Story Grid Podcast

Tim and Shawn keep moving on the Ending Payoff, but also uncover some deeper issues. Download Tim's scenes from this episode.

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? Download Tim's scenes 44-46.

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." Click here to download Tim's scenes from this episode.

As Shawn and Tim continue discussing the Middle Build and driving the story with characters or plotting. Click here to download Tim's scenes from this episode.

There are big moments in every middle build that are extremely important to get right. Shawn and Tim talk through these in this episode. Download Tim's scenes from this week.

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 Build. Download Tim's scenes 23-25.

How to work with a developmental editor and get to a finished, working first draft.

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. Download Tim's Scenes 17-22.

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. Click here to read Tim's Scenes 17-20.

Shawn gives feedback on Tim's first Middle Build sequence and shares principles on how to do it right. Download Tim's Scenes 12-17.

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.

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. Download Tim's current Middle Build Scene/Sequence list.

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? Here's the video we reference.

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. Click here to watch the video of Shawn and Tim's talk.

The 4 questions you have to answer to establish the setting of your novel. Download Tim's world document.

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. Download Tim's scenes from this episode.

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. Download Tim's Scene 12 draft.

Shawn and Tim discuss the last sequence in the Beginning Hook and getting started on the Middle Build. Download Tim's scenes from this episode.

Shawn critiques Tim's latest scenes, and how you can move into planning and writing sequences. Download Tim's Scenes 5-7 discussed in this episode.

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.