Story Grid Podcast
Click here to Subscribe in iTunes. Helping you become a better writer. Join Shawn Coyne, author of Story Grid and a top editor for 25+ years, and Tim Grahl, struggling writer, as they discuss the ins and outs of what makes a story great. More at www.StoryGrid.com.
Tim has finished his manuscript! Shawn gives him the next steps and then they continue discussing the Hero’s Journey 2.0.
Tim is getting pretty stuck on the worldbuilding side of things with his work in progress. Shawn walks him through how to break these blocks and continues looking at them through the Hero’s Journey 2.0 lens.
Shawn starts walking through the Heroic Journey 2.0 infographic looking at how it can help you understand the story you are trying to tell.
Click here to view the infographic referenced in this episode.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/axjngf5r8w6ivcx/Heroic%20Journey%20Macro%20Infographic-01-1.png?dl=0
As Tim is finishing up the first draft of his novel, Shawn starts introducing the ideas behind his new Hero's Journey 2.0 models and how it will impact the editing of his manuscript.
Tim is getting close to finishing his first draft and wants to talk with Shawn about what he can expect when it comes time to run it through the Story Grid methodology.
In part three of this interview, Tim sits down with Michael McClellan, author of THE SAND SEA, to discuss his 12 years of writing and how Story Grid played a role in finishing the novel.
In part two of this interview, Tim sits down with Michael McClellan, author of THE SAND SEA, to discuss his 12 years of writing and how Story Grid played a role in finishing the novel.
Tim sits down with Michael McClellan, author of THE SAND SEA to discuss his 12 years of writing and how Story Grid played a role in finishing the novel.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
In this new series from Story Grid, we are analyzing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. Join us as we go chapter by chapter through this masterwork.
For more on the Hero's Journey training, visit https://storygrid.com/hero.
How do you write a story with multiple story lines? Shawn walks Tim how this will work with his next book.
Tim has finished the first scene of Book 2 in The Threshing series and gets Shawn's feedback.
With the pandemic still sweeping the globe, Shawn and I discuss how fear can take over in these situations and what we can do in our lives and our writing.
How do you apply the idea of systems and chaos to planning a novel? Shawn walks Tim through this concept as he works on book 2 in his series.
The middle build is the hardest part of the book and book two in a trilogy is a whole book dedicated to the middle build! How do you know where to start and build the story? Shawn walks Tim through these initial ideas and decisions to make along the way.
We only have so much time and energy to dedicate to our writing. When you are stuck between working on two different projects, how do you pick which one is the right choice? Shawn walks Tim through this difficult decision.
As Tim continues down the path of working on his new novel, Shawn encourages him to take the time to 1) look at the masterworks of his chosen genre and 2) spend sometime thinking about the hero / victim / villain interactions throughout his story.
This is big! Three of our Story Grid Certified Editors have teamed up to start the Story Grid Showrunners podcast. If you've ever been interested in how Story Grid can be used with television and episodic series, you'll want to have a listen.
Now that The Threshing is done and (almost) published, Tim is ready to start his next book! What are the first steps down this path? How can Story Grid help him plan correctly? Shawn walks him through this in this week's episode.
Continuing the discussion around writing a Contender Guide to a Story Grid Publishing novel, Shawn walks Tim through his mistakes and how to level up his analyzation of his own writing.
How do you analyze a novel to learn from it? This is a big part of Story Grid and our new publishing house. Tim and Shawn discuss Contender Guides -- what they are and why you should care.
How do you create a publishing house that isn't beholden to investors or Amazon? Shawn and Tim discuss this idea and how you can be involved! https://storygrid.com/guild
What would it look like if Story Grid launched its own publishing house? Shawn and Tim dive into that in this week's episode.
When it came time to start thinking about the publishing of The Threshing, Shawn and Tim were faced with a dilemma. There didn't seem to be a good option.
In this final episode on Big Idea Nonfiction, Shawn continues sharing how to write a big idea nonfiction book that works.
What makes a Big Idea book stand apart from the rest? Shawn walks through all of the pieces that go into a Big Idea Nonfiction book that will stand the test of time.
