‘I’ll Take It Medium . . .’

The Elements of Storytelling

You’re working on a story that matters. You need the advice of the best storytellers from ancient times to the present. You have come to the right place.

Whether you’re working on that novel for NaNoWriMo, a family memoir, the history of a business, or a new take on a key moment in history, you need the “tricks of the trade” that Homer followed and Aristotle outlined thousands of years ago. You would benefit from Shakespeare’s maneuvers, Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway’s twists, not to mention the deft touches of modern masters like Elizabeth Gilbert and Emma Donoghue.

It’s all here.

In this pathbreaking book, Charles Euchner taps the greatest minds of psychology, economics, anthropology, and sociology to understand how the world works—all through the popular “frame” of TV’s best drama. [expand title=”(More)”]

These brief, clear accounts not only give you more insight into an iconic set of TV characters, but also add insight into modern life, long after the age of the Mad Men.

Because we are a generation removed from the Sixties, we can see the flaws of old, discredited attitudes—about race and sex, booze and business, cities and families. But the challenges that the Mad Men faced decades ago—and the people they addressed in their ad campaigns—are universal.

Charles Euchner, the author of the renowned Nobody Turn Me Around who has taught in Yale’s premier writing program, has not just broken down the best of the best to identify their tricks. He has also dug into the brave new world of brain research to figure out how you can manage your writing process—and give your reader a compelling experience.

The Elements of Storytelling offers the first third of The Elements of Writing,, the only comprehensive system, for mastering writing in all genres. If you want the complete writing took hit, get The Elements of Writing. If you want to focus on stories, get this short but rich guide.

In less than 200 pages, Euchner shows you:

• How to create a compelling cast of characters, using the Character Dossier and the Wheel of Character Types.
• How to build scenes that reveal the “world of the story”—but also don’t detract from the characters or action.
• How to create action that arouses the reader and also reveals worlds about the character and place.
• How to pace scenes, “beast by beat,” so everything matters and everything feels “whole.”
• How to find the details that reveal essential, telling clues, so your readers can experience your story, moment by moment, as it unfolds.
• How to tap into the senses to make your story physical and sensual—and unforgettable.
• And so much more.

Charles Euchner—a case writer at the Yale School of Management and author of books on writing, the sports industry, civil rights, and politics—has taught his unique system to audiences across the U.S. He works the full range of writers–from high school students and teachers to first-time and bestselling authors.

Euchner is the author of a whole library for writers. His works include Mad Men’s Guide to Persuasion, a complete guide to the psychology of the ad campaigns in the classic TV series, and In Cold Type, a point-by-point analyses Truman Capote’s true-crime classic In Cold Blood.

It’s time to move your story forward. Get The Elements of Storytelling and get the inside tricks and secrets of the craft. [/expand]

The Elements of Composition

Writing can be such drudgery. As you try to understand dry, arcane rules—old-fashioned “do’s” and “don’ts,” contradictory commands, incomprehensible terminology—you can get paralyzed. Drafting takes forever. You struggle to put on paper what you can explain perfectly well in conversation.

Zzzzzzz.

#$@%^&*+!

No more.

The Elements of Composition offers a unique approach to the mechanics of writing—building great sentences and paragraphs, selecting the right words, mastering the ins and outs of grammar, gaining control over the editing process—and much more.

Charles Euchner, a longtime author and teacher, offers simple, intuitive tricks for gaining control of your writing, line by line. The key is the Golden Rule of Writing. [expand title=”(More)”]

Euchner’s approach is based on the latest research on learning and the brain. By understanding how we naturally perceive the world and express ourselves, we can gain control of our writing process—and anticipate the reader’s needs. The Golden Rule offers a fail-safe approach to write strong drafts and then revise and edit them, faster and better than you ever have before.

Euchner taps the greatest writers from all fields—fiction, long form narrative, journalism, and even cinema—to show you, step by step, how to take control of your writing.

Rather than issuing a series of commands, Euchner shows you, step by step, how to take control of your writing.

This approach has transformed the work of writers all over—students and teachers, journalists, business professionals, and even established authors.

Charles Euchner, the author of the renowned Nobody Turn Me Around who has taught in Yale’s premier writing program, has not just broken down the best of the best to identify their tricks. He has tested and validated his approach with writers in all fields. One first-time author, commenting on her work with Euchner’s system, says simply: “Trust me. It works.”

