Breaking Down the Big Idea

FromStory Grid Writing Podcast

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Breaking Down the Big Idea

FromStory Grid Writing Podcast

ratings:

Length:

33 minutes

Released:

Oct 31, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

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.

Released:

Oct 31, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Click here to Subscribe in iTunes. Helping you become a better writer. Join Shawn Coyne, author of Story Grid and a top editor for 25+ years, and Tim Grahl, struggling writer, as they discuss the ins and outs of what makes a story great. More at www.StoryGrid.com.

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How to write a great beginning hook: How do you write an opener for your book that grabs people's attention and doesn't let go? Shawn shares great insights on this along with how to develop believable characters. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
63 min listen
Do you have to be depressed to be a good writer?: Another wide ranging episode that eventually lands on an important question. Kurt Vonnegut said "You cannot be a good writer of serious fiction if you are not depressed." Is this really true? by Story Grid Writing Podcast
57 min listen
The Mathematics of Storytelling: Story Grid Math. How many scenes, words, turns does your book need? Also discussed is the 5 commandments of storytelling and Tim's attempt at a rewrite. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
65 min listen
Diving deep into genre: Shawn and Tim dive deeper into genre and how to find the best internal and external conflicts. Along the way they discuss the hero's journey, love stories, and a woman from the sea. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
65 min listen
Shawn rips apart Tim's scene: Shawns critiques (rips apart) Tim's first scene. Along the way, they discuss Agatha Christie, Wes Craven, Hemingway, and Freddy Krueger. See full show notes at storygrid.com/podcast to download and read Tim's first scene. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
73 min listen
What is literary vs commercial fiction?: Shawn and Tim discuss literary vs commercial fiction and start diving into the giant subject that is genre. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
75 min listen
The Martian and A Christmas Carol: Learn how the Story Grid works with Andy Weir's THE MARTIAN and Charles Dickens's A CHRISTMAS CAROL. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
85 min listen
The 8 stages of grief/writing: How does the Kübler-Ross model from psychiatry apply to your writing? Also, how to develop your characters and applying the Story Grid to non-fiction. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
67 min listen
The 5 Commandments of Storytelling: Learn the 5 commandments of storytelling and how it will make your story better. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
60 min listen
How not to waste 100k words: How does The Martian work with The Story Grid? Plus, we discuss how to make sure your story is good before writing 100k words and the difference between Internal and External genre. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
70 min listen
Where do great story ideas come from?: The question every author gets... "Where do you come up with story ideas?" Also, how to write characters that are truthful, even when you can't relate with them. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
57 min listen
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. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
54 min listen
Shawn rips apart Tim's scene (again): Tim writes another scene for Shawn to critique. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
57 min listen
How to plot and outline your story: As Tim begins to plot and outline his story, he gets Shawn's input on exactly how to do it. This process is filled with potential time wasters and distractions, and Shawn helps Tim avoid them. See Tim's initial outline and other downloads at storygrid.com/podcast. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
52 min listen
When to get feedback from other writers: A wide ranging episode where Shawn and Tim discuss a new way to think about beginning hooks, the high concept "What if?" pitch, when to open the door and get other writer's feedback, and how the "Power of 10" will help your editing process. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
54 min listen
What is narrative device?: How can narrative device make your storytelling easier? We also discuss the two types of inciting incidents and how the Story Grid applies to he movie Dead Calm. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
62 min listen
How does Stephen King write?: How does Stephen King do it? Plus, Shawn and Tim talk about flailing as a writer and how good character development is really done. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
69 min listen
Better Non-fiction with Story Grid: Shawn explains how Story Grid can help you be a better non-fiction writer. Also, the editing process and how to know when your book is "done". by Story Grid Writing Podcast
50 min listen
And that's what life is all about: How can you become a better writer? Join Shawn Coyne, a bestselling editor with 25+ years experience, and Tim Grahl as they dive into the craft of story telling. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
62 min listen
How to Write Faster: How can you get more writing done? Is the "wall" even real or just in your head? by Story Grid Writing Podcast
57 min listen
How to Story Grid a Book: Talking about Story Grid is one thing, putting it into practice is quite another. Tim struggles with applying Story Grid to Harry Potter. In addition, specificity, ins and outs of publishing, and more. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
52 min listen
Can I just rip off Harry Potter?: The Hero's Journey and how it works with Story Grid. The characters and scenarios. Also, how to learn from one book to write your own. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
51 min listen
Units of Story (beats, scenes, acts, etc): Learn the units of story telling -- beats, scenes, sequences, acts, etc -- and how they make you a better writer and editor. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
57 min listen
6 questions (good) editors ask: The 6 questions (good) editors ask and the 5 parts of every story. See the full show notes to download Shawn's critiques of Tim's first scene. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
64 min listen
First draft is done. Now what?: Tim has finished his first draft and Shawn gives advice on what happens next and what questions Tim should be asking himself. If you'd like to read Tim's first draft, you can do that at storygrid.com/podcast. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
55 min listen
What is the Theme of your Story?: What is your theme or controlling idea, and how does it help you tell a better story? Tim and Shawn also discuss how to avoid getting caught in analysis-paralysis and how to build your world the right way. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
50 min listen
Character Trumps Plotting: As Shawn and Tim continue discussing the Middle Build and driving the story with characters or plotting. See Tim's scenes at storygrid.com/podcast. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
64 min listen
What do your characters want? (plus, Tim gets frustrated): This is the first episode that Tim gets noticeably frustrated. Shawn is trying to teach him how to avoid cliches, hit the right conventions for his genre, and make sure his character's motivations are clear. Unfortunately, Tim is having a hard time catching on. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
71 min listen
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. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
54 min listen
What if my writing sucks?: It was at 8000 words in that Tim realized his writing was terrible. So how does he keep going? Shawn offers his advice on overcoming this and other types of resistance. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
62 min listen

