People who are interested in gaining knowledge will watch it till the end. People who want to be entertained will rather complain about the style. If someone offers you important information, without wanting money for it, you shut your mouth about the way it's being presented and you take the gift with thanks.

Writing for yourself is a hobby, writing for the audience is a career.

One of the best pieces of advice in this video: trim the fat. Allow context to explain what is happening rather than spoon-feeding the audience. This makes for a readership that is actively engaged in figuring out what is happening rather than being passively told everything. This also has the happy side effect of making scenes shorter and snappier which makes readers happier and have a sense of a story that is moving at an accelerated clip.

That was one of the most excellently put commentaries on the subject. As a writer, I never thought of the exact functions I was applying, but now I see that is exactly what I have been doing all along.

This TED talk is so rich in advices. Wow. And making people looking at themselves through our story makes so much sense.

For all you folks who thought that this was a terrible speech, sorry, but he had it right. the audience, or the readers absolutely have to care for the characters and to identify with them. And that character has to be challenged, every instructor will tell you that. And yes, you should have an upbeat ending.If you don't think those things are true, just try getting published. Me? I was rejected 150 before finding a publisher. It is extremely difficult.

Pity Fear Catharsis Suffering Struggle Overcoming We believe what we see, not what we hear

Excellent talk. I think what he means is he rejects a lot of manuscripts, not people.

The conclusion of Mr. Friedmann's talk crystallizes what guarantees great storytelling and writing. His insight gives urgency to re-listening several times more with OneNote open.

Wow, what a fantastic closing line - this is absolutely the key to retaining an audience! I often listen to talks at 1.5x speed, but I listened to the close several times at normal speed.. Thank you for such insight!

This guy is a great speaker. Watched it to the end. Thanks for the tips: "audience first", "pity fear catharsis", and "the cinema screen is a big mirror where you can safely face your worst fears". Great job.

this is single handed the most wise good educated wonderful description of storytelling in the age of movies. beggining muddle and end is so funny - as british humour elementary... I'd like to add that there is a functionality to storytelling. and alas, may one day this writing talking be read ! once more, thanks for the enlightment master friedmann !

"Undeserved misfortune" I really like this line because not every misfortune will lead to empathy. Some will just annoy you

This is an excellent speech for writers. A personal opinion of the agent, of course, but clear and objective (excellent: the words in the screen can contradict the visual facts...). And the people here are disturbed by his fluency... or the movements of the mouth... My good... what a world... Enjoy the life and the knowlegde, people, and deal with your own issues at home...

I think people are being too hard on this guy, he brings up good points (albeit in a dry way). I would only change his suggestion that successful stories have "upbeat endings" to "successful stories have closure and/or and sense of hope". Endings don't have to be literally happy to be attractive to the masses.

I really like how honest and still polite this speaker is. In my opinion this is what aspiring writers truely need. I'd rather be rejected a 100 times with honesty that I can work with than that I'll be published on the spot without having grown any further. Thank you for this great talk.

10:08 why are TED Talk camera operators/editors so bad at their job? He's reading a quote and looking at the screen! No, by all means, don't focus on the screen or show the quote, focus on the back of the guy's head while he reads the entire quote. Great job!

I love TEDx talks. They are all so inspiring. Thanks a whole lot for the initiative

I like the unfilled long pauses saved for the audience's supposed laughter.

Great video, one thing though: he moved from writing to filmmaking without any transition. Great lessons, kept me listening entire time.

Excellent presentation! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences. Emotional connection seems to be the clue.

I appreciate the candid perspective offered by Mr. Friedmann and his solid advice.

Just incredible. What a presentation. Stumbled upon it by accident and mesmerised. I didn't agree with it all but what an insightful piece.

i'm going to write a book called, "tai lopez, nobody gives a damn about your backyard"

It has been said that great creatives who are in a permanent or semi permanent state of block are often to be in the sidelines of publishing, TV, Movies etc. They have been deemed "shadow artists" by those who do write successfully. One wonders what this fine storytelling man who is a successful agent would produce if he just started to tell his own story? Certainly merely by looking at him & listening to him he seems to fit the bill. "Pity, Fear, Catharsis." There are at least a thousand good stories within this man. I ,for one, would read whatever stories this man has to tell.

Thank you for sharing the knowledge that you have gathered over the years....

What he shared here from an agent's point of view is quite insightful for new writers. Thank you, Mr. Freidmann!

