189 | TTT013: Live Writing Masterclass & The Story Grid Blueprint
October 23, 2024
Welcome back!
Today's Topic: Live Writing Masterclass & The Story Grid Blueprint
Attending the Master Class
Listening for the thing not said
Planning next steps
// CHAPTER 1: ATTENDING THE MASTER CLASS
Notes: The Story Grid Blueprint 9/20/2024
Tim Grahl:
Written six books
The Shithead - came out Mid September
Struggled with writing
Found Story Grid which changed everything
What he tried that didn't work:
Writing and reading a lot
Learning more theory and tips
Learning from professional writers
Joining writing groups
Writing entire novels
Even more embarrassing - we taught the same stuff through Story Grid - and it didn't work for us either
Didn't make writers any better - after all those things
One thing was changing writers quality:
Direct feedback
It's what is lacking in the marketplace
Feedback not from peers - but from actual editors - giving feedback from a rubric that is tried and true
Why is writing so hard?
It's done in solitude
It's hard to self-evaluate
Feedback is typically unspecified and subjective (peers and professionals)
Proven 8-Part Process to Master Scene Writing:
This has been successful - writers are getting better - based on the following ideas:
Practice vs. Performance
Separate learning the skills, from performing the skills
Deliberate Practice
Break things down into individual skills (world building, dialogue, objects of desire, five commandments, show vs. tell, etc.)
Practice the individual skills
Feedback:
Measurement
Coaching
The 8 Part Process:
Keep it Short (6 Week Course)
Live Classes (Analyzing scenes from masterworks - then students)
Weekly Writing Homework (Starting with 800 words)
Daily Writing Exercises (Short writing exercises specific skills)
The Story Grid Rubric
65% of published books lose money - due to editors selecting things they like vs. things that work
Shawn Coyne entered the field thinking there was objective skills to being an editor - but found he had to come up with his own
Developed the Story Grid Methodology to use as a guide between writers and editors
Eventually became the book - and is now used to teach coaches and new students
Trained Story Grid Coaches
Community/Weekly Scene Analysis
Study Masterworks
Analyze them objectively
Learn how to analyze your WIP in the same way
Expert Feedback:
Deliberate Practice that leads to:
Measurement
Coaching
Direct feedback on the writing you did
Two docs associated with the webinar:
6 Week Plan (Personal)
13 Point Scene Checklist
Most Important Stuff (according to Tim - from his time writing and working at Story grid):
Minimum viable exposition:
Just enough info so the reader has what they need to know what happens next
Err on the side of less is more
People often write too much - telling the reading things they don't need to know, or things they have already intuited for themselves
Info dumping is what we call giving more than the needed information
Everything starts and ends with theme:
If you don't know what you're trying to tell the reader - you'll end up all over the place
Find your theme - these often come from a low point in your life - or a dark time:
Do a deep dive
Brainstorm that incident from your life, the impact it had, and the story you want to tell about it
Next important thing is scene writing:
Being able to consistently churn out scenes that work
Scenes that fulfill the readers desire to keep writing and know what comes next
The writing and growth process (in terms of importance):
Writing skills - master specific skills - things like how to show vs. tell
A scene that works
A sequence (2-3 scenes that work well together)
Write a novella
Write a novel
Then - maybe write a novel with multiple protagonists
Only then! Trilogies, Anthologies, Series, etc.
And that was it. He was done presenting...
// CHAPTER 2: LISTENING FOR THE THING NOT SAID
Like I said, he presented all of that - and then took questions:
He had originally planned for 30m of questions
But when I left it had already gone a full hour
And I'm sure it went even longer than that after I left
I love that he was willing to do that for the people there
You could just tell he loves what he does and he loves the craft
Now, it was a free class:
So on the one hand - meant to be helpful to the attendees
But at the same time - unapologetically an advertisement for the full writer workshops they provide
And of course there were people commenting that it felt like a bait and switch - that is was all self promoting - and being used to get people to sign up for the writing workshops
And that was frustrating for me - considering it was literally in the description of the class
I was just glad to be on the Zoom call - getting to hear from Tim directly - in real life
I felt bad for Tim - though I'm sure he has thick skin - and can handle it
But I just wanted to boot those people off the call so people who really cared could concentrate and enjoy the content
That said - I did get a lot out of it. But wanted to bring up the silent part. The part he didn't necessarily say out loud. Something I picked up on and now have to deal with...
The long and short of it came directly from the list I just read...
The writing and growth process (in terms of importance):
Writing skills - master specific skills - things like how to show vs. tell
A scene that works
A sequence (2-3 scenes that work well together)
Write a novella
Write a novel
Then - maybe write a novel with multiple protagonists
Only then! Trilogies, Anthologies, Series, etc.