Tim is back with Shawn and they're talking nonfiction and Story Grid. What are the sub-genres of nonfiction? How do you apply the tools of Story Grid to nonfiction? They cover this and a lot more.
Ever struggle in wondering if your writing is good enough? Shawn walks Tim through this with his book.
Shawn shares about a new project at Story Grid headquarters that will help teach the micro level of storytelling to writers. See more at storygrid.com/ground
Weeks have passed since Tim has worked on his novel so he finally admits this to Shawn and asks for advice.
Shawn and Tim continue walking through the fundamentals of Story Grid and how the new idea of Pheres applies to the 5 Commandments of Story telling.
This episodes twists and turns from emotion in storytelling to dissecting the hydrogen atom. It's a great episode and will make you look at your story in a new, fresh way.
Shawn walks through how taking time to look at math can help you structure your story.
What is the fundamental unit of story? Shawn talks about a new insight he had at a recent Story Grid event and what it means for us.
Shawn continues to walk Tim through the Editor's 6 Core Questions which are the first line of evaluating a manuscript.
The Editor's 6 Core Questions is the first tool in the arsenal of how to evaluate a manuscript. Shawn walks Tim through the first 3 questions.
Going back to the basics of Story Grid, Shawn and Tim discuss the role genre plays in storytelling.
This episode is two for the price of one. Tim and Shawn first discuss when and how to do a 2nd edition of a book and then they move into discussing Tim's changes to the Beginning Hook of his novel as he continues to race towards the finish line.
After several weeks of analyzing the manuscript, Shawn walks Tim through the final steps of refinement he needs to go through to get it ready for production.
Shawn and Tim finish up talking about the Hero Archetypes and then delve into what it takes to ground your book in a realistic world.
Shawn and Tim continue talking through the Hero's Journey Archetypes, who they are, and how they should be in your story.
The sprint is on to finish The Threshing. This week Shawn and Tim begin working through the Archetypes of the Hero's Journey.
Steven Pressfield and Black Irish Publishing have released a new project around writers and Resistance. Shawn and Tim discuss both what the project is and the bigger ramifications for the world of publishing.
Your novel is done, now what? Shawn walks Tim through a new level of analysis for his work in progress.
The spreadsheet is a central tool of Story Grid. Shawn walks Tim through how to use it and answers some of his questions.
Story Grid grew out of the need for better editing. Shawn and Tim discuss the origins and the job of an editor.
Tim finished his second draft and turned it into Shawn. What's the verdict?
We all can agree that writing is hard. Learning to level up your writing is even harder. So why all the suffering? Why not just publish a draft that's "good enough"? This is what Shawn and Tim dive into on this week's episode.
What are the building blocks for a believable, fantastical world in your story? Shawn walks through this and hits upon a fundamental reason why Tim's characters have not been working.
How do you create the right cast of characters for your story and make them believable? Shawn walks Tim through a framework to do this correctly.
Tim is working through the final big battle scene and Shawn helps him figure out how to do it right.
Now that Tim has worked through his block, it's time to finish the book. But how? Shawn walks him through the mindset and tactics to finally finish this draft.
Every writer hits that moment. Is it time quit this novel and move on to a new project? Tim is facing this with Threshing and talks over the question with Shawn.
What is the nature of evil and how do you make that into an unforgettable villain in your stories? Shawn and Tim dive into this topic.
Shawn is in the midst of a publishing project of his own and... it's hit some rough spots. He shares what is going on and how he's working through it.
Tim brings a common question to Shawn... when do you know your book is ready to publish? Shawn has important insight on this all important question.
Tim took at a crack at writing a fast paced action sequence that allows moves his story forward. Shawn walks him through the ins and outs and what to do next.
What do video games and story telling have in common? Shawn walks through another tool for analyzing your story.
What is the overarching engine running every story? Shawn uses Tim's latest scene to step into this question and share some of his latest research.
Running Down a Dream has been out for a week. What has happened and what next?
Steven Pressfield joins and Shawn and Tim to discuss his new book THE ARTIST'S JOURNEY along with Tim's new book RUNNING DOWN A DREAM.
