The hottest Narrative Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Faith & Spirituality Topics

against narrative

internet princess • 50282 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. Love can be really complicated and messy, and it's common to have both good and painful experiences in a relationship. Sometimes we find ourselves questioning if we were good or bad partners.
  2. People often want to turn their experiences into neat stories to make sense of them, but real feelings and relationships are much more complex and can't always fit into a simple narrative.
  3. Accepting the complexity of our emotions and experiences, rather than just trying to find answers, can be liberating and help us truly live with our feelings.

A Salute to Every Tolstoy Across Borders

Unmapped Storylands with Elif Shafak • 5396 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. There's no clear line between 'solid' and 'liquid' countries. Everyone faces challenges and changes, regardless of where they live.
  2. Literature should include diverse voices from around the world. We shouldn't reduce cultures to simple categories like 'literate' or 'pre-literate.'
  3. All societies struggle with their own issues. Literature helps us understand these struggles and find a better path forward.

Chapter 31: Koa doesn't take the news well

PASSAGES • 1139 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Koa feels anxious about leaving her home in the Valley. She is not ready to leave the only place she has known as home.
  2. Koa discovers surprising and upsetting news about her family, which makes her feel lost and confused. She is starting to question who she really is.
  3. She experiences something new and exciting when taken to a diner, showing her curiosity about the world outside the Valley. The meal brings her joy but also adds to her feelings of uncertainty.

Chapter 30: Kent continues investigating Koa

PASSAGES • 1478 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Kent is investigating a case involving a woman named Mary Anderson, who had a stillborn baby twenty years ago. He is trying to confirm if she had a specific procedure after the delivery.
  2. Kent speaks with Dr. Samuel Ito, the doctor who delivered Mary's baby, to get answers. However, Dr. Ito is very cautious because of patient confidentiality rules.
  3. While waiting to hear back from the doctor, Kent reflects on his day and thinks about Koa, showing that he has personal feelings connected to his investigation.

Stephen King's 'Creepiest' Short Story

The Take (by Jon Miltimore) • 198 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. "The Raft" is a short story by Stephen King that tells about four friends who go swimming and end up trapped on a raft with a dangerous creature below them.
  2. The characters have typical young adult problems like love and jealousy, making their doom even more relatable and scary.
  3. The story is not just about the creature, but it's also about the darker sides of human nature lurking beneath the surface.
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The modern formatting addiction in writing

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 1484 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Formatting helps readers skim and helps you think, but when it dominates a piece it hides weak ideas and makes sustained reading painful.
  2. Writers and AIs favor heavy formatting because it makes content quick to judge and thus gets rewarded, which encourages more format-heavy but often shallow work.
  3. A useful workflow is to draft with lots of formatting to explore ideas, then force yourself to write clear paragraphs to synthesize and reveal problems, and only then add formatting back for skimming.

Chapter 29: Jud and his family visit the Valley

PASSAGES • 1278 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Jud and his family are traveling down a narrow and steep road into Waimalia Valley. It's a bit scary, but they are excited to see the wild horses.
  2. The journey brings a sense of responsibility for Jud as he drives with his family in the truck. He wants to keep them safe while they explore.
  3. On the way, Jud meets a local driver, which shows the community feel of the area. It’s nice to see locals enjoying the valley just like his family.

Hector Saves His Dad

Postcards From Barsoom • 1863 implied HN points • 10 Oct 24
⚔ Fiction Narrative
  1. A boy named Hector goes on a journey to help his dad, showing the strong bond between family members. This story highlights the importance of love and support in difficult times.
  2. The author feels guilty for not doing more for his supporters and wants to offer something special by putting his fiction behind a paywall. This decision is meant to reward those who truly value his work.
  3. Fiction often struggles to get attention and engagement compared to other topics like politics. The author hopes that by offering fiction for paid subscribers, he can encourage more people to appreciate this art form.

Chapter 28: Kent investigates Koa

PASSAGES • 1418 implied HN points • 09 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Kent is getting to know Koa better, and he's impressed by her excitement for everyday things like food and driving.
  2. He's trying to learn more about Koa's background but is hitting dead ends, which raises questions about her family.
  3. Kent feels the weight of their serious situation and knows he must be cautious in how he interacts with Koa.

All Kidding Aside, I Find the Creative Arc of Stranger Things to Be Quite Sad

Freddie deBoer • 8663 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. The show started as a tight, self-contained story but gradually retconned and overcomplicated itself, which weakened its original themes and emotional clarity.
  2. Internet fandom and the pressure to keep expanding a franchise drove creators to add more characters, lore, and big reveals, often at the expense of coherent plotting and character development.
  3. Industry and production trends — long gaps between seasons, low episode counts, and visuals composed for social-media clipability — eroded the show’s momentum and cinematic atmosphere.

