Story Grid Writers' Room

We’re keeping one eye on superheroes this week as Leslie hammers home some insights about the epic-style Action story in Thor: Ragnarok. This 2017 Marvel blockbuster was written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost, and directed by Taika Waititi. Each week one of the Story Grid Editors—Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a film as an example of a significant story principle. The rest of us explore different aspects of the story so we can all understand it better. Click here for the full show notes.

When the villain goes low, we go high with the classic Status Admiration story, A Little Princess. This 1905 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett was most recently adapted to film in 1995 by screenwriter Richard La Gravenese and director Alfonso Cuaron. Each week one of the Story Grid Editors—Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a film as an example of a significant story principle. The rest of us explore different aspects of the story so we can all understand it better. Click here for the full show notes.

Welcome to the Story Grid Masterwork Experiment! In this ten-episode summer series, Shawn Coyne and author Anne Hawley are breaking a great masterwork down to the beat level to find out whether an experienced writer can create a new and original story from exactly the same building blocks. Episode 1 of the Masterwork Experiment introduces the masterwork and lays out the experimental protocol. Will Anne write something new and fresh? Or will she wind up with a hackneyed copy of a beloved novella? Put on your lab coat and goggles, and join us in the story lab to find out. If you are a subscriber of The Story Grid Podcast, this is the same as episode 167. Click here for the full show notes.

Here’s a preview of the winning hand of stories the Roundtablers are getting ready to bring you in Season 5. Join us for Episode 0, where Anne, Kim, Valerie, Jarie and Leslie each reveal their first movie of the season and talk about why they chose it, and how they hope studying it will help them in their own writing. Each week one of the Story Grid Editors pitches a film as an example of a significant story principle and analyzes it using Story Grid tools. The rest of us explore different aspects of the story so we can all understand it better. Click here for the full show notes.

It’s 20 minutes of deep insight this time as Valerie Francis brings you a bite-size episode on Value Shift. Here on the Roundtable we're dedicated to helping you become a better writer, following the Story Grid method developed by Shawn Coyne. In these episodes we bring you some shorter solo articles and interviews on topics that interest us as writers. Click here for the full show notes.

It’s 20 minutes of deep insight this time as Kim Kessler bring you a bite-size episode on Vetting Your Book Idea. Here on the Roundtable we're dedicated to helping you become a better writer, following the Story Grid method developed by Shawn Coyne. In these episodes we bring you some shorter solo articles and interviews on topics that interest us as writers. Click here for the full show notes.

What is exposition, and why should novelists be leery of it? Turns out there's brain science behind “Show Don't Tell.” Editor Anne Hawley lays it all out in this 20-minute Bite Size Edition. Here on the Roundtable we're dedicated to helping you become a better writer, following the Story Grid method developed by Shawn Coyne. In these episodes we bring you some shorter solo articles and interviews on topics that interest us as writers. Click here for the full show notes.

This week, Kim and the other Roundtablers continue piecing together global internal genre stories with the 2018 independent film, Puzzle. The screenplay, an adaptation from a 2010 Argentinian film Rompecabezas, was written by Oren Moverman and directed by Marc Turtletaub. Each week one of the Story Grid Editors—Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a film as an example of a significant story principle. The rest of us explore different aspects of the story so we can all understand it better. Click here for the full show notes.

It’s tradition versus change as Valerie and the Roundtablers examine dramatic irony in the British historical drama The Queen. This 2006 film examining events surrounding the death of Princess Diana was written by Peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Frears. Each week one of the Story Grid Editors—Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a film as an example of a significant story principle. The rest of us explore different aspects of the story so we can all understand it better. Click here for the full show notes.

Don’t call us stupid! Jarie and the team examine 1998’s *A Fish Called Wanda *for comedic dialogue. This heist comedy was directed by Charles Crichton from a screenplay by Charles Crichton and John Cleese. Each week one of the Story Grid Editors—Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a film as an example of a significant story principle. The rest of us explore different aspects of the story so we can all understand it better. Click here for the full show notes.