The Story Grid Writer Mentorship Program
Next Cohort Begins January 4, 2025
9 HIDDEN PROBLEMS IN YOUR WRITING
Do these show up for you?
The writing starts, you feel good about the scene, and then you realize—it's hard to tell exactly when this happens—everything has gone off track.
You keep going, hoping you'll be able to write yourself out of the hole, but eventually the writing peters out and you stop.
On a reread, there is a lot going on. Characters are doing stuff. Plenty of exposition. Lots of description. But it doesn't go anywhere and even you get lost... and you wrote it!
If a reader can't figure out what's going on in your story, they will stop reading.
It’s hard to get all the details and story bits into your writing without making it boring. You know there needs to be some kind of action happening, but how do you do this without car chases and explosions? What if it’s two people getting coffee or a person traveling alone?
You force yourself to finish the scene, but even you get bored when you read back through it.
And if it’s boring to you, imagine how the reader is going to feel!
Your writing comes out flat and dull like a Wikipedia entry describing something interesting instead of pulling you into the narrative.
As you struggle to put the words down, you’re not sure which verbs, adjectives and adverbs to put down in order to connect your writing to your reader at an emotional level.
You know each word you choose is important, but how do you make those choices?
You get lost in the excitement of creating your world and characters, so you keep putting more and more. Before long, you have thousands of words of exposition but nothing has happened yet.
Somewhere in that mess you try to get your story elements in, but you worry that you’ve buried them in an avalanche of description. When you go back to edit though, you know you need to cut, but you’re not sure what to cut or why.
As you develop your story, you keep adding characters without a clear direction on their purpose and how they will add value to the narrative.
On a reread, you start to fear that all of your characters are running together and remain uninteresting and unbelievable. Your protagonist is acting inconsistently and doesn't have a clear path or goal.
You struggle to choose the right details to describe your story’s world to make it feel real and vibrant. So you keep adding more and more, unsure of when you’ve put enough.
The world feels so real to you, but you’re never quite sure if it’s landing on the page in the right way.
As you write, you struggle with weaving the exposition, dialogue, and action together.
You worry you’re not giving your readers enough information, so you opt to open a scene or stop mid-action and dump all of the information on the reader at once.
But then you worry that you’re back to making your writing boring again.
You don’t feel locked into who you’re telling the story to and why, so the voice shifts as you write. Sometimes you use flowery prose and then switch into Hemingwayesque direct, simple language.
You feel the inconsistency in the word choice, but struggle to lock in on anything that feels coherent throughout the writing.
As you write, you bounce from a god-like view of the context to an up-close description of action to dialogue to a different character's vantage point. It feels right in the moment, but when you read through later, you feel like you’re getting jerked around, unsure of where to focus.
If the movement is too jarring, your story will get lost in the chaos.
You would love to have these problems in your writing, as that would mean you were actually writing.
Instead, when you try to write, you end up staring at the endless blinking of the cursor unsure of where to start and what to write.
If you never write anything then you never have to deal with a reader who doesn't like your writing.
The journey from blank page to masterwork-level novel requires mastering both the fundamentals and the grand vision of storytelling.
When either is missing:
✗ Readers put down your book, never experiencing the story you worked so hard to tell.
✗ Your most powerful scenes fall flat because readers checked out pages ago.
✗ The characters you've lived with for years remain lifeless on the page.
✗ The profound truths in your story never reach the people who need them.
✗ Your voice—your unique perspective on the world—goes unheard.
✗ The hundreds of hours you've spent writing yield stories that don't move people.
The Truth About Great Writing: Creating stories that matter requires mastering every level of the craft—from compelling scenes to complete novels that transform readers. You need both the foundation and the vision.
Here's the Good News: This is a learnable journey. Every great author started exactly where you are. The difference? They found a systematic path forward and expert guidance to light the way.
That's exactly what the Story Grid Writer Mentorship Program provides—a clear path from your first scene to your final masterwork.
Learn to write scenes and books that are so good
readers can't help but keep turning pages.
New cohort begins January 4, 2025.
CURRICULUM
In less than 3 years,
you will learn to create:
Page-Turning Plot
Learn the fundamental principles of story structure and how to create narratives that keep readers engaged from beginning to end.
Compelling Characters
Develop memorable characters with clear motivations, believable conflicts, and satisfying arcs that resonate with readers.
Publishable Works
Transform your writing from first draft to final manuscript, mastering the skills needed to create professional-quality fiction.
Practice
Write consistently with focused assignments that build specific skills, creating multiple iterations as you refine your craft.
Feedback
Receive detailed, actionable feedback from your dedicated mentor, helping you identify both strengths and areas for improvement.
Analyze
Learn to study masterworks like a professional editor, understanding not just what works, but why it works.
Weekly Training
Core Story Structure
Taught by Shawn Coyne
Through progressive, systematic training, Shawn will guide you through mastering the foundational elements that make stories work. His decades of publishing experience inform every lesson, ensuring you understand not just the "what" of story structure, but the deeper "why" that makes it resonate with readers.
