#238: The Power of Narrative with August Cole

#238: The Power of Narrative with August Cole

From MCA Scuttlebutt by MCA Scuttlebutt

April 16, 2026 · 1h 9m

About this episode

August Cole discusses the power of narrative and storytelling, drawing from his experiences as a journalist and fiction writer.

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and your continued support. This week, we welcome August Cole back to the scuttlebutt. August joined us last year at Modern Day Marine in Episode 193 and was kind enough to come on again. Please go back and check that out. For those who missed it, August is the co-author of the books  Ghost Fleet and  Burn-In , managing partner of  Useful Fiction , and a nonresident senior fellow in the Forward Defense practice of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He was also a journalist for the  Wall Street Journal  and he talks to us about being a journalist and how his experience informs his fiction writing. We also dive into narrative and the power of storytelling, and how telling stories about what could be helps tell the story of what is. Also, with this being the ten-year anniversary of  Ghost Fleet , he shares some insights into how “right” his books are.      Enjoy!  augustcole.com  instagram.com/augustcole  useful-fiction.com  <p>The post #238: The Power of…

People in this episode

Host: MCA Scuttlebutt

Guest: August Cole

Topics covered

  • narrative
  • storytelling
  • journalism
  • fiction writing
  • Ghost Fleet anniversary

Keywords

  • narrative
  • storytelling
  • August Cole
  • journalism
  • Ghost Fleet
  • fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Atlantic Council, Useful Fiction

Books & works: Ghost Fleet, Burn-In

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