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Story Grid Writing Podcast

Arts & Culture Podcasts

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.

Location:

United States

Description:

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.

Language:

English


Episodes
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The Final Episode

5/25/2023
This will be the final episode of the Story Grid Podcast for the foreseeable future. Tim gives some background on why this decision was made along with an update on his current writing project and other happenings around Story Grid.

Duration:00:35:26

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Crazy Rich Asians: Part 4 - What Writers Can Learn

5/11/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of Crazy Rich Asians at https://storygrid.com/crazy. What can writers learn from studying this 2018 film? This is the final in a four part series analyzing Crazy Rich Asians. The screenplay was written by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and the movie was based on a 2013 book of the same title written by Kevin Kwan. This episode is hosted by Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl, writer and CEO of Story Grid.

Duration:01:11:30

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Crazy Rich Asians: Part 3 - Genre Conventions and Story Theme

5/4/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of Crazy Rich Asians at https://storygrid.com/crazy. What can writers learn from studying this 2018 film? This is the second in a four part series analyzing Crazy Rich Asians. The screenplay was written by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and the movie was based on a 2013 book of the same title written by Kevin Kwan. This episode is hosted by Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl, writer and CEO of Story Grid.

Duration:01:00:04

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Crazy Rich Asians: Part 2 - 5 Commandments of Storytelling

4/20/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of Crazy Rich Asians at https://storygrid.com/crazy. What can writers learn from studying this 2018 film? This is the first in a four part series analyzing Crazy Rich Asians. The screenplay was written by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and the movie was based on a 2013 book of the same title written by Kevin Kwan. This episode is hosted by Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl, writer and CEO of Story Grid.

Duration:00:37:50

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Crazy Rich Asians: Part 1 - Is this a RomCom?

4/13/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of Crazy Rich Asians at https://storygrid.com/crazy. What can writers learn from studying this 2018 film? This is the first in a four part series analyzing Crazy Rich Asians. The screenplay was written by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and the movie was based on a 2013 book of the same title written by Kevin Kwan. This episode is hosted by Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl, writer and CEO of Story Grid.

Duration:00:45:45

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John Wick Analysis: Part 4 - What Writers Can Learn and Obligatory Moments

4/6/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick. This is the final in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie. Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl start by looking at the Story Grid Five Leaf Genre Clover before diving into the quadrants and controlling idea.

Duration:00:56:01

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John Wick Analysis: Part 3 - Genre Conventions and Five Commandments

3/30/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick. This is the third in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie. Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl start by looking at the Story Grid Five Leaf Genre Clover before diving into the quadrants and controlling idea.

Duration:00:39:05

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John Wick Analysis: Part 2 - Acts and Structure

3/23/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick. This is the second in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie. Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl start by looking at the Story Grid Five Leaf Genre Clover before diving into the quadrants and controlling idea.

Duration:00:41:25

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John Wick Analysis: Part 1 - Genre and Controlling Idea

3/16/2023
Access the full Story Grid analysis of John Wick at https://storygrid.com/wick. This is the first in a four part series analyzing the movie John Wick using the Story Grid methodology. This 2014 movie, written by Derek Kolstad, is a genre leading action movie. Story Grid Certified Editor Rachel Arsenault (https://www.rachel-arsenault.com) and Tim Grahl start by looking at the Story Grid Five Leaf Genre Clover before diving into the quadrants and controlling idea.

Duration:00:38:01

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Line Edits: Putting the Final Touches on Eye Witness

11/3/2022
We're down to line edits on Tim's iteration of the masterwork Eye Witness by Ed McBain. Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie provide final feedback on how to clean up the last few error messages still coming through. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yma-xAE77UnQMNAjTyOUPxF21P_DaFxuNXyQin-0gHo/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-283 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 283 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:01:01:39

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Final Edits of a Short Story: Beat Construction and 624 Analysis

10/27/2022
Now that Tim has had a breakthrough on his iteration of EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain, we're getting down to fixing individual Beats and checking to make sure he's adhered to the Story Grid 624 Analysis. You really see the Story Grid Tools shine in this episode as Leslie and Danielle apply them to Tim's writing to find places still left to fix. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b-RzszE7YzLEn5fSlWAqVQ_OkXhuJg3cxfZImXzIkYI/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-282 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 282 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:01:04:58