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John Wick Analysis: Part 1 - Genre and Controlling Idea: 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. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Line Edits: Putting the Final Touches on Eye Witness by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Final Edits of a Short Story: Beat Construction and 624 Analysis: 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 by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Does Tim Actually Get It Right? How to Nail the Narrative Device by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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How to Connect with Characters: Finding the Motivation and Shadow in Yourself: 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. To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-280 — 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 280 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Writing or Just Pretending? When there is Zero Flow and Everything is $h*t: 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 by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Conflict and Emotional Connection: Every Beat, Trope, and Scene Must Have These: 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 by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Narrative Device: This Affects Every Single Word You Write: 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: - Author: The Author is someone who is capable of telling the POP premise as a story to shed light on the problem another person has. - SAM: The Single Audience Member is a person with a problem related to the one the protagonist faces in the POP premise. - Problem: A specific problem that the POP premise can shed light on. 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 by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Getting the Protagonist Right: When and How to Switch the Main Character: There are times in your story when you need to switch out the protagonist. This can even happen in the middle of a scene or short story. But how do you do it the right way? This week Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie look at Tim's draft to see how you can hand off the protagonist to a different character without confusion. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T9K3Reuspp3oXJdBm_Aj8QLuUXv0Lcj7wPTG9SZKKGI/edit?usp=sharing To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-270 — 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 270 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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Two Factor Problems: The Must-Have for Writing Captivating Stories: Great stories always answer two-factor problems. In this episode we see how Tim's mistake of choosing the wrong protagonist messes up the two factor problem. Shawn, Danielle, and Leslie help him sort out how to fix this problem. Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yNGyDX5dkbchjT6UcrixUNv_2PI_WT7GrZn04H0nIh0/edit To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-269 — 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 269 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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624 Break Down: The Surprising Mistake in Tim's First Draft: In this episode we start comparing the Story Grid 624 Analysis of the first draft of Tim's scene to EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain. Pretty quickly we see that Tim made one small mistake that ends up having a huge impact on the rest of the scene. In EYE WITNESS, the author switches the protagonist near the beginning of the scene. Tim doesn't do this and, as you'll see, this causes a lot of problems! Click here to read Tim's scene: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tbbo6LuApXL9Y6YGCcXC44dcRYrTcR_8snOV9UCShwo/edit#heading=h.ukpkmg7nyrlr To see the transcript of this episode, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-268 — 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 268 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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First Draft Feedback: 3 Editors Give Honest Writing Analysis - Part 2: Tim has written a first draft of his scene based on the in-depth analysis of Ed McBain's EYE WITNESS. Listen in as Shawn, Danielle and Leslie give their feedback and start diving into the analysis of the first draft. For the transcript and downloads for this episode, visit https://storygrid.com/267 — 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 266 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
60 min listen
First Draft Feedback: 3 Editors Give Honest Writing Analysis - Part 1: Tim has written a first draft of his scene based on the in-depth analysis of Ed McBain's EYE WITNESS. Listen in as Shawn, Danielle and Leslie give their initial feedback and start diving into the analysis of the first draft. For the transcript and downloads for this episode, visit https://storygrid.com/266 — 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 266 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
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How to Plan a Short Story Based on a Masterwork: How do we use all of this masterwork analysis to actually iterate our own short story? In this week's episode, we look at the 624, Beat, and Trope analysis for the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain (https://amzn.to/3Q2UpqV) and start discussing what kind of short story I might write based on all of the analysis. This is where things start to go off the rails. As you'll see, Shawn and Tim aren't always on the same page and struggle to communicate with each other. We decided to leave this episode in so you can see what it looks like when an editor and author don's see eye-to-eye. For the transcript and downloads for this episode, visit https://storygrid.com/265 — 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 265 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
73 min listen
Story Tropes: Building Blocks of Scenes: What are Tropes and how can they actually help your writing? Tropes are a toolbox of common components to build a certain kind of story. You can put these building blocks together to create a story that meets the reader expectations for your particular GENRE. Most lists of tropes are a grab bag of story types and/or their components and aspects. They don’t fit together, so they don’t provide a process for consistently crafting scenes and stories that satisfy readers. In the Story Grid Universe, we provide this process by limiting the definition of a trope to a particular level of Story. Story Grid tropes are small story units that are the building blocks writers need to create the arc of change within scenes. In this episode, we start working through the Tropes for the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain (https://amzn.to/3Q2UpqV). To download the Trope Breakdown, visit: https://storygrid.com/episode-264 — Get a free copy of our book Sto by Story Grid Writing Podcast
56 min listen
Beat Breakdown: Analyzing Writing Line-by-Line - Part 3: Learn how your line-by-line writing can be improved by the Story Grid Beat methodology. In this episode, we show you the final line graph generated by our beat-by-beat analysis and how this can help you write better scenes. — Get a free copy of our book Story Grid 101: The First Five Principles of the Story Grid Methodology: https://storygrid101.com For episode transcript and downloads: https://storygrid.com/episode-263 This is Episode 263 of the Story Grid Podcast: https://storygrid.com/podcast This is our in-depth analysis of the short story EYE WITNESS by Ed McBain: https://amzn.to/3Q2UpqV by Story Grid Writing Podcast
62 min listen