Tim's new book Running Down a Dream is coming out next week and he discusses with Shawn what is has been like to write the book.
A huge part that makes a scene work is the value shifts. They have to work in the scene, the global genre, the internal genre, etc. Shawn walks Tim through how to think about this with his Turning Point Scene of the Middle Build.
Shawn walks Tim through the problems with his turning point of the middle build scene (and how to fix them).
Shawn and Tim continue work through the 15 most important scenes of The Threshing. Shawn also dives into what is really driving this, and all, stories.
Click here to download Tim's outline of his 15 most important scenes.
Tim did his homework by planning out the 15 most important scenes of his book. Shawn starts working through them with him.
Courtney is a Story Grid Certified Editor and is stuck on her book! She reached out to Shawn for help so they jumped on the phone to go over her book and how she can make progress.
Shawn walks Tim through the 15 most important scenes he has to figure out for his novel.
Tim is struggling with stepping back into his fiction book now that he's taken a few months off to finish his non-fiction book. Shawn walks him through how to do it. Plus, a special announcement!
Click here to see more information on the Level Up Your Craft Summer Semester.
Now that Shawn has gone through the manuscript of Tim's book, what does he think? What's his feedback? What should he do next?
Now that Shawn has read Tim's manuscript, he's handing down the verdict. Is it ready for primetime?
Tim has finally finished the manuscript for Running Down a Dream. What's next?
Shawn takes listener questions and covers miniplot, how to hire and work with an editor, and deep dives into the differences between genres.
How do you write great non-fiction? Shawn continues to walk Tim through the telling of his story.
Ryan Holiday is the author of eight bestselling books and is quickly becoming one of the most prolific writers of our time. In this interview, Ryan shares his processes for writing and editing his books.
Click here to see more about Ryan Holiday.
Three of my favorite articles by Ryan on writing:
Tim continues to work towards telling the Truth in his writing while Shawn gives guidance on what to do next.
What does it mean to tell your truth? Tim and Shawn discuss this along with the rewrite of his introduction.
Shawn continues to push Tim to find the true "why" behind his non-fiction book.
Download Tim's intro and first set of chapters from Running Down a Dream.
Tim finally makes it to the middle of the middle build and gets Shawn feedback on what to do next.
If you've struggled with building a believable, cohesive world for your novel, then this is the episode for you. Also, Tim's goes on a rant about the show Altered Carbon.
Tim finally makes a breakthrough on his middle build and Shawn discusses how you can too.
Shawn and Tim continue the discussion around Die Hard and how it applies specifically to Tim's book.
This week we introduce you to the newest Story Grid project... the Story Grid Editor Roundtable Podcast. Listen as a panel of editors walks you through the movie Alien.
Click here to see all the episodes of the Story Grid Editor Roundtable Podcast.
Tim spent some of the holiday break putting Die Hard through the Story Grid spreadsheet. He has some observations and questions to run by Shawn.
Shawn and Tim discuss one of the most important Story Grid tools and how to use it.
Shawn and Tim continue working through the Story Grid Editor's Six Core Questions.
There are six questions that can guide your writing from the beginning through drafting and editing your manuscript. Shawn walks you through each one.
There are 5 Commandments for Storytelling that must apply to every part of your story. Shawn and Tim dive back into these fundamental ideas.
There are a lot of commonly held myths about publishing that often derail writers. Shawn and Tim bring their unique perspective to what writers should know about the publishing world and how it really works.
Tim reaches the point where he wants to throw his book away and start over. Shawn is there to talk him off the ledge.
We all hit those times where we don't know whether to rework what we've written or keeping pushing forward. Shawn talks Tim through this decision.
After hearing the listener messages from the 100th episode, Shawn reflects on what the last two years have meant to him... and then we dive back into my story.
In this 100th episode of the Story Grid Podcast, we here from you the listeners about what this show has meant to you over the last two years.
Are you doing NaNoWriMo next month? If so, you should be getting ready NOW. Shawn walks you through how to use the Story Grid to prepare for writing an entire novel in one month.
When you get stuck or lost in your story, how do you find your way? Shawn and Tim discuss this as a follow up to last week's episode.
