Home › Editing & Proofreading › The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know

The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know

by Shawn M. Coyne

A diagnostic framework for story editing

Regular price $27.00 USD
Regular price $45.00 USD Sale price $27.00 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

A diagnostic framework for story editing

Shawn M. Coyne presents the Story Grid as a practical framework for examining how a story is put together. The method breaks stories into component parts so writers and editors can identify what is working and locate problems that need attention. Its stated uses range from assessing a draft and planning specific revisions to reconsidering abandoned material or developing an original story. The emphasis is on diagnosing the work itself and translating that diagnosis into editorial tasks, making the book relevant to both story analysis and the revision process.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Writers seeking a structured way to assess and revise story drafts
  • Editors interested in a systematic approach to identifying story problems
  • Writers revisiting unfinished material or developing an original story

Themes

Story structureEditing and revisionStory diagnosisCreative development

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

WHAT IS THE STORY GRID?
The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult.) The Story Grid is a tool with many applications:
1. It will tell a writer if a Story "works" or "doesn't work."
2. It pinpoints story problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer, revealing exactly where a Story (not the person creating the Story...the Story) has failed.
3. It will tell the writer the specific work necessary to fix that Story's problems.
4. It is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attic drawer.
5.It is a tool that can inspire an original creation.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews