Story Grid Writing Podcast

The Final Episode

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl) — Thu, 25 May 2023 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Crazy Rich Asians: Part 4 - What Writers Can Learn

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 11 May 2023 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Crazy Rich Asians: Part 3 - Genre Conventions and Story Theme

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 4 May 2023 14:47:57 +0000

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 second 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.

Crazy Rich Asians: Part 2 - 5 Commandments of Storytelling

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 19:01:13 +0000

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 first 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.

Crazy Rich Asians: Part 1 - Is this a RomCom?

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 08:00:00 +0000

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

John Wick Analysis: Part 4 - What Writers Can Learn and Obligatory Moments

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 6 Apr 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick.

This is the final in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie.

Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl start by looking at the Story Grid Five Leaf Genre Clover before diving into the quadrants and controlling idea.

John Wick Analysis: Part 3 - Genre Conventions and Five Commandments

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick.

This is the third in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie.

John Wick Analysis: Part 2 - Acts and Structure

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick.

This is the second in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie.

John Wick Analysis: Part 1 - Genre and Controlling Idea

shawn@storygrid.com (Rachel Arsenault, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick.

This is the first in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie.

Line Edits: Putting the Final Touches on Eye Witness

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski, Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts) — Thu, 3 Nov 2022 08:00:00 +0000

We're down to line edits on Tim's iteration of the masterwork Eye Witness by Ed McBain.

Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie provide final feedback on how to clean up the last few error messages still coming through.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yma-xAE77UnQMNAjTyOUPxF21P_DaFxuNXyQin-0gHo/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-283

—

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 283 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Final Edits of a Short Story: Beat Construction and 624 Analysis

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts, Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 08:00:00 +0000

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

—

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

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

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 08:00:00 +0000

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

—

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

How to Connect with Characters: Finding the Motivation and Shadow in Yourself

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski) — Thu, 6 Oct 2022 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Writing or Just Pretending? When there is Zero Flow and Everything is $h*t

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0000

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

—

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

Conflict and Emotional Connection: Every Beat, Trope, and Scene Must Have These

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts) — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 14:20:00 +0000

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

—

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

Who's the Most Guilty Person in Your Story? Hero, Victim, and Villain - Part 2

shawn@storygrid.com (Leslie Watts, Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Nobody is innocent in your story. Everyone is hiding something.

You must adjust these levels correctly in order for your reader to connect with the right characters.

This is the focus Danielle, Leslie, and Shawn take on Tim's scene this week.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M_rP2ARaDQbSlGBmNRESszzYuNN-nrxa0pdJjt0qQRU/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-277

—

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 277 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Hero, Victim and Perpetrator: The Must-Have Relationships in Your Story

shawn@storygrid.com (Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 8 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Who is the Hero, Victim, and Perpetrator in your story?

What are the relationships between each of them?

The more vague or ungrounded each of these relationships are, the more the story will not read as believable.

This is the focus Danielle, Leslie, and Shawn take on Tim's scene this week.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OQd5NxTcn2JLwrphueCX91A4wXN9BEQFBYwbyN7NJ1M/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-275

—

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 275 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

The Impact of a Story Theme: An Interview with Scott Mann and Randle Surles about the book Operation Pineapple Express

shawn@storygrid.com (Scott Mann, Tim Grahl, Randall Surles) — Tue, 6 Sep 2022 20:10:21 +0000

Figuring out your Story Theme is the key to unlocking the entire roadmap of your story.

Scott Mann is the author of the new book → Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise in Afghanistan.

Randall Surles is a Story Grid Certified Editor and worked with Scott to develop and produce the book under an extremely tight deadline.

In this interview, they discuss what went into writing the book, how they worked together, and what it meant to write a book like this.

Truth in Fiction: How to Write and Develop Believable Characters

shawn@storygrid.com (Danielle Kiowski, Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 1 Sep 2022 11:36:07 +0000

How do you ground your characters in a reality that your reader will believe even though you are making the whole thing up?