Chapter 27: Koa goes topside

PASSAGES • 1638 implied HN points • 02 Oct 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Koa experiences a new way of exploring the world while riding in a truck, feeling like she's on a boat. This shows her that movement can change how she sees things around her without needing to slow down.
  2. As they drive, Koa reflects on her home in the Valley and feels both comforted by it and overwhelmed by the outside world. She realizes she knows her home well, but is also curious about what lies beyond.
  3. Koa struggles with her emotions about leaving the Valley, wishing she could stay forever but trying to embrace the new experiences. It's a mix of fear and excitement when facing the unknown.

An economist asks: What is the value of reading great literature like Eliot and Tolstoy?

The Common Reader • 5563 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Long novels let you live inside many characters' minds, so you can see how people are absorbed in their own concerns and how that shapes their actions.
  2. They let you watch decisions play out over years, revealing long-term and second-order consequences and the slow moral formation you don't get from short films or posts.
  3. Experiencing the book yourself matters because summaries can't recreate the immersive detail, and different passages will resonate with different readers in different ways.

"They Die Every Day"

The Intrinsic Perspective • 30191 implied HN points • 14 Jul 25
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Some beings experience a form of daily death where their consciousness resets each night. This process is normal for them.
  2. They use anesthesia to avoid pain during surgery, which shows how used they are to this cycle of dying and rebooting.
  3. Despite knowing deep down that they die every day, they convince themselves it's not a big deal and believe their consciousness continues on.

Why "Plot" Isn't a Four-Letter Word

Counter Craft • 1115 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
⚔ Fiction Narrative
  1. Plot is a tool, not a bad thing; learning to plot gives you a solid foundation that can actually let you be more inventive and experimental. It can work alongside character and theme and doesn’t have to be formulaic.
  2. Think in flexible story principles rather than strict templates; ideas like escalation, variation, oscillation, intersection, and redirection help shape a story without dictating exact beats. Use these principles as guides when revising and reordering scenes.
  3. Escalation matters: a story should generally increase in stakes, intensity, or interest toward a meaningful climax, and scenes should be arranged to support that build. But avoid a straight, predictable climb by adding setbacks and variation so escalation feels surprising and earned.

What do we owe each other once we become different sorts of people?

The Common Reader • 2622 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
📖 Philosophy Narrative
  1. The way people experience time is central to who they are, and when that changes it can change our duties toward them. We may need to act differently toward someone whose sense of past or future no longer matches ours.
  2. Personhood can shift gradually or suddenly through things like childhood, dementia, or mental illness, and those shifts change what others can reasonably expect and require. Even while everyone deserves equal respect, the practical obligations we owe can be different.
  3. When two people live in fundamentally different temporal realities, close relationships create hard moral choices about honesty, care, and responsibility. Maintaining moral equality doesn’t always mean treating them the same, and sometimes we must accept different duties or distance.

Do Movies Have to Have a Point?

I Might Be Wrong • 11 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. Movies don't have to have a clear moral — sometimes a film can just be a story or 'a bunch of stuff that happened' and that's perfectly fine.
  2. What plays out on screen often leads viewers to draw a logical takeaway that may be different from what the filmmaker intended, and those unintended messages can be powerful.
  3. Trying to force big, explicit statements can backfire or produce harmful readings, so focusing on storytelling over preaching is often the wiser choice.

Literature is calling you to put down your phone.

The Common Reader • 7690 implied HN points • 02 Aug 25
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Literature encourages us to unplug from our devices and engage with timeless stories. Great works can help us find meaning and purpose in our lives.
  2. Many classic literary heroes go on quests that teach us about self-discovery and virtue. These stories inspire us to pursue our own paths and aspirations.
  3. Great literature has influenced important thinkers and leaders throughout history. Reading these works can elevate our thoughts and guide us toward better futures.

Change the Narrative

Personality Disorder • 79 implied HN points • 15 Oct 24
🎾 Sports Narrative
  1. People are using the word 'narrative' too much, instead of just saying 'story'. Using the simpler term makes communication clearer.
  2. When someone talks about a 'narrative', they often mean how people are talking about a situation rather than just stating facts. This can make the conversation less genuine.
  3. Focusing on the actual event or story, rather than the narrative around it, can help us see things more clearly and appreciate the real impact of what happens.

Five Years

Culture Study • 6142 implied HN points • 17 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. Leaving a traditional job can give you the freedom to create and write what truly interests you. It allows you to shape your own career path and connect with your audience in a more meaningful way.
  2. Building a curious community around your work can lead to deeper conversations and explorations of topics. Engaging with readers and encouraging their questions fosters a collaborative and enriching environment.
  3. Having control over your content means you can explore diverse ideas without worrying constantly about popularity or metrics. This freedom allows for more thoughtful writing and the ability to reflect on important cultural discussions.

