189 | TTT013: Live Writing Masterclass & The Story Grid Blueprint

 
 

October 23, 2024

Welcome back!

Today's Topic: Live Writing Masterclass & The Story Grid Blueprint

  1. Attending the Master Class

  2. Listening for the thing not said

  3. 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:

    1. Writing and reading a lot

    2. Learning more theory and tips

    3. Learning from professional writers

    4. Joining writing groups

    5. 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?

    1. It's done in solitude

    2. It's hard to self-evaluate

    3. 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:

  1. Keep it Short (6 Week Course)

  2. Live Classes (Analyzing scenes from masterworks - then students)

  3. Weekly Writing Homework (Starting with 800 words)

  4. Daily Writing Exercises (Short writing exercises specific skills)

  5. The Story Grid Rubric

    1. 65% of published books lose money - due to editors selecting things they like vs. things that work

    2. Shawn Coyne entered the field thinking there was objective skills to being an editor - but found he had to come up with his own

    3. Developed the Story Grid Methodology to use as a guide between writers and editors

    4. Eventually became the book - and is now used to teach coaches and new students

  6. Trained Story Grid Coaches

  7. Community/Weekly Scene Analysis

    1. Study Masterworks

    2. Analyze them objectively

    3. Learn how to analyze your WIP in the same way

  8. Expert Feedback:

    1. Deliberate Practice that leads to:

      1. Measurement

      2. Coaching

        1. Direct feedback on the writing you did

storygrid.com/6week

storygrid.com/workshop

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!


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188 | TTT012: Harry Potter Masterwork Analysis & My Writing Progress