This week Tim makes the mistake of sterilizing his protagonist to the point where he is no longer interesting or believable. Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie walk him through the steps of using character development and a strong narrative device to fix these problems.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10bdr_tF4ASohz0cHoNjlbNmsLOVXiDpFw54ugHYLZI8/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-274

—

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 274 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Narrative Device: This Affects Every Single Word You Write

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Who is telling your story? Who are they telling it to? Why are they telling it?

This is the Narrative Device!

The Narrative Device consists of three main components:

Author: The Author is someone who is capable of telling the POP premise as a story to shed light on the problem another person has.
SAM: The Single Audience Member is a person with a problem related to the one the protagonist faces in the POP premise.
Problem: A specific problem that the POP premise can shed light on.

What Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie are trying to teach Tim this week is how this affects every single word of his writing.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ugNstol1I3DGyIcOQ13pdkkgyKKGddFvAE7LH_-OLng/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-273

—

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 273 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Telling the Truth About Writing: Is this Podcast Worth Doing?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Shawn, Leslie, Danielle and Tim face a hard question...

Is the Story Grid Podcast still worth doing?

You might be surprised by what they have to say.

Writing Emotional Pain: How to Care About Your Protagonist

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 08:00:00 +0000

What happens when you can't connect to your protagonist?

This week Tim makes some progress on his scene, but it's still missing something. The soul in the writing isn't there.

Shawn, Leslie, and Danielle talk through how to use emotional pain to connect into the story.

Getting the Protagonist Right: When and How to Switch the Main Character

shawn@storygrid.com (Danielle Kiowski, Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 4 Aug 2022 08:00:00 +0000

There are times in your story when you need to switch out the protagonist. This can even happen in the middle of a scene or short story.

But how do you do it the right way?

This week Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie look at Tim's draft to see how you can hand off the protagonist to a different character without confusion.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T9K3Reuspp3oXJdBm_Aj8QLuUXv0Lcj7wPTG9SZKKGI/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-270

—

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 270 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Two Factor Problems: The Must-Have for Writing Captivating Stories

shawn@storygrid.com (Danielle Kiowski, Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Great stories always answer two-factor problems.

In this episode we see how Tim's mistake of choosing the wrong protagonist messes up the two factor problem. Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie help him sort out how to fix this problem.

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yNGyDX5dkbchjT6UcrixUNv_2PI_WT7GrZn04H0nIh0/edit

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-269

—

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 269 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

624 Break Down: The Surprising Mistake in Tim's First Draft

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we start comparing the Story Grid 624 Analysis of the first draft of Tim's scene to EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain. Pretty quickly we see that Tim made one small mistake that ends up having a huge impact on the rest of the scene.

In EYE WITNESS, the author switches the protagonist near the beginning of the scene. Tim doesn't do this and, as you'll see, this causes a lot of problems!

Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yNGyDX5dkbchjT6UcrixUNv_2PI_WT7GrZn04H0nIh0/edit?usp=sharing

To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-268

—

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 268 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

First Draft Feedback: 3 Editors Give Honest Writing Analysis - Part 2

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts) — Thu, 7 Jul 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Tim has written a first draft of his scene based on the in-depth analysis of Ed McBain's EYE WITNESS.

Listen in as Shawn, Danielle and Leslie give their feedback and start diving into the analysis of the first draft.

For the transcript and downloads for this episode, visit https://storygrid.com/267

—

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 266 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

First Draft Feedback: 3 Editors Give Honest Writing Analysis - Part 1

shawn@storygrid.com (Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Tim has written a first draft of his scene based on the in-depth analysis of Ed McBain's EYE WITNESS.

Listen in as Shawn, Danielle and Leslie give their initial feedback and start diving into the analysis of the first draft.

For the transcript and downloads for this episode, visit https://storygrid.com/266

—

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 266 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

How to Plan a Short Story Based on a Masterwork

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts) — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:00:00 +0000

How do we use all of this masterwork analysis to actually iterate our own short story?

In this week's episode, we look at the 624, Beat, and Trope analysis for the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain (https://amzn.to/3Q2UpqV) and start discussing what kind of short story I might write based on all of the analysis.

