“A perfectly competent character is boring” | Nat Eliason, Author & Essayist

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Sep 16, 2024

Nat Eliason, an author and essayist, dives into the art of storytelling, particularly in personal narratives. He shares his thrilling journey from handling hundreds to millions in investments during a major hack. Eliason discusses the importance of authenticity, balancing drama with relatability, and how to effectively tell stories about complex subjects like cryptocurrency. He also provides insights on soliciting valuable feedback and navigating the transition from writing to promoting a book, making storytelling a universally engaging craft.

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INSIGHT

Authenticity Connects

Authentic storytelling connects with readers by revealing honest feelings and struggles.
Readers subconsciously detect inauthenticity, hindering connection.

INSIGHT

Clarity vs. Connection

Overemphasis on clarity can sacrifice connection in storytelling.
Prioritize connection by embracing style, voice, and musicality over rigid rules.

ADVICE

Teach Through Stories

Teach indirectly through stories for better retention.
Stories resonate more than bullet points, making ideas memorable.

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Telling stories about your life feels fraught. How do you weave together a story that is deeply personal to you and others, contains the right amount of tension without being too dramatic, and feels both gripping and accessible for your audience?

In the case of our guest today, Nat Eliason, his story is about the moment he went from investing hundreds of dollars to having $10 million of his own money on the line, plus more than $100 million of others under his purview, when the whole system was hacked.

Nat recently published his first book, “Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance,” and in this episode, he dissects the choices he made writing his prologue (which he shared with more than 20 people to get right).

Together, Jay and Nat dissect Nat’s thrilling story, unpacking how he grounded the drama, making it feel authentic and relatable, while still embracing the primacy and recency effects in storytelling. Plus, they discuss strategies for getting more valuable feedback on your creative work, Nat’s decision to focus on such a dramatic moment for his prologue, and how to effectively combine educational or technical concepts into a story in a way that doesn’t lose or bore readers.

Whether you are an aspiring author, give keynotes, write articles, or record multimedia content, this episode will make you look a bit closer at how your favorite stories are told—from the very first hook to a perfectly placed detail to the closing line that makes you realize that although the story was specific … it was profoundly universal.

Resources:

⚫ Follow Nat on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateliason/

⚫ Follow Nat on X: https://x.com/nateliason

⚫ Visit Nat’s website: https://www.nateliason.com/

⚫ Subscribe to Nat’s Substack: https://blog.nateliason.com/

🔵 Work with Jay to develop and differentiate your IP and stories: https://jayacunzo.com/

🔵Join his Creator Kitchen membership: https://creatorkitchen.com/

🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/

🔵 Follow Jay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacunzo/

🟢 Produced by Ilana Nevins:https://www.ilananevins.com/

🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/

🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors