status genre

In a rare convergence of taste, all four Roundtablers loved this week’s story, Brooklyn, and derived masses of actionable story advice from it. This 2015 film was directed by James Crowley from a screenplay that Nick Hornby adapted from Colm Tóibín’s 2008 novel of the same name.

Each week one of the Roundtable team—Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a story to analyze in order to get the bottom of the specific story principle that we’re studying for the season. The rest of us analyze it according to our own chosen topics, and together we deepen our knowledge and level up our craft.

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It’s wet, it’s wild, and it’s decadent this week as Leslie leads the Roundtablers through Kelly Robson’s Nebula-award-nominated novella, “Waters of Versailles,” a status story with a fantasy historical setting in the French court of the 18th century.

Each week one of the Roundtable team—Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—aims to get to the bottom of a specific story principle by analyzing a film, novel, or short story. The rest of us analyze the story according to our own chosen topics, and together we deepen our knowledge and level up our craft.

Click here for the full show notes.

The Roundtablers take on a whole new question this week as Anne starts her study of how modern short stories work. We analyze Arna Bontemps Hemenway’s 5200-word tale of love and war, “Wolves of Karelia,” published in August, 2019 in The Atlantic.

Each week one of the Roundtable team—Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—aims to get to the bottom of a specific story principle by analyzing a film, novel, or short story. The rest of us analyze the story according to our own chosen topics, and together we deepen our knowledge and level up our craft.

Click here for the full show notes.

This week Leslie goes 15 rounds in the ring arguing that tough guy Rocky is a Virgin’s Promise story at heart, while the opposition brings some heavyweight counterarguments. This 1976 Best Picture was directed by John Avidsen from star Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar nominated script.

Each week one of the Story Grid Editors—Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, or Leslie Watts—pitches a favorite film as an example of a significant story principle. Then we team up to debate whether it succeeds or fails, giving authors deep insight into story structure.

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The Roundtablers trace the outlines of the Status genre this week with Real Women Have Curves, directed in 2002 by Patricia Cardoso from a script by Josefina Lopez and George LaVoo.

This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better writer. Each week Story Grid Editors Jarie Bolander, Valerie Francis, Anne Hawley, Kim Kessler, and Leslie Watts analyze a film from one of the twelve Story Grid content genres and discuss it using the Editor’s Six Core Questions as developed by Shawn Coyne.

Click here for the full show notes.