Sean Hancock

Creator of Recycled Minds Comedy & The Improv Lifestyle Podcast. Co-Author of Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse while Dating a Vampire. Speaker, Corporate Trainer

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@elonmusk @elonmusk this is insane!

https://t.co/5qyjkyLHuB

Totally unrelated to your post but you got to see this!

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

This just makes me smile

[🌷 LIZZIE🌷 @farmingandJesus]

Jesus make us more like this man in 2026

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@realchrismalcom @iluminatibot Oh, you mean the people who ended slavery, give the most to the poor, orphans and widows, fight for the unborn, were told to love enemies, serve neighbors, and follow the one true God who came to save mankind, die for the undeserving, and changed the world forever, Got it.

[Collin Rugg @CollinRugg]

JUST IN: Early voter line in Quakertown, Pennsylvania cut at pm, police officer tells voter the process is "slow and grueling" so they are refusing to let people vote.

Voter: We have the right to vote until . Why is it closed?

Officer: Let me explain it to you. This process is very slow and grueling.

Voter: That doesn't matter if we're in line by , we have the right to vote.

Officer: We had to close because of a high volume of people... they had to cut the line at .

Video: @kellyannelu

[Nathan Baugh @nathanbaugh27]

In 2016, researchers at the University of Adelaide tested Kurt Vonnegut's theory that, "There’s no reason why the simple shapes of stories can’t be fed into computers."

They took the emotional arcs of 1300+ novels from Project Gutenberg, turned that into data, used modern tech to analyze the emotional arcs, and then identified 6 patterns seen over and over again in western storytelling.

Here they are:

1. Rags to Riches (rise)

Your classic underdog tale. A humble, hardworking peasant climbs the mountain to pull the sword from the stone.

• Rocky
• King Arthur
• The Pursuit of Happiness

2. Riches to Rags (fall)

Maybe the saddest story of them all. A journey from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.

• King Lear
• Citizen Kane
• Scarlet Letter

3. Man in a Hole (fall then rise)

A character’s doing fine, gets herself into a huge problem, but figures out how to overcome it. They often end up better than they started.

“You see this story again and again,” Vonnegut says. “People love it, and it is not copyrighted.”

• The Martian
• The Hunger Games
• Shawshank Redemption

4. Icarus (rise then fall)

The hero goes on a meteoric rise up New York (or some other) society, calls everyone “old sport,” and throws the wildest parties in town. Then reality sets in, and he realizes he’s too close to the sun.

• Macbeth
• Great Gatsby
• Death of a Salesman

5. Cinderella (rise then fall then rise)

I’ll leave this description to Vonnegut:

“We’re gonna start way down here. Worse than that, who is so low? It’s a little girl… the shoe fits, and she achieves off-scale happiness.”

• Red Rising
• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Count of Monte Cristo

This is my personal favorite.

6. Oedipus (fall then rise then fall)

Up until the ~70% mark of the story it looks like things are sunshine and rainbows. Walter White goes from high school teacher to king of the drug lords, if you will. Then all goes wrong. The original fall is often not their doing while the final fall is.

• Hamlet
• Gone Girl
• Breaking Bad

My 3 takeaways:

1. Rags to Riches, Oedipus, and Cinderella rank as the three most popular with consumers. AKA, those books sold the most copies.

2. When you think through a story, give it an emotional shape. Literally draw it.

X axis: Time
Y axis: Ill fortune to good fortune

You might be surprised how much it helps you craft your plot (I was shocked).

3. Vonnegut was a damn genius.

[Peter Anderson @peteedinburgh2]

In light of the riots and public racism we’ve seen in the UK over the past few days, I want to send a clear message that racism is demonic and all people, no matter what their ethnic background, deserve love and respect. We have one Creator, and for believers, we have one Father.

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@Teleo31939752 @PastorMark It’s twice a day, a broken clock is right twice a day. Even If im wrong… just give me another 12 hours. 😜

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@timkawakami Love that dude! That’s consistency, consistency compounds!

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@CSLewisDaily What does this have to do with cs Lewis???

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@SamWalworth @PastorMark Silence isn’t the solution, open conversations is. The truth is often offensive but don’t confuse it for hate.

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@nathanbarry This is amazing Nathan!!!
🔥🔥🔥

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@Codie_Sanchez

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@Codie_Sanchez I like A & D … it might be cool to have The T the lighting bolt that way when you need to go real simple it can be the C with the o in it and the lighting bolt T on think.

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

Multiple fires on the roadside on the way to Twin. #TwinFalls.

[Ed Mylett @EdMylett]

So often we waste our time being busy instead of taking chances on our BIG IDEAS because we’re so worried about what others may think if we fail (or succeed)

That is BACKWARDS THINKING!

Do what your HEART, HEAD, GUT, and GOD tells you is right.

Tune out the rest of the crap.

[Sean Hancock @hancocksean]

@EdMylett That’s amazing! The only tattoo a person got from something I said read: “it was bad decisions that got me here. ..Thanks dad”
ha ha jk.
Seriously, that’s fricken awesome Ed!

[Codie Sanchez @Codie_Sanchez]

The best business school is… being in business.

[Buffalo Bills @BuffaloBills]

The thoughts and prayers of all of Bills Mafia are supporting you, Damar. 🙏

[Cincinnati Bengals @Bengals]

Sending our thoughts and prayers to Damar🙏