
Story Nerd
Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis
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...
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Notable Guests
Episodes (493)
The Man Who Knew too Much: honestly, kinda weird
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What Went Right: the princess bride
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What Went Wrong: the golden compass
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Our Best Advice: hero’s monologue + the shadow
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Rebecca: character shadows
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The Invisible Man (archive)
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Sense and Sensibility (archive)
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The Last of Sheila (archive)
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Wayne’s World (archive)
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Doubt: a quiet story masterpiece (archive)
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The Holdovers: a rare gem
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Tar: writing nuanced characters
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Dial M For Murder: unlikeable characters
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The Incredibles: storytelling gold
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The Proposal: writing dual protagonist stories
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The Substance: ewwwww!
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Backdraft: yes, but why?
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What Went Right: the outrun
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Jett Cooper: Melanie’s New Novel
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What Went Wrong: stayin’ alive
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Our Best Advice: villain’s monologue + turning points
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Black Bag: IYKYK
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Primal Fear: masterful writing
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Legally Blonde (archive)
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No Way Out: conflict triangles (archive)
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Moonstruck: writing female characters (archive)
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The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes (archive)
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Knives Out: mastering the whodunit (archive)
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Foe: offers lots of writing lessons
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The Miracle Club: when the hero is also the villain
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She Said: constant characters
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The Mighty Ducks: weak villains
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How to Avoid a Page-One Rewrite
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What A-List Authors Know that You Don’t
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Mission Impossible: simple yet solid
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Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3: don’t look too closely
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Traditional and Indie Publishing Models
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What Went Right: Juror #2
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What Went Wrong: Ghosted
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Our Best Advice: core event + progressive complictions
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Women Talking: does what it says on the tin
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Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: secrets of multi POV stories
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Anatomy of a Fall: mind blown
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Shirley: when endings fail
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Mother’s Instinct: keeps you guessing
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Greenbook: when society is the antagonist
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Anyone But You: yeah nah
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The Bank of Dave: def leppard steals the show
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Becoming a Bestselling Author, with Brian Proctor
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Pretty Woman: a masterclass in the fundamentals (archive)
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