As Tim finished up the Beginning Hook and enters the Middle Build, a very important question comes to light.
This is episode 96. We're almost to the two year anniversary of the show. Tim spends a bit of time reflecting on the past, present, and future of the Story Grid Podcast.
To share your story, visit:
Shawn continues answering questions from listeners about genre, the hero's journey, and more.
Questions answered in this episode:
- Can the mentor also be the villain?
- Practical ways to workshop and come up with story ideas and to find inspiration. What core components make up a story premise?
- How can I use the Story Grid methodology in relation to short story?
- What novels do you recommend for studying the Redemption Plot and the Education Plot?
- Shawn and Steven Pressfield have worked together on many epic war novels. What are the obligatory scenes and conventions of the war genre?
- In the horror genre you put aliens under both uncanny and supernatural, is that because it depends on how they will be viewed in the story?
Tim continues throwing your story questions at Shawn.
Submit your questions for future episodes at twitter.com/storygrid.
- Can you talk more about the Society genre, please? Does this lend itself better to a mini-plot story (with multiple protagonists) than an arch-plot story?
- How do you go to "the end of the line" in a story like The Accidental Tourist? Clearly, the stakes are not life or death, so how do you show a fate worse than death?
- How do we track sub-plot on the one-page Foolscap Global Story Grid? Or, do we track them at all?
- In the Action genre, Clock subgenre, the book gives four sub-subgenres with different villain types driving the plot: Ransom, Holdout, Countdown, and Fate. In Fate, Time itself is the villain, and the example is Back to the Future. Does that last one apply only to time-travel stories? How do “Time” and “Circumstances” differ as clock devices/villains?
- Is deus ex machina ever a good thing?
- What are the values at stake for a non-fiction?
- What do recommend writers do about writer’s block?
- What has Shawn learned through this process? Has he changed his mind about anything since working with Tim?
- Is there an ideal time to engage an editor and/or beta readers?
A Q&A with Shawn Coyne. Tim took questions from Twitter and Facebook and spends an hour going through them with Shawn.
Questions asked:
- Can you tell us how making a story with multiple protagonists works with the hero's journey? Like in Game of Thrones?
- In a love story, does the All Is Lost scene necessarily have to the be Lovers Break Up scene?
- Global Value Shifts: In The Story Grid, you give two core values per internal and external genre. For example, the core values for thrillers life/death, and for maturation it's naivete/worldiness. However, when we actually start to plot our stories, the move from one value to another is gradual. That is the value shift moves from life to unconsciousness to death to damnation (THRILLER) and naivete masked as sophistication to naivete to cognitive dissonance to sophistication (MATURATION). Is this value progression consistent within a genre? That is, do all thrillers follow the same progression as Silence of the Lambs, or is it only the life/death that is consistent. Likewise, would all maturation plots follow the progression you outline for Pride & Prejudice, or is it only naivete/worldiness that is consistent?
- I would love to Shawn to explain the difference between the Worldview sub-genres, and the subtleties between what makes one maturation vs education for example. So often a character learns something, some lesson or comes to greater understanding about a truth but I have trouble differentiating if it's a maturation vs education vs revelation. Kramer vs Kramer for example...is this an education plot?
- How evenly would you space the K-Ross points through a story? Does it even matter? Or are they just guidelines for the emotional arc?
In this wide ranging episode, Shawn and Tim discuss the best ways to help your fellow writers become better at their craft.
What does it mean to apply specificity to a non-fiction story? It's a tough thing, especially if you're of the literal persuasion.
Shawn uses the second draft of Tim's introduction to focus in on the craft of writing great non-fiction.
Non-fiction has specific genres, conventions, and obligatory scenes just like fiction, but they are, of course, a little different. Shawn and Tim delve into what it takes to write a great non-fiction book.
Make sure you pick up a copy of Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday.
Now that Tim has finished the first draft of his non-fiction book, Shawn starts working with him through editing.
After a couple months working through the Story Grid tools on Tim's first draft, he's ready to start writing the 2nd draft.
Tim and Shawn continuing building out the Story Grid Graph to evaluate the first draft.