This is where things start to go off the rails.

As you'll see, Shawn and Tim aren't always on the same page and struggle to communicate with each other.

We decided to leave this episode in so you can see what it looks like when an editor and author don's see eye-to-eye.

For the transcript and downloads for this episode, visit https://storygrid.com/265

—

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 265 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Story Tropes: Building Blocks of Scenes

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts) — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 08:00:00 +0000

What are Tropes and how can they actually help your writing?

Tropes are a toolbox of common components to build a certain kind of story. You can put these building blocks together to create a story that meets the reader expectations for your particular GENRE.

Most lists of tropes are a grab bag of story types and/or their components and aspects. They don’t fit together, so they don’t provide a process for consistently crafting scenes and stories that satisfy readers.

In the Story Grid Universe, we provide this process by limiting the definition of a trope to a particular level of Story. Story Grid tropes are small story units that are the building blocks writers need to create the arc of change within scenes.

In this episode, we start working through the Tropes for the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain (https://amzn.to/3Q2UpqV).

To download the Trope Breakdown, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-264

—

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 264 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Beat Breakdown: Analyzing Writing Line-by-Line - Part 3

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts) — Thu, 9 Jun 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Learn how your line-by-line writing can be improved by the Story Grid Beat methodology.

In this episode, we show you the final line graph generated by our beat-by-beat analysis and how this can help you write better scenes.

—

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

For episode transcript and downloads: https://storygrid.com/episode-263

This is Episode 263 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

This is our in-depth analysis of the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain: https://amzn.to/3Q2UpqV

Beat Breakdown: Analyzing Writing Line-by-Line - Part 2

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts) — Thu, 2 Jun 2022 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Danielle continues walking Tim through every single line of Ed McBain's EYE WITNESS to help him identify the beats and what they are doing.

This is a perfect episode for the story nerds!

Beat Breakdown: Analyzing Writing Line-by-Line - Part 1

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 26 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Now that we have finished up the Story Grid 624 Analysis of Ed McBain's EYE WITNESS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WLiCyxIsCk), it's time to dive all the way down to the line-by-line writing.

In this episode, Danielle begins walking Tim through every single line of the short story to help him identify the beats and what they are doing.

This is a perfect episode for the story nerds!

624 Review + Trope and Beat Introduction

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 19 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

We have wrapped up our 624 analysis of Ed McBain's short story EYE WITNESS. In this episode, Leslie does a review of the 624 then Danielle does an introduction for Tropes and Shawn follows up with introducing Beats.

Five Commandments of Storytelling - Part 3

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 12 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Continuing our 624 analysis of Ed McBain's short story EYE WITNESS, we are talking through the Five Commandments of Storytelling.

This is the third in a three part episode as we deep dive through each commandment. In this episode, we go through the Climax and Resolution.

Five Commandments of Storytelling - Part 2

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 5 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Continuing our 624 analysis of Ed McBain's short story EYE WITNESS, we are talking through the Five Commandments of Storytelling.

This is the second in a three part episode as we deep dive through each commandment. In this episode, we go through the Crisis and Crisis Matrix.

Five Commandments of Storytelling - Part 1

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 15:22:47 +0000

Continuing our 624 analysis of Ed McBain's short story EYE WITNESS, we are talking through the Five Commandments of Storytelling.

This is a three part episode as we deep dive through each commandment. In this episode, we go through the Inciting Incident and the Turning Point Progressive Complication.

What is happening in your story? (Part 2)

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 08:00:00 +0000

There are four story analysis questions you must answer for every scene in your story:

1. What are the Avatars literally doing?

2. What are the essential tactics of the Avatars?

3. What universal human value has changed for one or more Avatars in the scene?

4. What Story Event sums up the scene’s global value change?

In this episode we make it to the final one! Last week we covered the first three.

