Story Nerd
For novelists, memoirists and screenwriters who want to write stories their readers will love. Each week literary editors, Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill, use films to explain how to craft a story that hooks the reader on page one and holds their attention all the way to the end. The goal is simple: to learn from writers who have come before us...what worked well and what didn't work so well. If you're a writer who loves to write, this podcast is for you!
"The only thing that matters, and that ever will matter, is the story. That's it." - Tom Hanks (Oxford Union 2024)
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 35 minutes
- Episodes
- 199
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Ray: a product of his environment
It's a brand new season and that means brand new topics. For the next ten weeks, Valerie will study character development and Melanie will study world-building. These massive topics go hand-in-hand b…
Death on the Nile: the moustache mystery (archive)
This might be one of Agatha Christie's best known mysteries, but does it work for a modern audience? This week, Valerie and Melanie analyze Sir Kenneth Branagh's version of Christie's classic tale, a…
Skyfall: m is for mother? (archive)
In this episode, Melanie's study of subtext has revealed something odd (and slightly uncomfortable). It seems that, according to Skyfall at least, M stands for mother. But why should Judi Dench's M b…
The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay (archive)
It's not uncommon for a subplot, or secondary character, to take over a story - especially when a writer is still learning the ropes. So, how do you keep a subplot in check and what do you do if it s…
West Side Story: innovative or cliche? (archive episode)
West Side Story (2021) has been lauded for its depiction of race and racial tension, but how has it handled the love story? In his retelling of this age-old story, did Spielberg innovate the genre or…
Wanted: AI Prompt Engineer
For better or worse, Generative AI will change the job market. Some professions will disappear and new ones will be created. One of the new jobs popping up is called an AI Prompt Engineer and compani…
Alec Sokolow: the hero's journey
Hey, this is Valerie. I recently had the good fortune to study with Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, Alec Sokolow. (Super cool, right!?) Somehow or other, I got up enough nerve to ask him for an…
Our Best Advice: empathy + stakes
In this episode, Valerie and Melanie wrap up season six with a look at all the lessons they've learned about creating empathy for a protagonist, and establishing the stakes of a story.
For access to w…
Operation Mincemeat: truth is stranger than fiction
Even though Operation Mincemeat hides its imperfections behind a star-studded cast, it's still a good example of how to raise the stakes in story. Mind you, if this was a work of pure fiction, a writ…
WALL-E: the basics, mastered
There's nothing fancy about the storytelling in Pixar's WALL-E. It's a solid story that relies on the fundamentals to engage its audience, and it's an approach that led them to gross over $521 millio…
Manchester by the Sea: I'm not crying, you're crying
This movie does so many things well, it's a great one for both novelists and screenwriters to have in their repertoire of reference stories. We're studying stakes and empathy this season and boy does…
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: do you empathize?
This one's coming to you by popular request! The #1 comment from women who've watched this movie is that it's too close for comfort, so that makes it a perfect choice for a study of empathy. What is …
The Hate U Give: delete the first 28 minutes
Well, they rushed this one. Given the subject matter, this film deserved to have much more care and attention given to it. Instead, it feels like the studio was in such a hurry to get it to market (g…
Is AI good or bad for writers?
Everyone's talking about AI these days, and for good reason. Experts say that AI will have a bigger influence on our lives than electricity. So what does that mean for writers? Will AI be a tool that…
As Good As It Gets: creating unlikable characters
Melvin Udall is not a nice man, but he sure is interesting and that's what makes this episode so important for writers. We concern ourselves with whether or not our reader will like our main characte…
The Wife: sublime storytelling
Sometimes we stumble upon a story that gets everything right - especially when to reveal information and when to hold back. Melanie and Valerie discuss how mystery impacts the audience's understandin…
The Godfather: empathy for a mafia don?
There is so much storytelling goodness to be learned from The Godfather, it kinda boggles the mind. Even if you're writing a light-hearted romcom, believe it or not, your novel/screenplay will benefi…
Story 101: Quibbling Over Semantics
The biggest problem facing writers who are trying to understand theory and learn how stories work, is that there is no standard lexicon. This leads to no end of problems…and frankly, arguments. How d…
10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do
This may not be the worst movie ever made, but it's certainly among them. The filmmakers have completely ignored storytelling basics and boy, does it ever show. It's based on Shakespeare's The Taming…
The King's Speech: try this trick
On this brand new season of the podcast Valerie and Melanie are diving deeply into EMPATHY and STAKES. How did the makers of The King's Speech get us common folk to empathize with a king? How did the…