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Nat Eliason

@nateliason

Jan 24, 2023

How do you encourage people to read your whole article or book?

Or watch your whole video? Or listen to your whole podcast?

One way is "the unanswered question."

Atlas Shrugged opens with the question:

"Who is John Galt?"

You don't find out until ~700 pages later, and the character of John Galt encompasses the philosophy of the novel.

American Gods continually reminds you that "a storm is coming," but you have no idea what the storm is.

As details of the novel emerge, the stakes of the "storm" loom larger and larger.

Read 8 tweets

Nat Eliason

@nateliason

Jan 23, 2023

Going from writing non-fiction blog posts to writing a non-fiction book has been harder than I expected.

Here are 9 things I wish I had known before starting...

1/ Tweets and articles have ruined your internal locus of writing motivation.

When you get a rush of dopamine every day or week as the payoff for your work, it will be excruciating to go for months with none.

One option is to tell yourself to just be proud of your work and not need external validation.

But it's much easier to have a few trusted people who can occasionally look at things and remind you that yes, you know what you're doing, and no, it's not terrible.

Read 12 tweets

Nat Eliason

@nateliason

Jan 22, 2023

I think making a conscious effort to spend as much of my day outside as possible (even while working) has done more for my day-to-day sense of well-being than almost any other change.

Here are a few ways I've found to sneak it in...

https://twitter.com/drorpoleg/status/1616436761038815233?s=20&t=1wNwL7dE3119GD7Wl0rrww

1/ Working outside.

This is the big one. Having a desk outside in the shade I can work at makes it so much easier to get a few additional hours of outdoor time in.

Buying a standing heater + a fan makes it work in almost any temperature, too.

https://twitter.com/nateliason/status/1375479239936516099?s=20&t=s95EP-mR6J1oogMOe7LVxQ

2/ Standing outdoor events.

Scheduling with friends can be hard. Having standing outdoor social events each week guarantees some amount of outside time.

Sports, swimming, walks, whatever works for you.

Read 6 tweets

Nat Eliason

@nateliason

Jan 21, 2023

I’ve never written a novel before, but I want to this year.

So I’ve read ~10 books on the fiction writing process in the last couple of months.

Here’s the best guide to outlining an idea for a book I’ve found:

(From Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell)

1/ Start with your LOCK:

a LEAD character worth following.
an OBJECTIVE with physical, spiritual, or professional death on the line.
a CONFRONTATION with a stronger opponent (antagonist)
a KNOCKOUT ending that surprises & delights the reader

Write them all down on a notecard.

2/ A Disturbance and a Doorway:

Come up with a DISTURBANCE in your Lead's life that creates their Objective.

Then a DOORWAY OF NO RETURN through which they pass, leading eventually to their major CONFRONTATION.

Also called the CALL TO ADVENTURE and the THRESHOLD

Read 8 tweets

Nat Eliason

@nateliason

Jan 20, 2023

I spent way too many years focused on just weight lifting and HIIT.

There’s nothing quite like how your body feels after a very long run or bike.

Not just for hours. Days.

The persistent feeling of hunger is incredible, too.

Like your body is constantly looking for fuel.

It really only seems to come from hour+ workouts, at least for me.

The first few miles always suck. But then as you get into 6, 7, 8 the experience totally changes.

I think a lot of people think they hate cardio because they’re only doing the sucky part.

Read 4 tweets

Nat Eliason

@nateliason

Jan 19, 2023

My 5:30am morning routine breaks all of the normal rules.

But 9 days out of 10, I'll get 2,000 words of writing or 4,000 words of editing done by 7:30, and I feel fantastic for the rest of the day.

Here's the routine.

1/ Wake up and look at my phone.

Yeah yeah, you shouldn't look at your phone in the morning...

But idk, if you can't focus after looking at your phone for a minute, you have bigger problems.

Plus, I gotta see how many people liked my tweets from yesterday to feel alive.

2/ Go downstairs and make coffee.

Sure, there are probably benefits to delaying caffeine consumption for 1.5 - 2 hours, but have you had coffee?

It's AWESOME. It makes me feel energetic, excited, the words flow easier.

And yeah, that's an addiction, but it's not heroin. Chill.

Read 8 tweets

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