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
- 198
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Storm Boy: hugh jackman v. the pelicans
The Australian film, Storm Boy, uses a very complex story structure. It's nonlinear, with a framing story and flashbacks...definitely not for the faint of heart. So, if you're using even one of these…
00:45:34 |
Wed 04 Jan 2023
Whiplash: why the villain has a point
There are plenty of great reasons to study this film and chief among them is that it's a terrific example of why the antagonist in a story must have a point; a very good point that is hard to refute.…
00:50:25 |
Wed 28 Dec 2022
Coraline: a horror story?
Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller and his novel, Coraline, has been a favourite with young readers for two decades. The film version is a dazzling display of creativity from the stop-motion animati…
00:35:54 |
Wed 21 Dec 2022
Home Alone: wanna bend the rules?
We're kicking off a brand new season with a holiday classic. Home Alone might feature a 10-year-old in the starring role, but the writing in this film is anything but child's play. If you're the kind…
00:39:49 |
Wed 14 Dec 2022
Our Best Advice: beginnings/endings + sequences
To wrap up Season 3, we're doing a rundown of everything we've learned in the past ten episodes about the beginnings and endings of stories (and how they work as a unit), and sequences. Be sure to bo…
00:27:08 |
Wed 07 Dec 2022
Lost in Translation: wtaf?
This is one strange movie. While we can understand it from an intellectual level, and we can deconstruct it (and yes, it won lots of awards), Lost in Translation didn't evoke any emotion from us (exc…
00:49:09 |
Wed 30 Nov 2022
Toy Story: soooooo good, but why?
There are a handful of stories that theorists use as great examples of the craft, and Toy Story is one of them. (Chinatown is another, but sheesh, enough already!) Yes, the animation was groundbreaki…
00:38:14 |
Wed 23 Nov 2022
The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay
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…
00:43:33 |
Wed 16 Nov 2022
Guardians of the Galaxy: great script or great music?
When fans talk about this movie, they usually mention the music. But an amazing soundtrack can't save a story that doesn't work. More importantly, for our purposes, music is outside the purview of th…
00:47:40 |
Wed 09 Nov 2022
Good Will Hunting: miniplots and subplots
This week, Melanie and Valerie fell into a discussion about whether Good Will Hunting is a miniplot story, or an archplot story with a couple of subplots. What's the difference? Why does it matter? A…
00:32:48 |
Wed 02 Nov 2022
The Blair Witch Project: power of the imagination
Filmmakers have special effects, costuming, casting and music to help them tell their stories. As novelists, we've got 26 characters, a handful of punctuation, and our readers' imaginations. That's i…
00:49:37 |
Wed 26 Oct 2022
Sliding Doors: innovation or gimmick?
If you're writing a story with multiple protagonists, or multiple storylines, this episode is for you. This is a tricky kind of story structure to pull off, and there are a few different ways it can …
00:45:46 |
Wed 19 Oct 2022
Sense and Sensibility: ship your work
Well, this was an interesting experience. Mercury was retrograde and it led to all kinds of technical issues and re-recording. In the end, to improve the audio, Melanie had a towel over her head. It'…
00:26:43 |
Wed 12 Oct 2022
The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes
Whatever kind of story you're writing, if you want a reader to stick with you all the way to the end, you've got to build tension! Believe it or not, The Bourne Identity is a terrific example to stud…
00:34:28 |
Wed 05 Oct 2022
Tootsie: finally, sequences!
Valerie and Melanie are kicking off a brand new season of the Story Nerd podcast with a high level look at both sequences, and the beginnings and endings of stories. If you want to learn how the firs…
00:32:53 |
Wed 28 Sep 2022
Our Best Advice: hero's gift + antagonism
To wind up the season, Valerie and Melanie summarize what they've learned about the hero's gift expressed and forces of antagonism, and they offer their best advice about how you can get these storyt…
00:32:10 |
Wed 21 Sep 2022
Wild: stories need conflict
It's hard to know quite where this film went off the rails, but certainly, one of the main problems is that there isn't any real conflict or tension. Just as tension begins to form, it fizzles, and s…
00:34:12 |
Wed 14 Sep 2022
A Few Good Men: this is how you handle exposition
If you've ever been told to "show, don't tell" then you'll want to listen to this episode because the truth is that exposition (i.e., "tell") is an effective storytelling tool. This film is a brillia…
00:52:52 |
Wed 07 Sep 2022
Booksmart: an unfortunate train wreck
Well, the good news is that as writers we often learn more from the stories that don't work, than from the stories that do work. Booksmart is a great example of what not to do. Are you making any of …
00:45:02 |
Wed 31 Aug 2022
Death on the Nile: the moustache mystery
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…
00:46:38 |
Wed 24 Aug 2022
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