
The Story Grid
What Good Editors Know
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Narrated by:
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Dan Portnoy
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By:
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Shawn Coyne
About this listen
What is the Story Grid?
The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not.
The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult).
The Story Grid is a tool with many applications:
- It will tell a writer if a story "works" or "doesn't work".
- It pinpoints story problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer, revealing exactly where a story (not the person creating the story) has failed.
- It will tell the writer the specific work necessary to fix that story's problems.
- It is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attic drawer.
- It is a tool that can inspire an original creation.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Not a lot learned. Here's a summary.
- By Samuel D R on 01-28-24
By: Paul Guyot
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The Emotional Craft of Fiction
- How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface
- By: Donald Maass
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader's experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters' struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you. That's where The Emotional Craft of Fiction comes in. Veteran literary agent and expert fiction instructor Donald Maass shows you how to use story to provoke a visceral and emotional experience in readers.
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Read this if you're a writer
- By Reed Ramlow on 08-08-20
By: Donald Maass
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Structuring Your Novel
- Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
- By: K. M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.
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An Outstanding Resource for Writers
- By Richard Phillips (Bestselling Author of The Rho Agenda) on 02-01-15
By: K. M. Weiland
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Action
- The Art of Excitement for Screen, Page, and Game
- By: Robert McKee, Bassim El-Wakil
- Narrated by: Robert McKee
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Action explores the ways that a modern-day writer can successfully tell an action story that not only stands apart, but wins the war on clichés. Teaming up with the former co-host of The Story Toolkit, Bassim El-Wakil, legendary story lecturer Robert McKee guides writers to award-winning originality by deconstructing the action genre, illuminating the challenges, and, more importantly, demonstrating how to master the demands of plot with surprising beats of innovation and ingenuity.
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Loaded with practical information
- By Josephblu on 03-17-25
By: Robert McKee, and others
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How to Write Dazzling Dialogue
- The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript
- By: James Scott Bell
- Narrated by: James Scott Bell
- Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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There is one sure-fire way of improving your novel fast...You may know the fundamentals of how to write fiction. You may be more than competent in plot, structure and characters. But if your dialogue is dull it will drag the whole story down...Don't sabotage your chances of selling your work to readers or publishers because the dialogue is unexceptional. Dazzle them with what the characters say. How to Write Dazzling Dialogue will give you the tools to do it.
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Good course, subpar audio quality
- By Andrew Wadsworth on 03-21-20
By: James Scott Bell
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Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition
- A Guide to Narrative Craft
- By: Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, Ned Stuckey-French
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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A creative writer's shelf should hold at least three essential books: a dictionary, a style guide, and Writing Fiction. Janet Burroway's best-selling classic is the most widely used creative writing text in America, and for more than three decades, it has helped hundreds of thousands of students learn the craft.
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Great content!
- By Noa on 09-20-19
By: Janet Burroway, and others
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Story
- Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
- By: Robert McKee
- Narrated by: Robert McKee
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
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Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress, and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese, and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives, and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience.
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Only 5 Chapters
- By Stephen Buck on 02-15-11
By: Robert McKee
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Super Structure
- The Key to Unleashing the Power of Story
- By: James Scott Bell
- Narrated by: James Scott Bell
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Super Structure represents over two decades of research on what makes a novel or screenplay entertaining, commercial, original, and irresistible. Contrary to what some may think, structure is not a nasty inhibitor of creativity. Quite the opposite. Properly understood and utilized, structure is what translates story into a form audiences are wired to receive it.
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Help for crafting a great story
- By Robin on 01-09-21
By: James Scott Bell
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Save the Cat!
- The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
- By: Blake Snyder
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Here's what started the phenomenon: This book has been a best seller for over 15 years and has been used by screenwriters around the world! Blake Snyder tells all in this fast, funny, and candid look inside the movie business. Save the Cat is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying.
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Don't waste your time
- By Amazon Customer on 02-05-20
By: Blake Snyder
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Screenplay
- The Foundations of Screenwriting
- By: Syd Field
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Syd Field's books on the essential structure of emotionally satisfying screenplays have ignited lucrative careers in film and television since 1979. In this revised edition of his premiere guide, the underpinnings of successful onscreen narratives are revealed in clear and encouraging language that will remain wise and practical as long as audiences watch stories unfold visually—from hand-held devices to IMAX to virtual reality . . . and whatever comes next.
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For pre-beginners
- By Michael on 12-21-24
By: Syd Field
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1000 Words
- A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All-Year Round
- By: Jami Attenberg
- Narrated by: Jami Attenberg, Kamali Minter, Joy Osmanski, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2018, novelist Jami Attenberg, faced with a looming deadline, needed writing inspiration. Using a bootcamp model, she and a friend set out to write one thousand words daily for two weeks straight. They opened this practice to Attenberg’s online community and soon hundreds then thousands of people started using the #1000WordsofSummer hashtag to track their work and support one another. What began as a simple challenge between two friends has become a literary movement—write 1,000 words per day without judgement, or bias, or concerns about writer’s block, and see what comes of it.
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Amazing book on craft!!!
- By Inna on 02-29-24
By: Jami Attenberg
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Your First 1000 Copies
- The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book
- By: Tim Grahl
- Narrated by: Tim Grahl
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Imagine if you had a direct connection with thousands of readers who loved reading your books. And imagine if those readers eagerly awaited the launch of your next book. In Your First 1000 Copies, seasoned book marketing expert Tim Grahl walks you through how successful authors are using the online marketing tools to build their platform, connect with readers and sell more books.
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Essential for Contemporary Authors!
- By Author Guy on 11-25-13
By: Tim Grahl
great
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I got lost. Every single time. I would constantly rewrite my first draft as I wrote it. My pacing was atrocious. Worst of all, I would put in the titanic effort to execute my plan to the best of my abilities, only to find that it didn’t work at all.
This book really helped me understand what I subconsciously love as a reader when I’m tearing through an exciting book. I think I wanted to believe that if you had the correct ingredients, the dish would come out perfect. Execution is as important as the underlying creative output.
I’m still lost. But now I have a map!
(My only complaint is that I can’t read it because the pdf is not a high enough resolution to view on my phone...but I can view it on the website).
Most important of all, I’m enjoying writing again! With any luck (and a titanic effort), I will actually complete my first novel using this method. And I’d you’re anything like me, maybe you can too!
Excellent starting point for a struggling writer
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Aside from that, he reads extremely fast, and this book is all about exacting details of form and function of the anatomy of books and stories.
Save yourself a credit and buy the Print book instead.
Buy the Print, reader is not great.
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Fantastic information with poor narration.
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Oh the irony that this book was not edited.
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Shawn, this is an awesome tool that you have laid out for story writers. Thank you. Your final chapter is key to understanding the philosophy of how to best use this tool. I look forward to applying this tool to my own work.
Terrible narrator
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a godsend
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Great info!
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A must have for writers, enthusiasts and every-day hobbyists!
The info & Study I have been looking for!
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A great manual for any writer!
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