What is happening in your story? (Part 1)

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 08:00:00 +0000

There are four story analysis questions you must answer for every scene in your story:

1. What are the Avatars literally doing?

2. What are the essential tactics of the Avatars?

3. What universal human value has changed for one or more Avatars in the scene?

4. What Story Event sums up the scene’s global value change?

In this episode we make it through the first three! Next week is a whole episode on the fourth question.

Point of View: It's WAY more than 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 7 Apr 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Is it first or third person? Past or present tense?

As you'll see in this week's podcast episode, Point of View is about way more than this.

See more here:
https://storygrid.com/point-of-view/

A story’s global Point of View includes the technical choices writers make to deliver the story to the reader. The POP premise and Narrative Device suggest Point of View combinations that create the effect of the story told by the Author to the single Audience member.

Person refers to the vantage point from which the written story is presented the reader.

First Person: I (or we) wrote a story.
Second Person: You wrote a story.
Third Person: Alex (or she or he or they) wrote a story.

Tense distinguishes the timeframe of the story.

Past: I wrote a scene.
Present: You write (or are writing) a scene.
Future: Alex will write a scene.

Mode: The final technical choice focuses on how the information is presented. This is the storytelling Mode.

Showing is an objective and immediate mode that creates the effect of being present and observing the events of the story. Here are some examples.

First Person: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Second Person: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
Third Person: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín, or “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway

Telling is a subjective mode that readers experience as if someone or something is collecting, collating, and sharing the events and circumstances of the story.

First Person: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, or Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Second Person: “How to Be an Other Woman” by Lorrie Moore.
Third Person: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Animal Farm by George Orwell, or Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Listen as Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl, Leslie Watts, and Danielle Kiowski work through the Point of View for the the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain: https://www.amazon.com/McBain-Brief-Ed-ebook/dp/B01KFBQEY4/

This is a Episode 254 of the Story Grid Podcast - https://storygrid.com/podcast

Narrative Device: 3 Questions to Nail the Point of View for Your Story

shawn@storygrid.com (Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Figuring out the Narrative Device for your story will unlock your writing in ways you never thought possible.

There are three questions you must answer:

- Who is the Author of the story? (Hint... it's not you, the writer)

- Who is the Single Audience Member?

- What is the Problem?

See more here: https://storygrid.com/point-of-view/

The "What If" for Your Story

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Leslie Watts, Danielle Kiowski, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 08:00:00 +0000

How do you boil your story down into one "What If" statement? There are four parts to building out the answer to this question and Shawn, Leslie, Danielle, and Tim walk through it together in this week's episode.

The Genre Five Leaf Clover: The In-depth Process for Understanding Genre in Your Story

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Danielle Kiowski, Leslie Watts, Tim Grahl) — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:02:09 +0000

The genre of your story is way more than one thing. In this episode of the Story Grid Podcast, learn the five important pieces of understanding your genre — Time, Style, Structure, Reality, and Content.

Two Sides to Every Story

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Shawn discusses the two sides to every story.

The History of the Story Grid Universe

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 3 Feb 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Shawn and Kim go back to the beginning and discuss the origins of Story Grid.

The Artist's Wants, Needs, and Desires

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Shawn Coyne walks through the role you, as the Artist, plays in getting your own wants, needs and desires into your story.

Backstory and an Avatar's Wants, Needs, and Desires

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Shawn Coyne discusses the role backstory plays in your character's wants, needs, and desires.

Crafting Story with Wants, Needs, and Desires

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Shawn Coyne walks through character wants, needs, and desires and how they impact your storytelling.

What are Objects of Desire?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 6 Jan 2022 12:32:42 +0000

Shawn and Kim discuss Objects of Desire and how they work with your characters and storytelling.

How does a writer use Expository Beats to generate words?

shawn@storygrid.com (Kimberly Kessler, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Continuing the discussion on the three different types of Beats that build up to Scenes, how do Expository Beats work inside a scene?

How does a writer use Passive Beats to generate words?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Continuing the discussion on the three different types of Beats that build up to Scenes, how do Passive Beats work inside a scene?