The next step in editing Tim's first draft is to create a Story Grid Graph.
Shawn and Tim continue discussing the Hero's Journey as a tool to evaluate the first draft.
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
Shawn and Tim dive into the Hero's Journey as a tool to evaluate the first draft.
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
Move from the micro to the macro with your first draft. The Foolscap Story Grid will help you put your entire novel onto a single page.
After you've gone scene-by-scene through your first draft, it's good to step back and take the macro view of your novel.
Once you have filled out the Story Grid spreadsheet for your first draft, what do you next?
Click here to see the spreadsheet and foolscap as Tim works on it.
After the first draft is done, it's easy to get stuck on what to do next. Shawn continues walking Tim through the process of using the Story Grid spreadsheet.
Tim has officially finished his first draft... now what? This is where Story Grid really shines... taking your first draft and making it the best it can be.
Click here to see Tim's Story Grid Spreadsheet of his first draft.
Is this really the end? Tim submits the final 8 scenes of his first draft to Shawn for his feedback.
Click here to download Tim's full first draft of The Threshing.
Have you ever put off writing a particular scene or sequence in your story? Tim faces that this week and Shawn walks him through it.
Tim and Shawn talk through the Ending Payoff, steadily working to the end of the book.
Tim hits some major road blocks on his story. So what's the solution?
Also, an important announcement.
As Shawn and Tim continue discussing the beginning of the Ending Payoff, they venture into a discussion on how to make sure the end of your book pays off everything that came before.
Tim and Shawn keep moving on the Ending Payoff, but also uncover some deeper issues.
The Middle Build is done. The Ending Payoff has begun. It took Tim four tries to get the first scenes of the Middle Build right. How long will it take him to get the Ending Payoff right?
After a long slog and a few weeks off, Shawn and Tim dive into the final scenes and sequences of the Middle Build. There's plenty of good, bad, and "just cut the whole scene."
As Shawn and Tim continue discussing the Middle Build and driving the story with characters or plotting.
There are big moments in every middle build that are extremely important to get right. Shawn and Tim talk through these in this episode.
How do you pace your story to keep readers interesting without moving too fast? Shawn and Tim discuss the correct way to progressively complicate your scenes and sequences to write a killer Middle Build.
How to work with a developmental editor and get to a finished, working first draft.
Tim gets much closer with his rewrite of the sequence, but there's still plenty to dial in. How do you identify these moments and how do you make them work? Shawn answers in this episode.
You have a scene that's not working, but you can't figure out why. What do you do? Shawn takes Tim back to the 5 Commandments of Storytelling.
Shawn gives feedback on Tim's first Middle Build sequence and shares principles on how to do it right.
Shawn always talks about how important it is to know your genre, but it's sometimes a bit fuzzy figuring it out. Tim is in this spot now so Shawn walks him through it.
The Middle Build is the longest and most complex section of your novel. Figuring out how to plan it and pace it is really tough. Shawn and Tim dive in on how to do this.
How long does it take to write a great book? Some writers crank it out in a few weeks. Tim is taking much longer. What's the timeline on books?
Shawn and Tim recently spoke at Tribe Conference 2016. This is a recording of that talk. They discuss going pro, the hero's journey, and several other topics.
The 4 questions you have to answer to establish the setting of your novel.
Tim makes the mistake of diving into his middle build before he's really planned out the world. Shawn walks him through how to do this and what makes a great world for your novel.
Once you have a working Beginning Hook, it's time to move into the Middle Build. This makes up 50% of your book and can be overwhelming at the start. Shawn and Tim discuss how to dive in.
Shawn and Tim discuss the last sequence in the Beginning Hook and getting started on the Middle Build.
Shawn critiques Tim's latest scenes, and how you can move into planning and writing sequences.
Part 2 on the love story genre. Shawn and Tim dive into the genre conventions, obligatory scenes, and how you can write a great love story.
If you had to pick one genre to master, what should it be? Shawn answers the question in this week's episode.
Tim finally nails his scene. What changed? And what is the right process for going from draft to a working scene?
Shawn and Tim answer a few questions from listeners and then dive into more rewrites of Tim's scenes.
