Really excited to announce that I've signed on to write my first Story Grid Edition, FRANKENSTEIN!
Story Grid Editions (and Story Grid Guides) are writer's guides to the best examples of their genre. Right now, the only guide available for purchase is edited by Shawn Coyne himself, editor extraordinaire and star of the Story Grid Podcast along with Tim Grahl. It's Pride and Prejudice, and includes both the entire novel and Shawn's detailed analysis of Jane Austen's work from the point of view of the writer.
In other words, if you want to write a love story, you can't do any better than to break down Jane Austen's work and study it. Shawn has put the Story Grid framework right on top of it, almost like a transparency (remember those?). You can see every single convention and obligatory scene, right there in the work. It's a little scary–you can almost see Jane Austen think.
Our crew of Story Grid certified editors has taken on the challenge of writing up Story Grid guides in other genres. We've chosen “masterworks” because these are the books that we would turn to in order to show you a job well done, according to the Story Grid framework. Story Grid “Guides” are to be used alongside their respective works–these are books that are still in copyright–and Story Grid “Editions” include the full text of the books, which are in the public domain (such as Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice).
I'm pleased to say that I'm in the midst of a deep, deep dive into Frankenstein, and am having the time of my life! I'm not done yet, but I've had so many revelations while working on this book, it's been an incredible help to my writing in general. I've been inspired to take a close look at and “Story Grid” other classic works of literature. If you're looking for inspiration for your own novel, you might want to select an example and do your own spreadsheet on it, a la Story Grid. It's a lot of work, but it's a real eye-opener!