Puppies and Processes

The Fry Corner • 2278 implied HN points • 24 May 24
😂 Humor Narrative
  1. People often make the same mistakes repeatedly, even after being conned. It's common to forget past experiences when presented with new opportunities.
  2. Instead of learning a lesson from a bad experience, many might still seek out similar situations, hoping for different outcomes.
  3. This tendency to be naive can be frustrating, as we might all fall into the trap of trusting too easily, despite knowing better.

Franchise Thinking

Working Theorys • 242 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. Franchise thinking is when people fit new phenomena into pre-made, popular narratives instead of examining the specific, contextual causes.
  2. Because these franchises are safe, timely, and hard to falsify, media and platforms amplify them, crowding out original thought and making public discourse fragile and repetitive.
  3. The antidote is patience and curiosity: invest in new ideas, accept uncertainty, and prioritize careful, specific analysis over sequels and click-friendly narratives.

Finding A Voice

The Fry Corner • 4516 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Finding your voice in writing takes time and self-discovery. It's a journey about understanding your unique style.
  2. Many people struggle with feelings of inadequacy, especially in childhood when compared to peers.
  3. Experiences of feeling like an outsider can lead to deeper insights, which can shape one's creative expression.

The Next Big Lie

The Status Kuo • 10181 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Narrative
  1. The narrative of politically-driven prosecutions against Trump is dangerous for democracy.
  2. Conspiracies rely on hard-to-disprove claims and weave disconnected facts.
  3. Supporters need to address whether Trump actually committed crimes, regardless of political implications.

The Digression Edition

Why is this interesting? • 965 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Digression can be a valuable part of writing, leading to new ideas and exploration. It's okay to stray from the main topic and allow your thoughts to wander.
  2. Montaigne's style of writing, which uses digressions, encourages writers to share their unique perspectives without sticking to strict formats. It's all about trying out different ideas and seeing where they go.
  3. Virginia Woolf showed how digression can empower creativity, especially for women writers. Embracing all kinds of thoughts can lead to richer and more interesting writing.

the virtues of the boring draft

sweater weather • 8097 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. When writing, try to include boring details about character backgrounds and settings to avoid ambiguity and confusion.
  2. Clarity is essential in storytelling to create mystery and engage readers.
  3. Include mundane, surface-level details in the first draft to build a lived-in world and deepen characters before refining the story.

On the Calculation of Volume, vol. III

The Common Reader • 992 implied HN points • 21 Nov 25
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. The main character, Tara, is stuck in a time-loop and is searching for meaning and happiness in a world that feels lost to her. Her journey highlights the struggle to adapt to a new reality.
  2. The story explores how characters, feeling trapped in time, come together to find a new way to live and improve their circumstances, showcasing the power of human resilience and creativity.
  3. Tara's quest shifts from nostalgia for the past to embracing her current situation, surrounded by new companions, emphasizing the importance of moving forward despite challenges.

Shorter Writing is Not Better Writing: An Argumentative Treatise

Freddie deBoer • 8694 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Short writing isn't always better writing. Sometimes, longer pieces can explain complex ideas better than short ones.
  2. The push for brevity in writing often leads to dull and similar-sounding work. Good writing should capture unique voices and ideas without fear of being too lengthy.
  3. Many writers feel pressured to write short because of trends, not because it's the best way to express their thoughts. Confidence in one's own style is important.

Pt2: The Building Blocks of Status

Knowingless • 2404 implied HN points • 10 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. Status comes from having things that others want. If you possess something valuable, like good skills or resources, people will want to be around you.
  2. It's not enough to just have what others want; they need to know you have it. Sharing your achievements or possessions helps increase your status among others.
  3. Relationships can be like investments; people often help those they see potential in, hoping that it'll pay off in the future. We tend to surround ourselves with people who can enhance our own status.

Finding Ourselves in Fairy Tales: a new online program at Pacifica Graduate Institute

The Art of Enchantment, with Dr Sharon Blackie • 1797 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🚌 Education Narrative
  1. The program at Pacifica Graduate Institute offers an eight-month training in personal narrative work, suitable for clinicians/therapists and individuals interested in deepening their personal work with fairy tales and storytelling.
  2. Participants will explore fairy tales as a reflection of the collective unconscious, use fairy tales to rewrite self-narratives, and learn practices for personal growth and therapeutic applications.
  3. The course structure includes monthly recorded lectures, live Zoom discussions, resource lists, and creative prompts, aiming for an interactive and engaging learning experience.

