Story Grid Podcast

With the pandemic still sweeping the globe, Shawn and I discuss how fear can take over in these situations and what we can do in our lives and our writing.

How do you apply the idea of systems and chaos to planning a novel? Shawn walks Tim through this concept as he works on book 2 in his series.

The middle build is the hardest part of the book and book two in a trilogy is a whole book dedicated to the middle build! How do you know where to start and build the story? Shawn walks Tim through these initial ideas and decisions to make along the way.

We only have so much time and energy to dedicate to our writing. When you are stuck between working on two different projects, how do you pick which one is the right choice? Shawn walks Tim through this difficult decision.

As Tim continues down the path of working on his new novel, Shawn encourages him to take the time to 1) look at the masterworks of his chosen genre and 2) spend sometime thinking about the hero / victim / villain interactions throughout his story. Download Tim's scenes from this week.

This is big! Three of our Story Grid Certified Editors have teamed up to start the Story Grid Showrunners podcast. If you've ever been interested in how Story Grid can be used with television and episodic series, you'll want to have a listen.

Now that The Threshing is done and (almost) published, Tim is ready to start his next book! What are the first steps down this path? How can Story Grid help him plan correctly? Shawn walks him through this in this week's episode.Click here to download Tim's new Foolscap.

Continuing the discussion around writing a Contender Guide to a Story Grid Publishing novel, Shawn walks Tim through his mistakes and how to level up his analyzation of his own writing.

How do you analyze a novel to learn from it? This is a big part of Story Grid and our new publishing house. Tim and Shawn discuss Contender Guides -- what they are and why you should care.

How do you create a publishing house that isn't beholden to investors or Amazon? Shawn and Tim discuss this idea and how you can be involved! https://storygrid.com/guild

What would it look like if Story Grid launched its own publishing house? Shawn and Tim dive into that in this week's episode.

When it came time to start thinking about the publishing of The Threshing, Shawn and Tim were faced with a dilemma. There didn't seem to be a good option.

In this final episode on Big Idea Nonfiction, Shawn continues sharing how to write a big idea nonfiction book that works.

How do you apply the principles of storytelling to nonfiction? What lessons have you learned from Sesame Street that will help you be a better nonfiction writer? Tune in to find out!

What makes a Big Idea book stand apart from the rest? Shawn walks through all of the pieces that go into a Big Idea Nonfiction book that will stand the test of time.

Tim is back with Shawn and they're talking nonfiction and Story Grid. What are the sub-genres of nonfiction? How do you apply the tools of Story Grid to nonfiction? They cover this and a lot more.

In Episode 10, they conclude that the experiment has been a success. Anne submits her first rough draft, Shawn blesses it, says it’s shaping up to be a fresh and original story in its own right, and gives an inspiring look into what’s next in the Story Grid Universe.

In Episode 9 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne turns in a new prologue representing her new POV narrative device, and a few new scenes leading into the middle build. Is the story getting too long? Shawn says it doesn’t matter, and he gives an inspiring talk about the importance for writers of living within the process, rather than for the result.

In Episode 8 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne has a bit of a crisis: though she’s found a way to meet the demands of the experiment, the resulting story idea feels lifeless. Is she building a franken-story from someone else’s parts? How will she give it life? In response, Shawn delivers a rousing talk on talent, inspiration, and the blue-collar work that holds Resistance at bay.

In Episode 7 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne submits her first two scenes of “Danebury Hill,” her Regency-era take on the beat structure of Brokeback Mountain. Shawn reads them out and gives some advice on point of view and narrative device, particularly why it’s okay to use an omniscient narrator who can go into everyone’s head.