The Elements of Composition offers the second third of The Elements of Writing,, the only comprehensive system, for mastering writing in all genres. If you want the complete writing took hit, get The Elements of Writing. If you want to focus solely on the mechanics of writing, get this concise but detailed guide.

In just over 200 pages, Euchner shows you how to:

• Master the craft of building great sentences—and then burn this skill into your brain so it becomes (almost) automatic.
• Understand the true purpose and structure of a paragraph, the “orphan” of all modern writing guides and programs.
• Use the Golden Rule’s imperative to “start strong, finish strong” to structure your writing process—so you always know where you’re going and never veer off course.
• Take control of the editing process with the “search and destroy” strategy, which helps you avoid overwhelming your brain and focus on just one problem at a time.
• Make the right decisions about which word to use—not only for clarity, but also for power and style.

And so much more.

Charles Euchner—a case writer at the Yale School of Management and author of books on writing, the sports industry, civil rights, and politics—has taught his unique system to audiences across the U.S. He works the full range of writers–from high school students and teachers to first-time and bestselling authors.

It’s time to get your analysis right. Get The Elements of Composition and get the inside tricks and secrets that the best thinkers use. [/expand]

The Elements of Analysis

You’re analyzing a problem. You understand the basic issues—the problems, possible solutions, the pros and cons, the evidence and why it matters.

You work for a business or a nonprofit and you need to understand markets, opportunities, and threats. Or you analyze public policy for a public agency or university. Or you’;re trying to make an organization work better… or understand a research question … or break down patterns in science or technology.

You need the “tricks of the trade” that all great analysis use to understand the complex world.

You have come to the right place.

The Elements of Storytelling works because it goes beyond the usual abstractions to show you, step by step, how to come to grips with issues that matter.

The Elements of Analysis is based on a simple insight: That all analysis is really just storytelling, but at a higher level of abstraction. Stories focus on particular people and things, places, and events. Analysis, on the other hand, focuses on groups and patterns, which recur again. Both stories and analysis, have the same basic structure. If you understand stories, you can master analysis too. [expand title=”(More)”]

The process, then, begins with storytelling for analysis, moves to questions and brainstorming, explores how to frame complex questions, and concludes with all the steps you need to gather evidence and make your case.

Along the way, you get tips and hints from the masters of analysis.

In this pathbreaking book, Charles Euchner taps the greatest minds of psychology, economics, anthropology, and sociology to understand how the world works—all through the popular “frame” of TV’s best drama.

These brief, clear accounts not only give you more insight into an iconic set of TV characters, but also add insight into modern life, long after the age of the Mad Men.

Because we are a generation removed from the Sixties, we can see the flaws of old, discredited attitudes—about race and sex, booze and business, cities and families. But the challenges that the Mad Men faced decades ago—and the people they addressed in their ad campaigns—are universal.

Charles Euchner, the author of the renowned Nobody Turn Me Around who has taught in Yale’s premier writing program, has not just broken down the best of the best to identify their tricks. He has also dug into the brave new world of brain research to figure out how you can manage your writing process—and give your reader a compelling experience.

The Elements of Analysis offers the final third of The Elements of Writing, the only comprehensive system, for mastering writing in all genres. If you want the complete writing took hit, get The Elements of Writing. If you want to focus on analysis, get this short but rich guide.

In less than 200 pages, Euchner shows you how to:

• Use storytelling techniques to get to then bottom of complex issues.
• Use “beats” and “cliffhangers” to make arguments and explore different dimensions of problems.
• Allow ideas to “unfold,” one by one, rather than rushing and packing ideas too closely together (the “tin or sardines” problem).
• “Spill your mind” and then follow up with “Thisor-That” and “W” questions.
• Consider hypotheticals and scenarios.
• Take advantage of “super models” and the testimony of experts and lay people.
• Identify and “operationalize” variables—and then crunch the numbers.

And so much more.

Charles Euchner—a case writer at the Yale School of Management and author of books on writing, the sports industry, civil rights, and politics—has taught his unique system to audiences across the U.S. He works the full range of writers–from high school students and teachers to first-time and bestselling authors.

It’s time to get your analysis right. Get The Elements of Analysis and get the inside tricks and secrets that the best thinkers use.[/expand]