Exploring the Knives Out Universe

Can We Still Govern? • 278 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. The stories center kind, decent outsiders who get thrown into dangerous situations and are guided by Benoit Blanc as they face manipulative groups.
  2. The films criticize unearned privilege and toxic co-dependence, showing greedy, entitled people who exploit others and cling to status.
  3. Social media and performative politics warp motives and relationships, and the series contrasts that cynicism with themes of faith, grace, and genuine care.

Tire Stem Valve Cap

Pizza Party • 56 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
😂 Humor Narrative
  1. A long-running parking dispute with a neighbor and an indifferent manager fuels the narrator's anger.
  2. The narrator secretly sabotages tires by stuffing glued BBs into valve caps to cause slow leaks.
  3. The sabotage works: both targets repeatedly complain and one ends up replacing a tire, so the conflict escalates instead of getting resolved.

Things Worth Remembering: The Poem I Read to My Daughter

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1891 implied HN points • 15 Jun 25
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Reading poetry can create special memories between parents and children. It's a nice way to bond and share moments together.
  2. Shel Silverstein's poetry may seem old-fashioned, but it still resonates with kids today. It's timeless and enjoyable for new generations.
  3. Scent and sound can help us remember happy moments from our childhood. Little details like smells or music from home can bring back fond memories.

Eastern European Cartoons

The Lifeboat • 298 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
⚔ Fiction Narrative
  1. The Lyrical I feels trapped and disconnected from the world, experiencing a physical and emotional paralysis that prevents him from expressing his desires and identity.
  2. Desire is a central theme, as the protagonist yearns for connection, understanding, and to break free from a state of sand-like existence.
  3. The narrative explores complex relationships and the idea of artistic creation, highlighting how personal connections can influence and shape our identities.

What Derek Chauvin's Trial Didn't Show Us

Glenn Loury • 2083 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Narrative
  1. The Derek Chauvin trial had potentially exculpatory evidence excluded and facts misrepresented.
  2. There were concerns raised about the pathologist's autopsy report not aligning with the popular narrative surrounding George Floyd's death.
  3. Speculation was raised about the use of certain statements, like 'I can't breathe', becoming tropes in police encounters.

RKUL: Time Well Spent, 12/13/2025

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 228 implied HN points • 13 Dec 25
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. Reading biographies can help you understand history better by focusing on individual lives rather than just facts. Stories about people make the past feel more relatable and alive.
  2. Some historical figures, like Charlemagne and John Brown, have had lasting impacts on their societies in different ways. Their unique choices shaped their times and the future.
  3. Education systems face issues like grade inflation and too much focus on amenities. This makes degrees less valuable, and schools need to rethink their purpose and best practices.

How Miles Davis Hired John Coltrane

The Honest Broker • 8710 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🎶 Music Narrative
  1. Miles Davis hired John Coltrane out of necessity, as his band needed a saxophonist for an upcoming tour.
  2. John Coltrane's musical talent and knowledge of Miles Davis's repertoire impressed during tryouts, leading to his eventual hiring.
  3. Their initial interactions were characterized by Miles Davis's aloofness and Coltrane's uncertainty, but despite difficulties, Coltrane eventually joined Davis's band.

Where was your father?

Disaffected Newsletter • 1578 implied HN points • 25 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Narrative
  1. The author grew up in an abusive home, primarily influenced by the relationship between their mother and stepfather.
  2. The author's father left before they were born, and while they initially saw him as a villain, they later discovered complexities about their family dynamics.
  3. Even with conflicting feelings about their father, the author acknowledges the impact of their mother's behavior on that relationship.

What Really Happened to George Floyd?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 7776 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
📰 News Narrative
  1. A new documentary challenges key parts of the George Floyd story: the knee-on-the-neck hold as Chauvin's signature move, asphyxiation as the cause of death, and whether Chauvin received a fair trial.
  2. The full footage of the incident shows more context than the viral clip - officers had tried to place Floyd in the squad car and Chauvin's knee was not on Floyd's neck for as long as widely believed.
  3. Chauvin's criminal trial presented an opportunity to reassess the evidence and public opinion, with the prosecution having to prove Chauvin's actions constituted assault and caused Floyd's death.

Stop Using Fiction to Push Politics

Mind & Mythos • 159 implied HN points • 05 Jul 24
📚 Literature Narrative
  1. When writing stories, it's important to focus on storytelling first. Characters and plots should come alive naturally without feeling forced.
  2. Hemingway's approach shows that exploring deep themes works best when they arise from character experiences, rather than pushing a political agenda.
  3. Readers lose interest if the story feels too political or preachy. Good stories engage emotions and allow ideas to unfold organically.