Story Grid

Default category for all Story Grid posts

Crime Genre: Justice and Injustice Stories of Mystery and Intrigue

Story Grid

What is the Crime Genre? An external story in the Crime genre focuses on the Justice / Injustice spectrum while generating feelings in the reader of intrigue (solving the puzzle) and security or personal safety when the perpetrator is exposed. The underlying question in every Crime story is: How do you expose defectors from society’s… Read more »

Structure Genre: Arch-plot, Mini-plot, and Anti-plot

Story Grid

What is the Structure Genre? The Structure Genre indicates to our reader who or what the change of the story will affect. It addresses whether the change will occur for a single AVATAR or throughout the whole system or context. The Structure Genre is one of the five components of the GENRE FIVE LEAF CLOVER and it’s… Read more »

Worldview Genre: Stories About Maturation, Disillusionment, and Revelation

Story Grid

What is the Worldview Genre? An internal story, Worldview genres focus on the lens through which we view the world and the consequences of those lens choices. It turns on the naivete/sophistication spectrum, while providing readers with feelings of relief at the protagonist’s emerging whole from a threat to their internal status quo, or pity… Read more »

Style Genre: Setting the Experience for the Reader

Story Grid

What is the Style Genre? The Style Genre sets the tone for what the audience will experience during the story. It puts constraints on what we include in the story to keep a consistent feel so the audience does not get confused. The Style Genre is one of the five components of the GENRE FIVE… Read more »

Reality Genre: Realism or Science Fiction / Fantasy

Story Grid

What is the Reality Genre? The Reality Genre puts constraints on the way the ALTERNATE WORLD of our story operates by establishing codes, laws, and norms. It dictates how much the reader must suspend disbelief when building the world of our story in their mind. Each of the Reality Genre choices exists on the Chaos… Read more »

Time Genre: How the Reader Experiences Time in Your Story

Story Grid

What is the Time Genre? The Time Genre indicates how the reader experiences the time it takes to go from the beginning to the end of your story. It answers how long the story will take to consume. The Time Genre is one of the five components of the GENRE FIVE LEAF CLOVER, and it’s… Read more »

Story Beats: The Key to Line-by-Line Writing

Story Grid

What is a Beat? Beats are the smallest UNIT OF STORY that writers use to convey the details of the ALTERNATE WORLD, AVATARS, and story events to their readers. A beat is a micro interaction that must always have an input and usually has an output. The Input is an energetic transfer that comes from… Read more »

Morality Genre: Altruism Stories of Redemption, Punishment, and Testing

Story Grid

What is the Morality Genre? An internal story in the Morality genre focuses on the choice to act on behalf of ourselves or others and the consequences of that choice. It turns on the selfishness / altruism spectrum while providing feelings in the reader of satisfaction or contempt. The underlying question in every Morality story… Read more »

Performance Genre: Stories about Sports, Music, Business and Art

Story Grid

What is the Performance Genre? An external story in the Performance genre focuses on the outward expression of the protagonist’s internal gifts and need for approval. It turns on the shame / respect spectrum while generating feelings of triumph in the reader. The underlying question in every Performance story is: Will the protagonist do what… Read more »

Four Core Framework: The Foundational Elements of Storytelling

Story Grid

What is the Four Core Framework? The Story Grid can help us meet reader expectations by bringing the core of our story into focus. The Four Core Framework makes a story irresistible, memorable, and worth sharing by providing readers with a cathartic emotional moment. The Elements of the Four Core Framework 1. Core Need Core… Read more »

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