
Story Grid Writers' Room
This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better writer using the Story Grid method, developed by Shawn Coyne. Each week this season, we analyze a scene or short story to get to the bottom of how to write scenes because to write a story that works, you must be able to write scenes that work.
Latest episodes

Jun 2, 2021 • 57min
A Wizard of Earthsea - Global Story
Get a bird’s-eye view of A Wizard of Earthsea while Leslie and Valerie offer a macro analysis of this fantasy origin story using Story Grid’s Editor’s Six Core Question. The 1968 story was written by Ursula K. Le Guin.Click here for the full show notes.

Jan 20, 2021 • 7min
Season Three Preview
This season on the Story Grid Writers’ Room podcast, Leslie and Valerie are doing a full Story Grid macro analysis of A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. We'll review the Editor’s Six Core Questions and look at each of the acts in detail.The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. Valerie and Leslie analyze stories and scenes to help you understand how to apply Story Grid tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Jan 13, 2021 • 43min
Gone Girl - Key Takeaways
Stay tuned to discover the final takeaways from Valerie and Leslie’s deep study of Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, Gone Girl. Find out what they’ve learned from applying Story Grid’s Editor’s Six Core Questions and breaking down each quadrant of this compelling Psychological Thriller. The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. This season Valerie and Leslie will spend six episodes analyzing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to help you understand how to apply Story Grid’s macro tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Jan 6, 2021 • 38min
Gone Girl - Ending Payoff
Wonder how to deliver a powerful and satisfying finish to your story? On the Story Grid Writer’s Room podcast this week, Valerie and Leslie analyze the ending payoff of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl to unpack what makes this story work so well. The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. This season Valerie and Leslie take six episodes to analyze Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to help you understand how to apply Story Grid’s macro tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Dec 30, 2020 • 46min
Gone Girl - Middle Build Two
Feeling stuck in the middle of your story? On the Story Grid Writer’s Room podcast this week, Valerie and Leslie analyze the middle build 2 quadrant of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl to unpack what makes this story work so well.The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. This season Valerie and Leslie take six episodes to analyze Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to help you understand how to apply Story Grid’s macro tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Dec 23, 2020 • 39min
Gone Girl - Middle Build 1
How can you keep readers turning pages through the middle build of your story? On the Story Grid Writer’s Room podcast this week, Valerie and Leslie find out by analyzing the middle build 1 quadrant of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. This season Valerie and Leslie will spend six episodes analyzing Gone Girl to help you understand how to apply Story Grid’s macro tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Dec 16, 2020 • 53min
Gone Girl - The Beginning Hook
What makes the opening of Gillian Flynn’s 2012 Psychological Thriller, Gone Girl, so compelling? On the Story Grid Writer’s Room podcast this week, Valerie and Leslie analyze the beginning hook to find out.The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. This season Valerie and Leslie will spend six episodes analyzing Gone Girl to help you understand how to apply Story Grid’s macro tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Dec 9, 2020 • 54min
Gone Girl - Editor's Six Core Questions Analysis
Follow the clues this week to uncover the genius behind Gillian Flynn’s 2012 Psychological Thriller, Gone Girl. Valerie and Leslie analyze the macro story by applying Story Grid's Editor’s Six Core Questions. They identify the global genre, the conventions and obligatory moments of the genre, point of view and narrative device, objects of desire, the controlling idea, and the beginning hook, middle, build, and ending payoff.The Story Grid Writer’s Room is a show dedicated to offering a practical approach to the Story Grid method so you can put it to work. This season Valerie and Leslie will spend six episodes analyzing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to help you understand how to apply Story Grid’s macro tools to masterworks and your own story.Click here for the full show notes.

Nov 18, 2020 • 43min
Roundtable Reissue - Gone Girl E6CQA
Ever since the Story Grid Editor Roundtable started three years ago, we've been asked to apply the Story Grid method to a novel. Well, this is it! This season we're doing a full Story Grid macro analysis of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. We'll review the Editor’s Six Core Questions in the first episode. Haven't read it yet? Grab a copy of the novel now and follow along with us on December 9, 2020, when we'll post the first episode of the new season.To whet your appetite, we’re sharing our Story Grid Editor Roundtable analysis of the 2014 film adaptation.Click here for the full show notes of this "Roundtable Reissue" episode.

Nov 4, 2020 • 8min
Season Two Preview
Ever since the Story Grid Editor Roundtable podcast started three years ago, we've been asked to apply the Story Grid method to a novel. Well, this is it! This season we're doing a full Story Grid macro analysis of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. We'll review the Editor’s Six Core Questions and look at each of the acts in detail.Click here for the full show notes.