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Highly recommended

Storyworthy

Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling

by Matthew Dicks

A champion storyteller teaches how to find and tell true stories, and the daily habit that collects them.

  • Published 2018
  • Easy read
  • Practical guidance
  • 1 min analysis
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Introduction

Matthew Dicks, a teacher, novelist and many-time winner of The Moth storytelling competitions, published Storyworthy in 2018. He teaches how to craft true personal stories that move audiences.

One of the book's best-loved ideas is 'Homework for Life', a daily habit of noting the most storyworthy moment of each day.

Who should read this book?

Speakers, teachers, leaders and anyone who wants to tell better stories.

Helps with: Communicate and persuade, Unlock my creativity

The central message

Great stories are about a moment of change. Collect moments daily and shape them so audiences feel what you felt.

Key ideas and concepts

  1. Homework for Life

    Write down the most storyworthy moment of each day.

  2. Five-second moments

    Stories centre on a moment of transformation.

  3. Start at the opposite

    Begin with the opposite of where you end.

  4. The Dinner Test

    Tell stories as you would at dinner, naturally.

  5. Stakes

    Give the audience a reason to keep listening.

Deeper analysis

Storyworthy is practical, warm and full of examples. Homework for Life has helped many readers notice meaning in daily life, beyond storytelling.

It focuses on spoken personal stories, so writers of fiction may need other guides. Some readers find the author's personal anecdotes lengthy. It's an excellent storytelling guide.

Practical applications

  • Start Homework for Life tonight.
  • Identify a five-second moment in your life.
  • Draft a story that starts at the opposite.
  • Tell a story at dinner.
  • Add stakes to your story.

Your 7-day action plan

  1. Day 1

    Start Homework for Life.

  2. Day 2

    Find a five-second moment.

  3. Day 3

    Draft the story.

  4. Day 4

    Add stakes.

  5. Day 5

    Start at the opposite.

  6. Day 6

    Tell it aloud.

  7. Day 7

    Reflect.

Outcomes to expect

What readers who apply this book can realistically take away from it:

  • Better storytelling
  • Daily reflection habit
  • Confident speaking
  • More memorable communication

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Practical techniques
  • Homework for Life
  • Warm style
  • Proven author

Limitations

  • Focused on spoken stories
  • Long anecdotes
  • Less for fiction

Reflection questions

  1. What was today's storyworthy moment?
  2. When did you change?
  3. What's at stake?
  4. Who could you tell?

About the author

Matthew Dicks

Storyteller and author of Storyworthy.

Full profile and books

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Book details (title, author, year) are factual. Everything under the headings above is MindsetProdigy's own editorial analysis and interpretation, written to help you decide whether to read the book and how to apply it. It is not a substitute for reading the book itself. Last updated October 1, 2026.