Submit your questions on Twitter @storygrid.
How do you take scenes that don't work and rewrite them? Shawn and Tim walk through best practices and common pitfalls.
Shawn continues working through the Story Grid for Tim's beginning hook.
Downloads for this episode:
- [Tim's Beginning Hook Scenes][1]
- [Shawn's Notes on Tim's Beginning Hook][2]
- [Story Grid Spreadsheet for Tim's Beginning Hook][3]
Tim has finished the first 11 scenes of his book -- the Beginning Hook -- and Shawn wades into his critique on where he did well and where he... didn't.
Downloads for this episode:
The 4 categories of non-fiction and how the Story Grid applies to them.
This week we talk with PhD candidate Andy Reagan who is one of the researchers behind the Hendonometer Shawn and Tim discussed a couple weeks ago. Andy shares where they are at with the research and they discuss the implications for writers in the future.
What does it take to move from amateur to professional as a writer? Tim and Shawn discuss this in depth and share their experience.
New research shows there are only 6 stories that every book is based on. Shawn and Tim discuss the implications of this and how it applies to Tim's story.
Data Mining Reveals the Six Basic Emotional Arcs of Storytelling
A good developmental editor is mentoring an author through their book. That comes with some basic frustrations, especially when the editor is coaching a newbie like Tim. Shawn shares his views on this along with his new math equation... M + TEⁿ = IF.
Click here to see Shawn's edits of Tim's first scene. For those using Word/Pages, you'll be able to see the exact edits he made.
Click here to see Shawn's article Is "Good Enough" Good Enough?
Who drives the story? This is a harder question to answer than you think. Shawn and Tim dive deep in this question.
Steven Pressfield's The Spine of the Story
Shawn and Tim's Emails
- Tim's story outline he sent to Shawn to look over.
- Shawn's response.
- Tim sent Shawn his short story in the Tales from Pennsylvania anthology.
- Shawn's response.
In this three part series, Shawn and Tim discuss the ins and outs of the publishing industry. Learn how to work with your publisher and market your book.
In this three part series, Shawn and Tim discuss the ins and outs of the publishing industry. Learn how to find an agent and sell your book to a major publisher.
In this three part series, Shawn and Tim discuss the ins and outs of the publishing industry. They share their backstory and answer the question, "Should I indie or traditionally publish my book?"
Learn how to fight Resistance and launch your writing career with the amazing Steven Pressfield.
Check out his new book No One Wants to Read Your Shit.
Learn how to fight Resistance and launch your writing career with the amazing Steven Pressfield.
Check out his new book No One Wants to Read Your Shit.
Tim and Shawn work to nail down the specifics for the second draft. Narrative device is a big topic along with nailing down the big events in your story.
Is Shawn killing Tim's creativity? This episode starts with that question then moves into deep genre questions and how to use Internal and External genres to tell great stories.
This is the first episode that Tim gets noticeably frustrated. Shawn is trying to teach him how to avoid cliches, hit the right conventions for his genre, and make sure his character's motivations are clear. Unfortunately, Tim is having a hard time catching on.
This is an epic episode. Shawn and Tim talk through finding a marketable genre and how to build a book that fits. Then, once the episode was over, they keep talking with the mics on for another half hour. This is a great behind-the-scenes episode.
After a week of Tim floundering with his first draft, Shawn starts to rescue him from the pit of despair. Of course, they go back to genre to find the way home. This is a wide ranging episode on how you can start picking up the pieces of your first draft.
This was a haps episode for Tim. Shawn has now read the manuscript and gives his feedback and next steps. They also discuss the two questions you should ask your first draft.
If you missed it last week, here's the link to Tim's first draft.
Tim has finished his first draft and Shawn gives advice on what happens next and what questions Tim should be asking himself.
If you'd like to read Tim's first draft, you can download it by clicking here.
Shawn and Tim discuss unconventional ways to become a better writer. Topics include chicken sexing, Deliberate Practice, and many other things. Also, Tim's now trying to track down a cadaver he can use.
How can you get more writing done? Is the "wall" even real or just in your head?