Specific Writing Skills
Taught by Tim Grahl
Each session builds on proven techniques that transform your writing at the scene level. Tim's practical, hands-on approach helps you develop the technical mastery needed to bring your stories to life.
1-on-1 Guidance
Personal Mentorship
Your dedicated mentor serves as your guide throughout the entire program, providing consistent support and accountability. They work closely with our teaching team to create a customized learning path that addresses your specific needs and challenges.
Customized Writing Assignments
The heart of your development happens through carefully structured writing assignments that build your skills progressively. Each week brings new challenges designed to expand your capabilities while reinforcing fundamental techniques.
Group Support
Interactive Workshops
Connect with fellow writers in dynamic group sessions where you'll analyze scenes, share insights, and deepen your understanding of story craft. These workshops complement your individual work by providing new perspectives and collaborative learning opportunities.
Writing Community
Connect daily with fellow writers in our private online community, where you'll find encouragement, accountability, and peer support. This vibrant space brings together writers from across the program to share experiences, celebrate victories, and support each other through challenges.
A Merit-Based Path to Writing Mastery
The Writer Mentorship Program is structured over three years, divided into six six-month semesters. However, this is a maximum timeframe—your actual journey could be shorter based on your progress and mastery of writing skills.
A Merit-Based Path to Writing Mastery
Rather than automatically moving forward every six months, you'll advance through four levels of writing proficiency when you demonstrate mastery:
On-the-Surface
Master the fundamentals of scene writing—the essential building block of all great stories. You'll learn to write scenes that engage readers, move stories forward, and serve a clear purpose.
Beyond-the-Surface
Develop your story's spirit and deeper meaning. Move past just what happens to understand why it matters, creating work that resonates on an emotional level.
Above-the-Surface
Master the mind of story—the philosophical and structural elements that give your work coherence and power. Learn to weave complex narratives that serve a larger purpose.
Through-the-Surface
Create stories that transcend their individual elements to become something greater—work that emerges from authentic experience and speaks universal truths. This is where individual craft transforms into art.
While many writers will use the full three years to develop their craft, others may progress more quickly. Your mentor will work closely with you to:
The program's structure ensures you have up to three years to master these skills, but allows for faster progression if you demonstrate consistent excellence in your writing. What matters isn't how long it takes, but that you achieve true mastery at each level.
We will help you identify your goals and work with you to develop your personal writing plan. This will help inform your Mentor so they are guiding you towards your goals for the program.
Every two weeks, you will meet via Zoom with your Mentor 1-on-1 to discuss your progress, ask questions, and receive feedback.
Every Saturday you will receive access to new writing instruction covering the week’s topic. This will include examples, how-tos, and next steps for your personal writing practice.
Every Saturday with the release of the instruction, you will get access to the week's writing homework. This is a scene to write specifically based on the training.
Every week, your Mentor will review your writing assignment and give direct, actionable feedback.
During the assignment review, your Mentor will provide custom follow-up assignments to help you take your writing further.
Every week, join your fellow Writer Mentorship writers in a group coaching led by a Story Grid Certified Editor.
These are the people guiding you through the Writer Mentorship Program.
Shawn Coyne is the founder of Story Grid, a methodology and publishing house dedicated to analyzing and creating stories that work. With over thirty years in publishing, his books have sold more than 27 million copies and achieved an unprecedented 83% success rate—making his projects 2.5 times more likely to succeed than the industry average. His career spans roles at Dell Publishing, St. Martin's Press, and Doubleday Publishing, before founding three independent publishing houses: Rugged Land, Black Irish Books, and Story Grid Publishing. His book The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know has sold over 100,000 copies and spawned a chart-topping podcast with millions of downloads. He has edited numerous bestselling authors including Steven Pressfield, Robert McKee, Randy Komisar, Steven Kotler, and David Mamet. His innovative work integrating storytelling principles with cognitive science and evolutionary theory has led to the development of Simulation Synthesis Theory, which he teaches through lectures and workshops worldwide. Known for his unique ability to break down complex writing principles into practical, actionable steps, he has helped thousands of writers master their craft through his clear, systematic approach to storytelling. As a writer, editor, and publisher, he has analyzed, acquired, edited, written, marketed, represented, or published 374 books across all genres, working with both emerging writers and literary legends like Elmore Leonard, Jack Olsen, Maeve Binchy, and Belva Plain.
Tim Grahl is the C.E.O. of Story Grid, a university and publishing house dedicated to teaching and publishing complex stories. He is the author of the bestselling book marketing methodology and protocol, Your First Thousand Copies and The Book Launch Blueprint. His memoir Running Down a Dream, a warts and all confession of the trials and tribulations of a contemporary small business owner, drew accolades from Ryan Holiday, Barbara Corcoran, Daniel H. Pink, Derek Sivers, and Steven Pressfield, who described it as "Indispensable." The writing of his first novel, a young adult science fiction coming of age action story, The Threshing, was the subject of the first three years of the Story Grid Podcast, a perennial chart topper on multiple podcast bestseller lists. His latest novel, The Shithead, has earned praise from multiple New York Times bestselling authors and established him as a writer of authentic, transformative fiction. Through his rapidly growing YouTube channel with over 25,000 subscribers, he teaches the craft of writing to authors around the world.
