Literature & Writing Craft Videos Hacker News Recommends

lecture#20

LEADERSHIP LAB: The Craft of Writing Effectively

UChicago Social Sciences

“it's a masterclass in understanding what writing actually is, and what it does for you”

15 HN recommenders · 2019–2026

other#286

The Egg - A Short Story

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

“The Egg is one of my life long favorite histories.”

7 HN recommenders · 2020–2024

talk#323

DOUGLAS ADAMS: Parrots, the Universe and Everything

University of California Television (UCTV)

“Watch the whole thing. You will thank me later.”

5 HN recommenders · 2014–2025

talk#356

Ira Glass on Storytelling 3

warphotography

“Ira Glass's take on this is so good and I go back to it often”

7 HN recommenders · 2018–2026

lecture#412

LEADERSHIP LAB: Writing Beyond the Academy 1.23.15

UChicago Social Sciences

“good writing is not about rules, it's about the function of the text, the readers, and what they value.”

4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025

lecture#460

Kurt Vonnegut, Shape of Stories (subtitulos castellano)

Eva CollinsAlonso

“Vonnegut is really special. I always like coming back to his Shape of Stories talks”

6 HN recommenders · 2019–2024

lecture#695

Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories

David Comberg

“Vonnegut is really special. I always like coming back to his Shape of Stories talks”

5 HN recommenders · 2012–2022

explainer#703

Alexander Pope Wrote a 35-Page Takedown of a Historian

CGP Grey

“Linking the full video because it's a masterpiece”

5 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

podcast#770

Neuromancer (BBC radio play adaptation ) William Gibson

Michael McGrath

“The BBC did a great adaptation of the book to a radio play, complete with professional voice acting, sound effects, even music”

3 HN recommenders · 2018–2025

talk#882

Emacs For Writers

thoughtbot

“My favourite talk on this topic is "Emacs for writers”

3 HN recommenders · 2016–2024

other#954

How To Be Alone

Andrea Dorfman

“I think it nicely captures the sentiment of doing things alone.”

6 HN recommenders · 2010–2026

talk#1089

34C3 - Dude, you broke the Future!

media.ccc.de

“I cannot recommend enough Charles Stross' 34C3 talk on this very topic.”

4 HN recommenders · 2018–2024

lecture#1104

Jorge Luis Borges: This Craft of Verse Lectures - thepostarchive

thepostarchive

“These lectures by Borges are seriously under-appreciated”

3 HN recommenders · 2019–2022

documentary#1589

Couldn't Care Less. Cormac McCarthy in conversation with David Krakauer

Karol Jałochowski

“This is my favourite interview with him so I will take this post as an excuse to share it.”

3 HN recommenders · 2023–2025

documentary#1779

BOOKSTORES: How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content

Max Joseph

“it's an interesting exploration of modern bookstores and the dynamics of reading as a pursuit in the age of social media”

3 HN recommenders · 2023–2026

talk#1837

What nobody tells you about documentation

PyCon AU

“I highly recommend Daniele Procida's talk about this”

3 HN recommenders · 2021–2024

interview#2066

Ira Glass on the Creative Process (www.getoutthebox.org)

Getoutthebox1

“You learn how to differentiate between good and bad much faster than you learn how to create good.”

3 HN recommenders · 2012–2015

other#2137

Solaris | SCIENCE FICTION | FULL MOVIE | directed by Tarkovsky

Mosfilm

“the film's a masterpiece that I highly recommend”

2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025

explainer#2192

Shakespeare: Original pronunciation (The Open University)

OpenLearn from The Open University

“I very much enjoyed this quick introduction to Shakespeare in Original Pronunciation”

4 HN recommenders · 2013–2025

talk#2366

Brave New World vs Nineteen Eighty-Four featuring Adam Gopnik and Will Self

Intelligence Squared

“this debate between will self and adam gopnik on 'brave new world' vs '1984' is really good if anybody has 1.5 hours to indulge.”

2 HN recommenders · 2018–2022

commentary#2481

Blade Runner 2049 | "Cells Interlinked" and Pale Fire (LITERALLY ME! INCELS INTERLINKED)

Fallopium Films

“The best video essay on the movie”

2 HN recommenders · 2024–2026

other#2516

They're Made Out Of Meat

Stephen O'Regan

“O'Reagan's short is the best take on it.”

2 HN recommenders · 2023–2026

interview#2685

George RR Martin asks Stephen King: "How do you write so Fast?!"

Aegon Targaryen

“One of my favorite videos is when George RR Martin asks Stephen King on stage”

2 HN recommenders · 2018–2025

interview#2724

Gaiman on Copyright Piracy and the Web

OpenRightsGroup

“He has a fantastic interview clip regarding his outlooks on piracy of his books”

2 HN recommenders · 2011–2014

other#3201

David Foster Wallace reads "Consider the Lobster" (on the 2003 Maine Lobster Festival)

Manufacturing Intellect

“here's a video of DFW reading it out”

2 HN recommenders · 2018–2020

commentary#3204

Cities Without People

Jacob Geller

“Jacob Geller provides a fun and effective summary within this video at 9 minutes in”

2 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

interview#3216

Aldous Huxley interviewed by Mike Wallace : 1958 (Full)

someoddstuff

“Aldous's pill popping from Brave New World isn't as interesting as what he said in his interview with Mike Wallace”

2 HN recommenders · 2019–2025

demo#3319

Illustrating Crafting Interpreters

Bob Nystrom

“the time-lapse video of the entire process is like ASMR for geeks”

2 HN recommenders · 2020–2024

other#3327

Babel Fish - The Oddest Thing In The Universe - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - BBC

BBC Studios

“The animation is one of the most memorable aspects of the TV series and, despite being almost 40 years old, still holds up really well”

1 HN recommenders · 2020–2025

talk#3871

Your elusive creative genius | Elizabeth Gilbert

TED

“The idea of a "muse", and "genius" is something that visits you (not something you are).”

2 HN recommenders · 2011–2021

other#4256

Blindsight Sci-fi Short Film

Danil Krivoruchko

“Some fans of the book put together a short teaser trailer for it”

1 HN recommenders · 2021–2026

talk#4564

Anathem | Neal Stephenson | Talks at Google

Talks at Google

“check out the Authors@Google talk he gave”

1 HN recommenders · 2008–2024

commentary#4576

Harlan Ellison -- Pay the Writer

Nicholas Horton

“The creative business is always trying to get something for nothing.”

1 HN recommenders · 2013–2021

other#4644

Original Pronunciation - Hamlet | To Be, or not to be... | Ben Crystal

Shakespeare on Toast

“If you listen to a performance of Shakespeare that replicates the original pronunciation, it's wildly different.”

1 HN recommenders · 2018–2025

talk#4783

xkcd | Randall Munroe | Talks at Google

Talks at Google

“one of the all-time great geek moments was when Munroe did a tech talk at Google”

1 HN recommenders · 2008–2026