First off, THANK YOU to all of my readers over the past year.

Your feedback, comments, subscriptions, and social sharing are the fuel that keeps my ideas percolating. I hope you enjoy my writing, and that I keep giving you something new to think about along the way.

Secondly, here’s a little irony.

While I just recently started blogging again on a regular basis, it turns out that 6 of my top 10 most-read posts of 2017 were published in the last 3 months. That’s a surprise.

I’ll be honest: after years of writing about marketing and business, it’s incredibly rewarding to write about a topic I’m even more passionate about — deconstructing how stories and pop culture work — and seeing audiences love it.

I can’t wait to dive into new stories and meet new readers in 2018. But for now, as we close out a year of many storytelling highs and lows, here are…

My Top 10 Most-Read Posts of 2017

1. The Surprising Theme in Pixar’s Coco

Start reading for the capsule movie review; stay for the a-ha moment.

The Surprising Theme in Pixar’s Coco

2. The Real Hidden Genius of Pulp Fiction

I wrote this in November of 2016, and it unexpectedly became the cornerstone of my blog traffic this year.

The Real Hidden Genius of Pulp Fiction

3. The Problem with Blade Runner 2049

A lot of fans expected this film to do well at the box office. Here’s why it fell short.

The Problem with Blade Runner 2049

4. 8 Reasons the Justice League Movie’s Marketing Failed

Speaking of films that fans had high hopes for, here’s another autopsy of what went wrong.

Why the Justice League Movie’s Marketing Flopped

5. Why Riverdale‘s Season Two Ratings Scored Big Buzz

In its first episode of the season, this show did something no one expected.

Why Riverdale’s Season Two Ratings Scored Big Buzz

6. 23 of the Best YouTube Channels for Storytellers

Your snapshot guide to some of the best video essay creators on YouTube.

23 of the Best YouTube Channels for Storytellers

7. How DC Should Have Built Their Movie Universe

Another throwback post, this one became unfortunately relevant again in the wake of Justice League.

How DC Should Have Built Their Movie Universe

8. How to Live Your Life in a No-Bullshit Zone

The odd thing about this post, in addition to it being one of my oldest, is that I had removed it from my site a few years ago. Then a longtime reader asked me to repost it because she wanted to share it with a friend. From there, it got popular all over again.

How to Live Your Life in a No-Bullshit Zone

9. Why Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead Are Basically the Same Show

This was the first story analysis post I wrote, and it keeps steadily attracting new readers each month.

What Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead Can Teach Us About Modern Storytelling

10. Why Every Marvel Movie Tells the Same Story

What began as a review of Thor: Ragnarok turned into a recap of Marvel’s satisfying but predictable redundancies.

Why Every Marvel Movie Tells the Same Story

Hey, Want to Be Sure You See Every Post?

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If You Liked This Post

… then you may also enjoy this popular recent post that just missed the top 10 cut: Why Outlander and The Walking Dead are the two shows that best sum up TV (and life) in 2017.

How Outlander vs. The Walking Dead Sums Up 2017

Perfect Ten” image via Flickr Creative Commons License


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