How master storytellers create an emotionally invested audience — Andrew Stanton had just finished the script for what would eventually become Toy Story. He showed it to some executives at Disney, who immediately rejected it. Disney didn’t like the pacing, character development, or storytelling. But they did like the premise. They recommended some major changes, and asked Stanton to…

Stop letting success hold you back —

Why do Americans always buy toilet paper when they’re panicking? — Harold V. Froelich, a congressional representative from Wisconsin, needed to decrease government regulation on his heavily forested district. But no matter how he tried to state the importance of tree products, nobody seemed to care. But during the stock market crash of 1973, shortages plagued the American people. Gasoline, electricity…

Are you growing as a writer? Or are you only focused on growing your audience? — Soon after Joseph Gordon-Levitt crossed one million followers on Twitter, he found himself incapable of logging off. Even when he was on the set of an upcoming film, all he could think about was how haters would criticize his acting, and the snarky comeback he’d use to come out on…

When is humor offensive, and when is it innocent fun? — September 11, 2001 was scheduled to be the first time The Onion distributed their paper on the streets of New York. But after the infamous terrorist attacks, hundreds of copies went straight into the garbage. The writers assembled to discuss their options. Nobody felt like writing humor at a time…

Expiration dates have nothing to do with food safety. So, what does that date actually mean? — In 1974, a team of scientists at the National Food Processors Association opened a can of corn that had exceeded its expiration date by over 40 years. The contents looked, smelled, and tasted like ordinary canned corn. Laboratory tests even confirmed it was safe for human consumption. But after the…

Feeling like your writing sucks will push you to become even better — In 1950, the editor of Time Magazine wrote a satirical piece titled You, Too Can Write. The author, who had held a full-time position in the publishing industry for over a decade, lambasted a psychoanalyst who believed anyone with paper and ink could produce something worth reading. Over the past…

Become more innovative and open your mind to new possibilities — In 1890, New York was drowning in manure. Hundreds of thousands of horses pulled passengers and goods across the streets of Manhatten, producing 130 tons of dung an hour. Every street in New York was “carpeted with a warm, brown matting,” and some people predicted that by 1930, the manure…

Only the richest of the rich can afford a $0/month budget — For her senior project, art student Zou Yaqi wanted to highlight how much surplus the rich really have. To do this, she documented her attempt to spend three weeks traveling around Beijing sleeping on the couches of luxury hotels and enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres. All for free. While preparing for…