Story Grid Writing Podcast
Helping you become a better writer.
Join Shawn Coyne, author of Story Grid and a top editor for 30+ years, and Tim Grahl, struggling writer, as they discuss the ins and outs of what makes a story great.
More at www.StoryGrid.com.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 292
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2023
Helping Others Become Better Writers
In this wide ranging episode, Shawn and Tim discuss the best ways to help your fellow writers become better at their craft.
Specificity for Non-Fiction Storytelling
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.
The Craft of Non-fiction
Shawn uses the second draft of Tim's introduction to focus in on the craft of writing great non-fiction.
Non-fiction Conventions and Obligatory Scenes
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…
Editing Non-Fiction
Now that Tim has finished the first draft of his non-fiction book, Shawn starts working with him through editing.
Planning the 2nd Draft
After a couple months working through the Story Grid tools on Tim's first draft, he's ready to start writing the 2nd draft.
Creating a Story Grid - Part 2
Tim and Shawn continuing building out the Story Grid Graph to evaluate the first draft.
Creating a Story Grid - Part 1
The next step in editing Tim's first draft is to create a Story Grid Graph.
The Hero's Journey - Moments
Shawn and Tim continue discussing the Hero's Journey as a tool to evaluate the first draft.
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
The Hero's Journey - Archetypes
Shawn and Tim dive into the Hero's Journey as a tool to evaluate the first draft.
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
Part 2 - The Foolscap Story Grid
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.
The Foolscap Story Grid
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.
Micro to Macro: Editing Your First Draft
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.
Spreadsheeting the First Draft
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.
First Draft is Done. Now what?
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.
The End?
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.
Putting Off the Inevitable
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.
The Race to the Finish
Tim and Shawn talk through the Ending Payoff, steadily working to the end of the book.
Just Skip to the End
Tim hits some major road blocks on his story. So what's the solution?
Also, an important announcement.
Nailing the End of Your Book
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.