How Does a Writer Use Active Beats to Generate Words?

shawn@storygrid.com (Kimberly Kessler, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 4 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

There are three different types of Beats that build up to Scenes. How do Active Beats work inside a scene?

What is an Editor Brain vs Writer Brain?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

What kind of thinking has to change when you are switching modes from writing to editing?

How does the Story Grid Trinity apply at the Macro vs Micro levels?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kimberly Kessler) — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

It can get confusing switching lenses between Macro and Micro storytelling already. Now, what happens when you layer in the Story Grid Trinity?

Does On-the-Surface mean External Genre?

shawn@storygrid.com (Kimberly Kessler, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Continuing the discussion on the Story Grid Trinity, Shawn Coyne and Kimberly Kessler discuss the On-the-Surface level of the trinity and how the relates to external genres.

What is happening with The Bell Jar?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Kim Kessler) — Thu, 7 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Shawn and Kim discuss The Bell Jar and where it sits in the Story Grid landscape.

Use the coupon code "podcast" to get 20% off all the Story Grid titles at storygrid.com/books

How does the Story Grid Trinity apply to Global Internal Genres?

shawn@storygrid.com (Kimberly Kessler, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 20:20:07 +0000

Shawn Coyne and Kimberly Kessler discuss the Story Grid Trinity and how this works with internal genres. Also checkout the Story Grid Masterwork Guide to Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda at storygrid.com/books and get 20% off with the coupon "podcast".

Can Story Grid improve on Masterworks?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0000

A listener asks a bold question: Can the Story Grid tools and methodology make the Masterworks we read and love better? Shawn has a great answer for this week's question.

What defines a Masterwork?

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0000

At Story Grid, we spend a lot of time studying and analyzing Masterworks, but how do you know when a book is a Masterwork? Shawn addresses this question in this week's episode.

How to Write Dialogue (for Introverts)

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 14:37:28 +0000

This week's listener question is, "How do you Write Dialogue when you are an introvert?". Shawn answers this question and gives recommendations for next steps for writers.

Story Grid Trinity for Nonfiction

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:51:30 +0000

How does the Story Grid Trinity apply to Big Idea, How-to, Narrative nonfiction, and Memoir? Shawn dives into this question on this week's episode.

Quadrant 4 of the Heroic Journey 2.0

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 10:53:23 +0000

We left all of you hanging back in December with the Heroic Journey 2.0 series, so we decided to correct our error. This week Shawn finishes up our series on the Heroic Journey 2.0 by diving into the Quadrant 4.

Story Grid Trinity - Beyond the Surface

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 3 Jun 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Shawn continues the explanation of the Story Grid Trinity with a discussion of the third and final part — Beyond the Surface.

Story Grid Trinity - Above the Surface

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 27 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Shawn and Tim discuss the second part of the Story Grid Trinity - Above the Surface.

Story Grid Trinity - On the Surface

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 20 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Shawn Coyne dives into the Story Grid Trinity and discusses the first, most essential part of the trinity - On the Surface.

Story Grid Trinity

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 13 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Shawn introduces the foundation of all stories - the Story Grid Trinity.

Quadrant 3 of the Hero's Journey 2.0

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Tim has finished his manuscript! Shawn gives him the next steps and then they continue discussing the Hero’s Journey 2.0.

Worldbuilding in Hero's Journey 2.0

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 3 Dec 2020 09:00:00 +0000

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.

First Two Steps in the Hero's Journey 2.0

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 09:00:00 +0000

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

Introducing Heroic Journey 2.0

shawn@storygrid.com (Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:27:39 +0000

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.

Finishing the First Draft

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne, Tim Grahl) — Thu, 5 Nov 2020 09:00:00 +0000

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.

Interview with Author Michael McClellan - Part 3

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Interview with Author Michael McClellan - Part 2

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne) — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Interview with Author Michael McClellan - Part 1

shawn@storygrid.com (Shawn Coyne) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:26:21 +0000

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.

Chapter 24 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Masterwork Analysis

shawn@storygrid.com (Bibb Bailey, Shawn Coyne) — Mon, 7 Sep 2020 08:00:06 +0000