1-ON-1 WRITER MENTORSHIP
One of the best ways to speed up any learning practice is to shorten the feedback loop of your practice.
The time between doing the practice and getting specific, expert feedback on your practice should be as short as possible.
This is what you get when you join the 1-on-1 Writer Mentorship.
Each week, your Mentor gives you feedback on the week’s assignment along with follow-up, custom assignments to go deeper on your skills.
Along with this, you will have 1-on-1 coaching calls along with weekly group coaching calls and a personalized writing plan.
An MFA program won’t provide anywhere near the rigor and level of useful writing training found in the Story Grid Writer Mentorship Program.
Watch the videos below to hear from students who also have their MFA in Creative Writing.
A New Cohort Begins January 4, 2025
The Writer Mentorship Program is structured as a three-year journey divided into six-month semesters. Your tuition covers one semester of intensive, personalized training. However, because we use a merit-based advancement system, talented writers who demonstrate mastery may progress more quickly through the program.
What Makes Our Pricing Different
Each Semester Includes:
SEMESTER TUITION
✅ YES! Every student is paired with a highly trained, dedicated Story Grid Mentor who provides consistent guidance throughout the program. The mentorship includes:
We carefully match students with mentors based on your application process. If you feel the match isn't working, you can request a different mentor at any time.
✅ YES! First of all, we have been running this program for over three years and continued to improve our training and curriculum.
He help you improve through:
Our systematic approach to developing writing skills works because it combines proven theory with constant practice and expert feedback.
✅ YES! The program is designed to meet you exactly where you are. We've had successful students who had never written creatively before starting the program, as well as experienced writers looking to enhance their skills.
You don't need any preparation or previous writing experience. The program starts with fundamentals and builds progressively. Your mentor will adjust the feedback and guidance to match your current skill level and help you advance at your own pace.
✅ YES! You'll have access to a vibrant writing community in several ways:
To maintain a supportive, pressure-free environment, all feedback comes exclusively from our expert mentors. This means you can focus on learning and building relationships with fellow writers without the stress of critiquing each other's work. Our students consistently tell us this creates a more encouraging and collaborative atmosphere where lasting friendships flourish.
You'll be learning alongside others who share your commitment to mastering the craft of writing, creating an energizing environment for growth.
✅ YES! All live sessions are recorded and posted to your training dashboard, where they'll be available for the duration of your membership. This includes:
You can send questions in advance to ensure they're addressed during the session, even if you can't attend live. Your mentor will also review any important points during your one-on-one calls.
We have students from different time zones and with varying schedules, so we've made sure you never miss critical training just because you can't make a live session. While we encourage live attendance when possible for the interactive elements, many successful students primarily engage with the recorded content.
Remember, the most important parts of the program—your writing submissions, mentor feedback, and one-on-one calls—are all scheduled at times that work for you.
✅ YES! The weekly commitment is ~5-7 hours per week, broken down into:
We've designed the program to work for busy professionals, parents, and retirees. Most of our current students are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s with full lives outside of writing. Here's how we make it manageable:
The only fixed time commitments are your chosen workshop slot and bi-weekly mentor calls that you set the schedule for. Everything else fits around your life.
The program is an investment in your writing future, but one that's designed to work with—not compete against—your existing commitments.
✅ YES! We use a comprehensive rubric system to track your development across specific writing skills. Your mentor updates your progress dashboard every four weeks, identifying areas of improvement and skills that need focus.
Advancement through the program is merit-based rather than time-based. While we expect most students to complete the program within three years, you'll move forward based on demonstrated mastery rather than time served. This ensures you build a solid foundation before tackling more complex writing challenges.
Think of it like earning belts in martial arts - you advance when you've mastered the skills at your current level, not just because you've put in time. We guarantee you won't pay for more than three years of training, even if you need more time to complete all levels.
✅ YES! The Writer Mentorship program is focused on leveling up your line-by-line writing as well as your overall understanding of narrative theory. This will improve your skills across all writing whether it's fiction, nonfiction, marketing or even your daily emails.
The methodology in the training has been applied across all genres and, even though we use a scene from a masterwork of fiction as the study tool for the semester, you will be surprised how much it applies across everything you write.
✅ YES! Simply email us at [email protected] and our CEO will respond ASAP.
A New Cohort Begins January 4, 2025
The Writer Mentorship Program is structured as a three-year journey divided into six-month semesters. Your tuition covers one semester of intensive, personalized training. However, because we use a merit-based advancement system, talented writers who demonstrate mastery may progress more quickly through the program.
What Makes Our Pricing Different
Each Semester Includes:
SEMESTER TUITION