7 Inspiring TED Talks for Writers

Photo made by onefictionalauthor on canva.com

We've all heard of TED talks: those brief, empowering speeches by people of all backgrounds and ideals. I was browsing the site earlier this week and wondered, How many of these videos are out there for writers? So I looked. I went through hundreds of videos, hundreds of tags. Turns out, there are a lot.

These are some that are eye-opening to the work that we do and the world we want to change.

Where good ideas come from by Steven Johnson

Steven Johnson's speech starts at a simple coffeehouse in England. From there, we follow him on a journey of how one finds those "Eureka!" moments, how innovation occurs and how to harness that power. As writers, we all want to write something that changes the world; Steven Johnson helps us to imagine that reality. 

All stories start with a idea, so we might as well make it a good one.

Favorite quote: "We take ideas from other people, from people we've learned from, from people we run into in the coffee shop, and we stitch them together into new forms and we create something new. That's really where innovation happens" (6:47).

12 truths I learned from life and writing by Anne Lamott

We've mentioned Anne Lamott before on this blog; she's the creative genius behind "Bird by Bird" (remember, shitty first drafts?). Well, here she talks about a list she made while coming to terms with death. She wanted to give her version of "what's true."

I think we can learn a lot from her.

Favorite quote: "You're going to feel like hell if you wake up someday and you never wrote the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart: your stories, memories, visions and songs -- your truth, your version of things -- in your own voice. That's really all you have to offer us, and that's also why you were born" (8:07).

Anne Lamott, courtesy of ted.com

Clues to a great story by Andrew Stanton

Disclaimer: This talk contains strong language.

Does anyone recognize the name "Andrew Stanton"? Yeah, me neither. Turns out, he's co-writer of all our favorite Pixar movies: Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. . . . need I continue?

Turns out, he graced us with a brilliant TED Talk about developing a story and how to make it stand out amidst the thousands of others. He reminds us of what should be in a good, well-developed story: anticipation, satisfying conclusion, evoking a sense of wonder. He gives us an in-depth look at his process behind creating some of the best animated movies of all time.

At the very least, give it a listen for that.

Favorite quote: "Storytelling is joke telling. It's knowing your punchline, your ending, knowing that everything you're saying, from the first sentence to the last, is leading to a singular goal, and ideally confirming some truth that deepens our understandings of who we are as human beings. We all love stories. We're born for them" (1:07).

Success, failure, and the drive to keep creating by Elizabeth Gilbert

Here's another big name: Elizabeth Gilbert is the one who wrote the explosive Eat, Pray, Love. Remember, they made it into that movie with Julia Roberts? This is her.

Her talk reminds us to keep going, giving the aspiring writer the drive to keep going even when the world is against you. She didn't just wake up one day with a best-selling novel; she worked hard, worked through rejection after rejection until she made it. She reminds us to believe in ourselves and in our stories, and advocates for success based on dedication.

Favorite quote: "Your home is whatever in this world you love more than you love yourself. So that might be creativity, it might be family, it might be invention, adventure, faith, service, it might be raising corgis, I don't know, your home is that thing to which you can dedicate your energies with such singular devotion that the ultimate results become inconsequential" (4:55).

Beautiful new words to describe obscure emotions by John Koenig

Okay, yes. I'm geeking out. As a self-established word connoisseur, I love John Koenig. He created the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a website dedicated to creating words that name emotions that have not yet been established.

(If you haven't heard of it, check it out. It's almost creepy how he captures undefined emotions.)

But don't take my word for it: he gives a stellar TED talk that highlights the importance of words. As writers, we are servants to language, and should always be on the lookout for new and innovate words that more accurately capture our ideas. The words we use give meaning to our ideas.

Listen to his talk and discover how important the words we choose really are.

Favorite quote: "The meaning is not in the words themselves. We're the ones that pour ourselves into it" (5:37).

Example of a word from DoOS. Photo courtesy of theodysseyonline.com

How books can open up your mind by Lisa Bu

I chose to add this talk to the list because it reminded me that the work we do is important, and can have an impact on the lives of others.

Lise Bu is came to America in 1995 from Hunan, China, and depicts how she rediscovered a purpose and motivation through the books that she read. There were two things that really stood out to me while listening to her story. 

The first is that she is one of millions of advocates for the far-reaching power of a book; she cites Jane Eyre and Cheaper by the Dozen as books she learned from. Second, Bu's story is a celebration of the diversity of the world, a diversity strengthened by the books we read.

Let's use her story as a reminder of why we put in the hours and hours of work -- it may just change someone's life.

Favorite quote: "Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again" (4:49).

The inspiring truth in fiction by Tomas Elemans

This is the shortest TED talk on the list, but it's just as important as all the rest. Tomas Elemans argues that reading fiction is a way to cleanse the soul and develop empathy in an increasingly complex world. We are bombarded daily with headlines and stories. Fiction is a welcome reprieve. 

It's our duty as writers to make the reader feel so that empathy doesn't become forgotten. We write so that our audience learns to not just skim headlines or glance at the news, but to relate and care more deeply about the world. We write so that our readers can put themselves in the shoes of someone whose life is completely different from theirs.

And from that fictional experience, our empathy to real-life problems returns.

Favorite quote: "Reading books is thought in action" (2:28).

Photo courtesy of Chris Anderson from ideas.ted.com

A few last words...

There were plenty of TED talks that we can turn to for inspiration or advice. If you have the times, check out these brief ones that review the more technical side of writing:

• How to use a semi-colon by Emma Bryce
• One of the most difficult words to translate by Krystian Aparta
• Does grammar matter? by Andreea S. Calude
• How to build a fictional world by Kate Messner
• All of the "Why should you read..." talks

Next week, we will be diving into the wonderful, broad world of Scrivener, an app that makes it easier for writers to create their drafts. 

Trust me, we'll be learning together.