“The most important element in a good story is conflict. It’s seeing two opposing forces collide with one another.” That’s from Beau Willimon, the showrunner for House of Cards, and he said it at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival, as part of The Atlantic’s “Big Question” series. The Atlantic also talked to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, musician Yoni Bloch, The Moth artistic director Catherine Burns, PBS President Paula Kerger, The Newsroom producer (and former Obama speechwriter) Jon Lovett, and public radio’s Jay Allison, whose answer was, “Honesty. And grace.” Best two minutes and 46 seconds you’ll spend today, straight up:
Storytelling tips from the creative minds behind ‘House of Cards,’ ‘The Newsroom,’ PBS, The Moth and more

Related

Story Craft | Strictly Q&A
Inside the acknowledgments: The making of Wright Thompson’s ‘The Barn’
You can learn a lot from a work of nonfiction by seeing whom the author thanks.
Elon Green

Story Craft
When digital outreach fails, try pen and paper
Journalists can find value in the old-school approach of handwritten letters to gain interviews and thank sources
Mallary Tenore Tarpley

Story Craft
A journalist, a boy, and a surprising literary gift
What a New York Times editor’s father-son trip can teach us about personal essay writing
Mallary Tenore Tarpley