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
Fear of Your Doing Your Best
Tim and Shawn keep moving on the Ending Payoff, but also uncover some deeper issues.
Beginning the Ending Payoff
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?
Finishing the Middle Build
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."
Character Trumps Plotting
As Shawn and Tim continue discussing the Middle Build and driving the story with characters or plotting.
The Big Middle Build Moments
There are big moments in every middle build that are extremely important to get right. Shawn and Tim talk through these in this episode.
Correctly Progressively Complicating Your Scenes
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 Bu…
How to finish your 1st draft
How to work with a developmental editor and get to a finished, working first draft.
Dialing in the Sequence
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.
Back to the 5 Commandments of Storytelling
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.
Starting Your Middle Build
Shawn gives feedback on Tim's first Middle Build sequence and shares principles on how to do it right.
How Genre Affects Your Story
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.
Scenes and Sequences for your Middle Build
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 will this take?
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?
LIVE with Shawn and Tim
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.
What is the Setting for your Novel?
The 4 questions you have to answer to establish the setting of your novel.
World Building in 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.
Planning Your Middle Build
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.
Finishing the Beginning Hook
Shawn and Tim discuss the last sequence in the Beginning Hook and getting started on the Middle Build.
Moving from Scenes to Sequences
Shawn critiques Tim's latest scenes, and how you can move into planning and writing sequences.
How to Write a Great Love Story
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.