Another wide ranging episode that eventually lands on an important question. Kurt Vonnegut said "You cannot be a good writer of serious fiction if you are not depressed." Is this really true?
A wide ranging episode where Shawn and Tim discuss a new way to think about beginning hooks, the high concept "What if?" pitch, when to open the door and get other writer's feedback, and how the "Power of 10" will help your editing process.
Also, checkout the website The Write Practice. It has inspiration, writing prompts, and daily content to help you become a better writer.
It was at 8000 words in that Tim realized his writing was terrible. So how does he keep going? Shawn offers his advice on overcoming this and other types of resistance.
What is your theme or controlling idea, and how does it help you tell a better story? Tim and Shawn also discuss how to avoid getting caught in analysis-paralysis and how to build your world the right way.
As Tim begins to plot and outline his story, he gets Shawn's input on exactly how to do it. This process is filled with potential time wasters and distractions, and Shawn helps Tim avoid them.
Discussed is how to name characters, when to worry about the length of the outline, and other common pitfalls.
Download Tim's initial Foolscap Global Story Grid worksheet.
Download the first draft of Tim's outline for the first 17 scenes.
How do great writers actually get their writing done? Shawn and Tim delve into this along with combating fear and reaching your goals.
Click here to see Tim's Story Grid of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Talking about Story Grid is one thing, putting it into practice is quite another. Tim struggles with applying Story Grid to Harry Potter. In addition, specificity, ins and outs of publishing, and more.
The Hero's Journey and how it works with Story Grid. The characters and scenarios. Also, how to learn from one book to write your own.
Tim writes another scene for Shawn to critique.
The question every author gets... "Where do you come up with story ideas?" Also, how to write characters that are truthful, even when you can't relate with them.
Shawn explains how Story Grid can help you be a better non-fiction writer. Also, the editing process and how to know when your book is "done".
How do you write an opener for your book that grabs people's attention and doesn't let go? Shawn shares great insights on this along with how to develop believable characters.
Learn the units of story telling -- beats, scenes, sequences, acts, etc -- and how they make you a better writer and editor.
Learn the 5 commandments of storytelling and how it will make your story better.
We mention the transcript of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Larry Kasdan discussing the creation of Indiana Jones. You can see that here.
Learn how the Story Grid works with Andy Weir's The Martian and Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
Click here to download Shawn's Foolscap Story Grid for The Martian.
Click here to download Shawn's Foolscap Story Grid for A Christmas Carol.
Click here to download Tim's Foolscap Story Grid for The Martian.
How does the Kübler-Ross model from psychiatry apply to your writing? Also, how to develop your characters and applying the Story Grid to non-fiction.
How can narrative device make your storytelling easier? We also discuss the two types of inciting incidents and how the Story Grid applies to he movie Dead Calm.
Story Grid Math. How many scenes, words, turns does your book need? Also discussed is the 5 commandments of storytelling and Tim's attempt at a rewrite.
In this episode, Shawn and Tim deep dive into the editing process. They discuss when to start working with an editor and the six questions every (good) editor is asking.
They also talk macro vs micro story and the the five different parts of every story.
Lastly, click here to download the full 14 page critique Shawn did of Tim's first scene.
Shawns critiques (rips apart) Tim's first scene. Along the way, they discuss Agatha Christie, Wes Craven, Hemingway, and Freddy Krueger.
Homework was given in this episode to watch Dead Calm and read Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants.
Click here to download and read Tim's scene discussed in this episode.
How does The Martian work with The Story Grid? Plus, we discuss how to make sure your story is good before writing 100k words and the difference between Internal and External genre.
Shawn and Tim dive deeper into genre and how to find the best internal and external conflicts. Along the way they discuss the hero's journey, love stories, and a woman from the sea.
Shawn and Tim discuss literary vs commercial fiction and start diving into the giant subject that is genre.
How can you become a better writer? Join Shawn Coyne, a bestselling editor with 25+ years experience, and Tim Grahl as they dive into the craft of story telling.
In this episode we discuss how publishing works and what an editor does, along with what the Story Grid is and how it can make you a better writer.
Mentioned in the show:
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Scrivener
- Story Grid website