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Does Tim Actually Get It Right? How to Nail the Narrative Device

10/20/2022
Does Tim Actually Get It Right? How to Nail the Narrative Device On Tim's 10th draft, he finally makes a breakthrough on his iteration of EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain! And it ended up being a simple practice that got him over the hump. Listen in as Shawn, Danielle, Leslie, and Tim discuss how to nail the narrative device. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RRmqjv90vYpi20B7kbxgdHQwdhFRvB3pESZD6Y52XEg/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-281 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 281 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:00:54:31

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How to Connect with Characters: Finding the Motivation and Shadow in Yourself

10/6/2022
In this impromptu episode, Tim and Danielle discuss the ongoing problems with the work on the Ed McBain EYE WITNESS scene and why Tim can't connect with his characters.

Duration:00:37:35

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Writing or Just Pretending? When there is Zero Flow and Everything is $h*t

9/29/2022
Shawn takes a crack at rewriting Tim's scene to help him understand what he's missing on the Narrative Device. Then we hear Leslie and Danielle's edits and feedback on what he got right and wrong. When they ask Tim what he thinks of all this, lots of emotions start coming out including his feeling that he's not writing anymore... he's pretending to write. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QZGyUNetvNGfKAjwyfF3m4r9RPoMQN4g3Q18oWXoLOw/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-279 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 279 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:01:05:08

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Conflict and Emotional Connection: Every Beat, Trope, and Scene Must Have These

9/24/2022
There are lots of insights in this week's episode of the podcast. We look at the emotional connection between the hero and victim, ensuring there is conflict at every level of the story, and how better to lock in to the narrative device. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V6ja3HN4uKuS0J4x6pvWBUwkZUiE5uJov5jM3Gj-Yvw/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-278 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 278 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:01:02:11

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Who's the Most Guilty Person in Your Story? Hero, Victim, and Villain - Part 2

9/15/2022
Nobody is innocent in your story. Everyone is hiding something. You must adjust these levels correctly in order for your reader to connect with the right characters. This is the focus Danielle, Leslie, and Shawn take on Tim's scene this week. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M_rP2ARaDQbSlGBmNRESszzYuNN-nrxa0pdJjt0qQRU/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-277 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 277 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:01:09:22

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Hero, Victim and Perpetrator: The Must-Have Relationships in Your Story

9/8/2022
Who is the Hero, Victim, and Perpetrator in your story? What are the relationships between each of them? The more vague or ungrounded each of these relationships are, the more the story will not read as believable. This is the focus Danielle, Leslie, and Shawn take on Tim's scene this week. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OQd5NxTcn2JLwrphueCX91A4wXN9BEQFBYwbyN7NJ1M/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-275 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 275 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:00:56:55

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The Impact of a Story Theme: An Interview with Scott Mann and Randle Surles about the book Operation Pineapple Express

9/6/2022
Figuring out your Story Theme is the key to unlocking the entire roadmap of your story. Scott Mann is the author of the new book → Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise in Afghanistan. Randall Surles is a Story Grid Certified Editor and worked with Scott to develop and produce the book under an extremely tight deadline. In this interview, they discuss what went into writing the book, how they worked together, and what it meant to write a book like this.

Duration:01:02:55

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Truth in Fiction: How to Write and Develop Believable Characters

9/1/2022
How do you ground your characters in a reality that your reader will believe even though you are making the whole thing up? This week Tim makes the mistake of sterilizing his protagonist to the point where he is no longer interesting or believable. Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie walk him through the steps of using character development and a strong narrative device to fix these problems. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10bdr_tF4ASohz0cHoNjlbNmsLOVXiDpFw54ugHYLZI8/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-274 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 274 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:01:10:37

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Narrative Device: This Affects Every Single Word You Write

8/25/2022
Who is telling your story? Who are they telling it to? Why are they telling it? This is the Narrative Device! The Narrative Device consists of three main components: What Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie are trying to teach Tim this week is how this affects every single word of his writing. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ugNstol1I3DGyIcOQ13pdkkgyKKGddFvAE7LH_-OLng/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-273 — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com This is Episode 273 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast

Duration:00:59:14