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How to Write a Great Scene: Shawn shares about a new project at Story Grid headquarters that will help teach the micro level of storytelling to writers. See more at storygrid.com/ground by Story Grid Writing Podcast
37 min listen
Hero's Journey Archetypes - Part 2: Shawn and Tim continue talking through the Hero's Journey Archetypes, who they are, and how they should be in your story. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
60 min listen
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. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
56 min listen
The Craft of Non-fiction: Shawn uses the second draft of Tim's introduction to focus in on the craft of writing great non-fiction. You can read Tim's new introduction and notes at storygrid.com/podcast by Story Grid Writing Podcast
57 min listen
When to get feedback from other writers: A wide ranging episode where Shawn and Tim discuss a new way to think about beginning hooks, the high concept "What if?" pitch, when to open the door and get other writer's feedback, and how the "Power of 10" will help your editing process. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
54 min listen
Can you learn to write better (without trying)?: Shawn and Tim discuss unconventional ways to become a better writer. Topics include chicken sexing, Deliberate Practice, and many other things. Also, Tim's now trying to track down a cadaver he can use. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
56 min listen
Can I just rip off Harry Potter?: The Hero's Journey and how it works with Story Grid. The characters and scenarios. Also, how to learn from one book to write your own. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
51 min listen
Editor View vs Writer View: In Episode 5 of the Masterwork Experiment, Anne continues finding micro beats and scene types in Brokeback Mountain’s middle build, and learns the difference between the Editor’s view of a story and the Writer’s view. Shawn tells her, “Just be inspired as opposed to being literally crazed about making sure you get everything perfect.” by Story Grid Writing Podcast
45 min listen
Better Non-fiction with Story Grid: Shawn explains how Story Grid can help you be a better non-fiction writer. Also, the editing process and how to know when your book is "done". by Story Grid Writing Podcast
50 min listen
Diving deep into genre: Shawn and Tim dive deeper into genre and how to find the best internal and external conflicts. Along the way they discuss the hero's journey, love stories, and a woman from the sea. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
65 min listen
What do your characters want? (plus, Tim gets frustrated): This is the first episode that Tim gets noticeably frustrated. Shawn is trying to teach him how to avoid cliches, hit the right conventions for his genre, and make sure his character's motivations are clear. Unfortunately, Tim is having a hard time catching on. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
71 min listen
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. by Story Grid Writing Podcast
55 min listen

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Breaking Down the Big Idea

Breaking Down the Big Idea

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