See where I'm going with this? It shouldn't be news to anyone. After all - this is something I've struggled with since Day 1.
My problem statement: Should someone who has never written a book before try to write a trilogy right out of the gate?
But to answer that question I have to back up a bit...
When I got my Big Idea - there were a few things that came along with it:
First, was this feeling that I had been called to something bigger than myself
I know this gets a little woo woo
But there's no other way to describe it
I literally felt like I was called to write this book - and if I didn't I was letting someone or something in the universe down
Second, because of how big the Big Idea was - it had to be a trilogy:
There was just too much content
Groups of people
Multiple locations around the world
A futuristic world - requiring a fair amount of world building
After all - there are space ships in this book - capable of reaching deep space
And Last, but not least - I felt I was made for this:
What does that mean? You ask...
Well, it just means that when I look back on my life - I can see exactly where the Big Idea came from and why it's up to me to write it
The way I was raised
The world views I grew up with
The parenting I had
Dealing with my parents separating for a time
The education I received
A religious focus on end time events
My fascination with science fiction and fantasy which started with the first novel I ever read
Believe it or not - this didn't happen until my Junior year in High School - before that I hated reading and swore I would never do it if I didn't have to
Then, the fact that I dabbled in writing my whole life
Becoming a therapist and getting my Master's in Social Work
Struggling with addiction and finally realizing recovery
And the list goes on and on...
Without each of those life experiences - I don't get this Big Idea
Someone else does...
So this is why I pushed forward with my Big Idea. Because it was the right thing to do - the thing the universe wanted me to do.
But then I would get the random question from someone I was talking to, "But have you ever written anything before?"
Even my wife was a little on that side when I first started.
And then Tim Grahl, CEO of Story Grid basically called me out and affirmed the same thing...
"Who do you think you are to try and write a trilogy - when you haven't even written a novella?"
Ugh... I was devastated. Dejected. All of those anxieties and self doubts rose back up to the surface and I just knew I was a failure...
// CHAPTER 3: PLANNING NEXT STEPS
So what did I do? Well, I cried a bit. Then talked to my wife about it. And she was as gracious as anyone could be in the situation.
She understood the concept - and that it probably was easier to write a single, small novel before biting off a trilogy.
And she went down the road of helping me brainstorm other book ideas. Both standalone ideas, but also taking a character from the trilogy and writing a novel just about that person.
Things were going well - and I was resigning myself to the fact that this might be the best way forward.
But then my wife said a few things that made me stop in my tracks:
First, she said, "Technically this isn't your first book. You wrote an entire nonfiction manuscript. And you've been writing off and on since high school. And you've been writing blog posts and podcast episodes since the early 2000s."
So what that you don't have a published novel to point to - maybe all of that writing has been your way of preparing for this Big Idea...
Second, she said, "If you feel that strongly about the Big Idea, there's a chance you won't even be interested in writing a standalone novel."
The whole time you'll be looking in the rear view mirror wondering if you made the right decision
And finally, she said, "Maybe you should look at the first book in the trilogy as your first standalone novel."
Technically it's a book, with three acts, and it has to work as a book by itself
So in a way - you are just writing your first novel
It may be a little complex - but at the end of the day its your first book
And, if you get it written, and it doesn't work, or if you can't get it published - you can always decide at that point:
I start writing Book 2
Or I find that standalone idea and start there
But either way - you've started the trilogy and you're that much closer to finishing it
Friends, I can't tell you how that made me feel. To be supported on that level. To have the person you love pushing you to live your best life - to believe in yourself - and to chase your dream.
So with that little push - I took my standalone book ideas and placed them on the shelf for another day.
I dusted off the scene I left off on - and got back to work.
A small blip on the radar. And luckily a blip that didn't completely derail my Big Idea.
So where am I on the journey at this point?
Well, I just finished up Scene 10 (12 total if you include the Prologue)
I'm a few scenes away from completing the Beginning Hook - or the first 25% of the book
And things are starting to settle in
I'm still nervous about my writing style
I still struggle with showing vs. telling
I'm sure I info dump at times rather than using dialogue to explain complex things
But the story is coming along
And I'll have time to tighten all of that stuff up in Draft 2 or 3
Let's Land the Plane:
I think that's it for today - I really just wanted to recap the Master Class, talk about my struggle with my Big Idea and then keep you up to date on my progress.
Thanks for hopping on today and spending some time with me. I hope you are making progress on your Big Idea, your Work in Progress (your WIP) as well.
Have a great week friends - and as always keep Transcending Human!