I'm really glad I came across this video. Thank you!

Next level storytelling knowledge dropped in this clip! And what a way to end the speech! Bravo!

so insightful!! love the emotional connection to the 3 act structure.

An interesting and honest perspective. Succesful storytelling is indeed a mystery!

The review at the end was so wonderful. That’s all anyone who writes could ever ask for. 🙂

What a perspicacious talk with regards to the origins and goal of storytelling! Quite insightful indeed.

Very very deep knowledge and solutions.... greetings from india..

I enjoyed listening from the very beginning. I learned much. Thank you. Don't pay any attention to the negative people signing, they just haven't grownup and they don't realize we're not in grade school any longer.

Good talk, got inspired and did a video myself on this, going all in on implementing storytelling this week!

Excellent talk. I just can't understand why so many people, below, made such depreciating comments about it. Friedmann shows he knows very well what he says, gives us good advice about writing a script or a story, and, last but not least, has a fine sense of humour!. I liked it very much!

I'm new at this game but I have to say that was the best description of the screenwriter's charge I have yet come across. I'll be watching this over and over...

Stories also play another key function - to describe the world and educate humans. In Aboriginal Australia, many stories were imbued with information about animals and plants which was essential for survival and conservation, and described the landscape around the tribe, allowing people to learn geography. Today, by reading books, we get an insight into how human relationships work, and by watching movies we see a glamourised version in real time. Perhaps this is why modern "world-building" fantasy is so compelling - it recreates that sense of discovery of a huge and detailed world. In this formulation, I think blockbuster movies and internet pornography can both be troubling. At the cinema, there tends to be binary "good vs evil", "America vs bad guys" type scenarios which are almost always directed by men and featuring men. In porn, and increasingly popular music, a grossly inaccurate view of human sexuality is being made the norm, and we don't seem to have a compelling counter-narrative to draw upon besides the usual religious dogma. The stories we choose to tell are powerful, they define who we are, and who we are not, and how we see the world.

Makes me look at agents with a more forgiving attitude. Great talk.

Loved the way you articulated the story.

Great insight. Unpretentious and interesting talk.

Fantastic advice. Love this talk!

So many negative comments, wow. I'm sorry, but your screenplay about an androgynous kodiak bear who serves as a butler for the queen of England might comment on social standards, but it is most likely not a good story.

Thank you for the advice, I'll meditate on this

@ Elisa van den Berg. The word is catharsis. It's an emotional release or purging caused by a situation, an action, or thought. It can be seen as a form of cleansing or a spiritual/emotional renewal. Also, it's pity not pitty.

Bravo...Excellent talk...I am a producer and financier...I totally agree with EVERYTHING he is sharing!

Pity Fear Catharsis a great breakdown of story

Been trying to writer for a very kin time. I’m a junior in high school and I am currently writing my first novel

This reaffirms that which is presented in Lisa Cron’s book “Wired for Story” She has a few videos here on UKposts as well. Worth watching :)

Thank you for sharing the formula.

Julian, thanks for your guidance. Regards

This is a fascinating talk. (I’m not a writer but I’m interested in what/why what makes a good story.)

Great points. This right here, this is powerful advise

A really good video that gives a brief guide for would be writers from the point of view of an agent. Of course it's a commercial point of view and only scratches the surface of this art form, but it is a good starting point.

Best talk on this subject ever!

Within eighteen minutes he has shown us a picture of what it´s all about, from an agent´s pov. thank you.

Very fine talk, tough, but fair, and with much truth.

Great Ted talk from a great speaker!

jesus give that man a glass of water!

i agree with all those reasons. i would just add that i write to open minds regarding how to appreciate the less commonly appreciated... this sounds rather specific. but it's a very primal sentiment of compassion i have for the popularly overlooked/downtrodden aspects of life. it even seems that the truly altruistic people in life rarely get noticed. it's sort of in the vein of The Twilight Zone series that illuminated commonly overlooked possibilities and would cause your hair to raise with thoughtfulness as you paused to entertain certain possibilities that you might have been closed off to and quickly judged previous.

Excellent!

great video, really inspiring. x

Awesome talk that everyone should check out. TEDx #storytelling #writing #TED

Just a note the feel good catharsis is due to Dopamine release. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that combines with another essential amino acid Tyrosene to make the feel good stimulator Dopamine. By the way excellent presentation and very valuable information. Thankyou.

