The Four Core Framework

What’s at the core of every great story that leads readers to rush breathlessly to the end and then share it with all their friends?


At Story Grid, we believe great stories are built of four essential elements: Core Needs, Core Life Values, Core Emotions, and Core Events. Whether you’re writing an action adventure, a mystery, or a love story, these are the elements that spark the emotional connection and catharsis readers are looking for. 


Assembled into a Four Core Framework, the right need, life value, emotion, and event become the blueprint for a story that will satisfy readers and bring them back for more.


In The Four Core Framework, Story Grid founder Shawn Coyne distills 30 years of experience in publishing into a compact guide for writers who want their novels, screenplays, and nonfiction to resonate and captivate. He dissects twelve kinds of stories and explains how to create the the ideal framework for each, including:


A Core Need that will make your story an all-night read;

A Core Life Value that will guide your characters’ evolution;

A Core Emotion that will enthrall your audience; and

A Core Event that will provide the final payoff readers are waiting for.




In The Four Core Framework, you’ll learn to keep readers turning the pages and rushing to recommend your stories.


Join Shawn to get down to the core of it all.