This will be the final episode of the Story Grid Podcast for the foreseeable future. Tim gives some background on why this decision was made along with an update on his current writing project and other happenings around Story Grid.

Access the full Story Grid analysis of Crazy Rich Asians at https://storygrid.com/crazy.

What can writers learn from studying this 2018 film?

This is the final in a four part series analyzing Crazy Rich Asians. The screenplay was written by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and the movie was based on a 2013 book of the same title written by Kevin Kwan.

This episode is hosted by Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl, writer and CEO of Story Grid.

Now that Tim has had a breakthrough on his iteration of EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain, we're getting down to fixing individual Beats and checking to make sure he's adhered to the Story Grid 624 Analysis.

You really see the Story Grid Tools shine in this episode as Leslie and Danielle apply them to Tim's writing to find places still left to fix.

 

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b-RzszE7YzLEn5fSlWAqVQ_OkXhuJg3cxfZImXzIkYI/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-282

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Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com

This is Episode 282 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

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. 

Download Tim's scenes from this week.

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.

Click here to download Tim's new Foolscap.

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

Does Tim Actually Get It Right? How to Nail the Narrative Device

On Tim's 10th draft, he finally makes a breakthrough on his iteration of EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain!

And it ended up being a simple practice that got him over the hump.

Listen in as Shawn, Danielle, Leslie, and Tim discuss how to nail the narrative device.

 

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RRmqjv90vYpi20B7kbxgdHQwdhFRvB3pESZD6Y52XEg/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-281

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Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com

This is Episode 281 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

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.

How do you apply the principles of storytelling to nonfiction? What lessons have you learned from Sesame Street that will help you be a better nonfiction writer? Tune in to find out!

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.

In Episode 10, they conclude that the experiment has been a success. Anne submits her first rough draft, Shawn blesses it, says it’s shaping up to be a fresh and original story in its own right, and gives an inspiring look into what’s next in the Story Grid Universe.

In Episode 9 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne turns in a new prologue representing her new POV narrative device, and a few new scenes leading into the middle build. Is the story getting too long? Shawn says it doesn’t matter, and he gives an inspiring talk about the importance for writers of living within the process, rather than for the result.

In Episode 8 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne has a bit of a crisis: though she’s found a way to meet the demands of the experiment, the resulting story idea feels lifeless. Is she building a franken-story from someone else’s parts? How will she give it life? In response, Shawn delivers a rousing talk on talent, inspiration, and the blue-collar work that holds Resistance at bay.

In Episode 7 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne submits her first two scenes of “Danebury Hill,” her Regency-era take on the beat structure of Brokeback Mountain. Shawn reads them out and gives some advice on point of view and narrative device, particularly why it’s okay to use an omniscient narrator who can go into everyone’s head.

In this impromptu episode, Tim and Danielle discuss the ongoing problems with the work on the Ed McBain EYE WITNESS scene and why Tim can't connect with his characters.

 

In Episode 6 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne completes her analysis of micro beats and scene types in Brokeback Mountain, and she and Shawn consider the power of individual word choices in structuring such a lean short novella.

In Episode 5 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne continues finding micro beats and scene types in Brokeback Mountain’s middle build, and learns the difference between the Editor’s view of a story and the Writer’s view. Shawn tells her, “Just be inspired as opposed to being literally crazed about making sure you get everything perfect.”

In Episode 4 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne splits atoms, finding eight micro beats to Shawn’s single beat in the prologue to Brokeback Mountain, and learns just how perfectly Annie Proulx’s lean, precise word choices deliver plot, theme, exposition, symbolism and subtext all at the same time.

In Episode 3 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne and Shawn define some Regency-era analogs for the Wyoming cowboys of Brokeback Mountain, and step into some controversial territory about appropriate representation of underrepresented groups.

In Episode 2 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne and Shawn review the Editor’s Six Core Questions and use the answers to complete the Global Foolscap worksheet for Brokeback Mountain, laying the groundwork for Anne’s Regency-era novella.

Welcome to the Story Grid Masterwork Experiment! In this ten-episode summer series, Shawn Coyne and author Anne Hawley are breaking a great masterwork down to the beat level to find out whether an experienced writer can create a new and original story from exactly the same building blocks. Episode 1 of the Masterwork Experiment introduces the masterwork and lays out the experimental protocol. Will Anne write something new and fresh? Or will she wind up with a hackneyed copy of a beloved novella? Join us to find out.

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.

Shawn takes a crack at rewriting Tim's scene to help him understand what he's missing on the Narrative Device.

Then we hear Leslie and Danielle's edits and feedback on what he got right and wrong.

When they ask Tim what he thinks of all this, lots of emotions start coming out including his feeling that he's not writing anymore... he's pretending to write.

 

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QZGyUNetvNGfKAjwyfF3m4r9RPoMQN4g3Q18oWXoLOw/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-279

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Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com

This is Episode 279 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

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.

There are lots of insights in this week's episode of the podcast.

We look at the emotional connection between the hero and victim, ensuring there is conflict at every level of the story, and how better to lock in to the narrative device.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V6ja3HN4uKuS0J4x6pvWBUwkZUiE5uJov5jM3Gj-Yvw/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-278

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Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com

This is Episode 278 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

The sprint is on to finish The Threshing. This week Shawn and Tim begin working through the Archetypes of the Hero's Journey.

This week Shawn sits down with Story Grid Editor, Valerie Francis, to discuss why (and how) the Story Grid method is different from other structural and developmental editing methods.

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.