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
The Most Important Genre
If you had to pick one genre to master, what should it be? Shawn answers the question in this week's episode.
Getting the Rewrites Right
Tim finally nails his scene. What changed? And what is the right process for going from draft to a working scene?
Listener Questions and More Rewrites
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 to Rewrite Scenes
How do you take scenes that don't work and rewrite them? Shawn and Tim walk through best practices and common pitfalls.
Still... Critiquing Tim's Beginning Hook
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 Spreadshe…
Critiquing Tim's Beginning Hook
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:
Story Grid and Non-fiction
The 4 categories of non-fiction and how the Story Grid applies to them.
The Great Hedonometer
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 …
Turning Pro as a Writer
What does it take to move from amateur to professional as a writer? Tim and Shawn discuss this in depth and share their experience.
There are only 6 stories
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.
What Good Editors Know
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 thi…
Calibrating Your Scenes
How do you get the stakes and tone of your scene right? As Tim begins to understand how to write a better scene, he struggles with going to far. Shawn works with him on how to write a great opening s…
Villains and Inciting Incidents
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
Pub 101: How to Work With Your Publisher
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.
Pub 101: Finding an Agent and Selling 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.
Pub 101: Trade vs Indie Publishing and Backstory
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?"
Special Guest: Steven Pressfield - Part 2
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.
Special Guest: Steven Pressfield - Part 1
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.
Writing Your 2nd Draft
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.
Getting Your Big Scenes Right
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.