Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors that help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode 2 of The Writing Coach, I speak with editor, publisher, literary agent, and writer Shawn Coyne.

Shawn has edited and published hundreds of books with a total gross revenue of over $150 million!  He has  worked closely with Stephen Pressfield, including editing The War of Art and Gates of Fire (two of my personal favourites!), and runs a literary agency that represents the likes of David Mamet and Robert McKee.  He’s ghostwritten several best-sellers, and recently launched a new blog, The Story Grid.

During this spectacular interview, Shawn describes:

• his early years in the publishing business and how he learned his craft
• why today’s authors need to learn to be their own editors
• the two tracks (macro and mirco) an editor can take and how the story grid combines both
• why authors must start their writing with a strong understanding genre
• how experience in stage acting translates to writing
• what separates the best of the best from everyone else
• why a scene must revolve around a story value and move from one place to another
• the importance of understanding surface language and subtext
• and much more!

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Show Notes

Common Challenges Shawn has Noticed Writer’s Make:

• a lack of understanding of the book’s inciting incident; many writer’s don’t understand that you’ve got to hook the reader immediately with an inciting incident that emerges from conflict and is then paid off in the book’s climax
• young writers want to work, but they don’t know what the work is

The Story Grid website

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