Love this speaker.

There are negative comments due to the glaring fact, that he is not interested in new business or clients. I see this a lot in editor panels, agent panels, etc. He has the people he is willing to represent, and is not interested in new business. New business is hard and uncertain, that is his attitude. Unfortunately it reflects throughout his advice.

wow, amazing speech!

This is phenomenally educational

What a story!

Excellent Advice 4 budding authors!

First ted talk to make me genuinely laugh. Great speech!

Great talk! Very funny as well.

Excellent stuff.

this was SO GOOD.

Seemed like the audience was asleep. I found most of the jokes really funny.

Wow, strong ending! Inspiring.

Honest and brilliant

Everybody wants to hear stories, and that's what makes marketing and branding important.

Thank you Mr. Friedmann, it was as educational as it was entertaining ❤️👍

Wonderful said!

I normally do not write negative comments about videos (or even good ones for that matter), but when it comes to something I care about, such as writing, I felt I could either ignore my being pissed off, OR just leave an angry comment. After feeling like I was going to waste 18 minutes of my life just so I could leave at least an informed and angry comment, I found what Julian Friedmann was trying to say (in his own stuffy way), was that YOUR READERS will be the ones imagining your story, and will be the ones experiencing your story through their own past experiences. But when it comes to saying "You know that story your working on with the characters, world, and meanings you are passionate about? Well, don't write that. It's not selling." THAT is, frankly, bullshit. Now, you may or may not agree with that, but its called "commercial writing" and many writers who I've listened to have tried it, and hated it, and never did it again. Also, the whole "writing cannot be taught" thing is funny, because if you look up the other videos that TED has on writing, such as Simon Booy, Terrry Brooks, Nathan Filer, all of them are of the exact opposite mindset (and I deeply encourage you to watch those if you are wanting to learn how to write and had the terrible misfortune of this being the first video you found on the subject). My point is this: Write what you love, and don't let anyone tell you that it won't work. It will. They can tell you it's not good enough yet, and that's what you want to hear. You just need to put in the time and effort to polish the hell out of it until you get what you want. End of rant.

Really great punch.

Great stuff, and I think anyone can appreciate an agent's perspective, but for someone stating how often other people's work can be so boring, this Ted-Ed talk nearly made me fall asleep, he has a good soothing voice for public speaking though

So helpful💖

Actually,I like the speech.He is saying the truth about the process of writing and publishing.Maybe, it is painful but we cant do anything because it is business.

I enjoyed this. I'm trying my hand at fiction and I'm not really from that realm. So it was insightful to me.

EXCEPTIONAL SPEECH.

Wow… what a speech 🏆🔥

Another reason people write is 'to think'; and specifically, to think more critically about challenging topics, and in the process become a better verbal communicator of ideas

Excellent video, so many good movies like No Country For Old Men fit this type of storytelling and it's no wonder said movie in particular is a master piece. Undeserved dislikes, get over yourselves.

Good one!

Ironically, though, Aristotle spoke of using pity and fear to obtain catharsis only in tragedy, which is the only major genre of fiction which relies not on catharsis, but on frustrating catharsis. I also think that his reference to "beginning, middle, and end" wasn't the product of any deep insight into dramatic structure. He gave no justification for the division, nor any way in which it was useful. It might have been an attempt to relate causal chains of events in stories to the kind of serial causality, from First Mover, to a mediating effect, to the observed effect, found in his physics. (Another irony here is that Aristotle's physics apply better to stories, in which events are discrete, and often have a single main cause and a single important effect, than to physics, in which none of those things are true.)

The ending quotes was awesome

This is more like the mystery of commercial storytelling.

Very interesting. His analysis of Cave Paintings were quite wrong but the rest was really good ^^

This was amazing, I never comment. I wanted to read that book lol

Important point, for example, about music and emotional connection. But the author seems unaware that he is actually talking about a western (European or American) audience (even though he mentions the Maasai). Storytelling "patterns" are not universal and certainly not biological. The West African "pattern" or formula for telling a good story is not identical to a western pattern of storytelling. For example, the West African pattern often eschews the linear sequence of western storytelling.

My husband and I had a few laughing fits THANK YOU 🤐

I see writing as a creatively decorated phone used to hear the voice of your loved ones. Writing is important but what matters is the meaning behind the words. We're all intelligent deep inside. As a side note, let me ask you a question: Is the definition of the words smart and intelligence different? I think so