kurt Vonnegut sharing his 8 rules of good storytelling. Included:
How to think about your readers time
How to think about each sentence
Where to start
…and more.
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1. Maximize Engagement
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Create Relatable Heroes
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Establish Desires
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Drive the Narrative
Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start at the Climax
Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Test Your Characters
Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write for One
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Provide Clarity Early
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where, and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
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