HN users repeatedly say it changed how they think about writing, calling it a masterclass useful far beyond academia.
Topics › Arts, Comedy, Music & Film
The best literature & writing craft videos, according to Hacker News
43 videos about literature & writing craft that Hacker News commenters keep pointing each other to, ranked by how many separate months they were recommended. Part of Arts, Comedy, Music & Film.
HN commenters call it a beloved story and link the animation when threads touch on consciousness, empathy or identity.
Adams fans repeatedly call it one of his best talks, a funny and moving look at extinction and the environment.
HN commenters return to it as motivation for creators who feel their work is not good enough yet.
HN treats it as the definitive writing lecture and recommends it repeatedly, with several commenters saying it changed how they write.
Frequently recommended as a delightful, influential way to think about story structure.
HN cites it as a charming, funny way to see story structure and a source for the idea that plots have shapes.
HN commenters point to it as a masterpiece of humorous archival detective work and a great watch about books and libraries.
HN recommends it as a good, condensed way to experience Neuromancer when short on time.
Recommended as a favorite talk showing Emacs as a writing environment rather than just a programmer's editor.
HN commenters point lonely people to it as a moving, comforting piece of art about getting comfortable with solitude.
HN returns to it whenever corporations as paperclip-maximizer AIs or AI risk come up.
Strongly recommended as under-appreciated lectures showing Borges' erudition, delivered in a hypnotic voice from memory.
It is one of the few long, candid interviews with the famously reclusive McCarthy, and commenters share it whenever he comes up.
HN commenters cite it as a thoughtful mini-doc on reading time and frequency in the age of social media.
HN recommends it as the best concise introduction to a practical framework for structuring documentation, the basis of what became Diataxis.
Shared as encouragement for beginners learning design or craft, on persisting through the taste-skill gap.
HN recommends it as a masterpiece of emotional, contemplative science fiction, and draws analogies between its alien ocean and AI.
Frequently linked as a short, accessible demonstration of how Shakespeare actually sounded.
HN recommends it as a good long debate for the recurring question of whether Orwell or Huxley was right.
HN recommends it as the best video essay on the film's use of Pale Fire.
HN points to it as the best filmed version of the story whenever aliens or the nature of intelligence come up.
HN commenters share it as an eloquent argument that AI output is not art, and as a companion to worries about losing deep thinking.
Shared in productivity and writing threads for King's simple daily-quota approach to producing a lot of work.
HN commenters use it as the standard example of an author who found piracy helped rather than hurt sales.
Linked in threads about lobster welfare as an easy way to take in Wallace's essay.
HN points to Geller's essays as accessible companions to literary works and as a good summary of a story.
Recommended as more thought-provoking than the usual pill-popping take on Huxley.
Shared in Crafting Interpreters threads because it shows the care behind the book and is satisfying to watch.
HN points to it for the memorable hand-animated computer graphics, which still hold up, and as the TV rendition of a famous passage.
HN commenters recommend it as a well-made version of the story and quote it jokingly whenever discussions touch on biology versus machine intelligence.
HN people link it in threads about creativity, late bloomers and creative burnout as a humble, relatable take on where inspiration comes from.
Shared as a fan-made teaser for Blindsight in threads about the novel or alien intelligence.
HN uses it mainly as the place where Stephenson addresses criticism of his novels' endings, plus as a fun author talk with jokes.
The standard link whenever someone asks creatives to work unpaid or for publicity.
HN uses it as the example of how different Shakespeare sounded in original pronunciation.
HN refers to it for the moment where Knuth asks a question and addresses the Steve Jobs anecdote, a favorite geek moment.
Linked as a memorable recitation when the poem or themes of fleeting ambition come up.
Cited as the standard example of a famous writer who prefers an old, distraction-free DOS word processor.
Posted as a joke when threads discuss unhelpful gadgets and smart devices.
Used as a source for Wallace quotes on fiction, silence, self and technology rather than recommended outright.
HN cites it as a look at how a master comedian develops material through slow, iterative writing, and compares it to programming and other craft.
Quoted to describe fleeting cultural moments that cannot be repeated, such as early tech eras or SimCity 2000.
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