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Story Nerd

Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis

EN493 episodes
artsbookseducationtvfilm

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 Dry: an intro to outback noir (archive)

Story Nerd

Mar 12, 202538:24pending

Whiplash: why the villain has a point (archive)

Story Nerd

Mar 5, 202551:51pending

What Went Right: paddington

Story Nerd

Feb 26, 202524:08pending

What Went Wrong: green lantern

Story Nerd

Feb 19, 202548:12pending

Our Best Advice: tension + 4SQ

Story Nerd

Feb 12, 202517:56pending

Sleepless in Seattle: relies on star power?

Story Nerd

Feb 5, 202528:45pending

Gifted: nowhere to hide

Story Nerd

Jan 29, 202533:40pending

The Secret of Roan Inish: sweet but weak

Story Nerd

Jan 22, 202527:14pending

Judy: why object of desire is essential

Story Nerd

Jan 15, 202530:33pending

Crazy Stupid Love: passive tension?

Story Nerd

Jan 8, 202533:01pending

Fatal Attraction: who's the villain? (archive)

Story Nerd

Jan 1, 202539:30pending

10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do (archive)

Story Nerd

Dec 25, 202433:58pending

The Nightmare Before Christmas: razzle dazzle

Story Nerd

Dec 18, 202432:28pending

The Banshees of Inisherin: when the mc breaks bad

Story Nerd

Dec 11, 202425:28pending

Calendar Girls: wait...it's over?

Story Nerd

Dec 4, 202433:51pending

BLACK FRIDAY - SAVE 89%

Story Nerd

Nov 29, 20242:28pending

What Went Wrong: the cold light of day

Story Nerd

Nov 27, 202439:22pending

Our Best Advice: writing exposition and creating character arcs

Story Nerd

Nov 20, 202427:47pending

Up in the Air: thiiiiin

Story Nerd

Nov 13, 202419:09pending

All the President's Men: masterful exposition

Story Nerd

Nov 6, 202443:06pending

Gone Baby Gone: writing a static protagonist

Story Nerd

Oct 30, 202437:02pending

Little Miss Sunshine: who's the protagonist?

Story Nerd

Oct 23, 202429:54pending

Far From Heaven: what your character doesn't want

Story Nerd

Oct 16, 202427:45pending

I, Tonya: don't try this at home

Story Nerd

Oct 9, 202430:55pending

Dorian Gray: what mick jagger said

Story Nerd

Oct 2, 202429:43pending

The Social Network: pacing, pacing, pacing

Story Nerd

Sep 25, 202429:06pending

Best Advice: Narrative Drive + Conflict Triangles

Story Nerd

Sep 18, 202425:39pending

Eye in the Sky: wonderfully nuanced storytelling

Story Nerd

Sep 11, 202433:43pending

NYAD: writing unlikeable characters

Story Nerd

Sep 4, 202432:15pending

The Wife: best movie ever

Story Nerd

Aug 28, 202425:24pending

August Osage County: simply masterful

Story Nerd

Aug 21, 202431:03pending

Lego Batman: ROTFL

Story Nerd

Aug 14, 202439:35pending

The Godfather: Valerie gets excited

Story Nerd

Aug 7, 202450:47pending

Nocturnal Animals: pretty, but no story

Story Nerd

Jul 31, 202424:26pending

The Help: put this on your list

Story Nerd

Jul 24, 202429:01pending

A Simple Favor: seriously, an evil twin?

Story Nerd

Jul 17, 202436:53pending

Belfast: active v passive protagonist

Story Nerd

Jul 14, 202433:47pending

What Lies Beneath: play the "let me guess" game

Story Nerd

Jul 3, 202431:10pending

Doubt: a "quiet story" masterpiece

Story Nerd

Jun 26, 202426:59pending

Our Best Advice: female characters + setups and payoffs

Story Nerd

Jun 19, 202430:23pending

Hanna - women aren't small men

Story Nerd

Jun 12, 202441:04pending

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: deus ex machina

Story Nerd

Jun 5, 202433:30pending

The Genius of Novellas

Story Nerd

May 31, 202411:36pending

Crazy Rich Asians: when the antagonist is more compelling than the protagonist

Story Nerd

May 29, 202444:13pending

Yentil: the heroine's journey

Story Nerd

May 22, 202436:39pending

Red Joan: meeting reader expectations

Story Nerd

May 15, 202435:38pending

Dirty Dancing: the heroine's journey

Story Nerd

May 8, 202438:20pending

Zero Dark Thirty: women in war zones

Story Nerd

May 1, 202435:36pending

Moonstruck: writing female characters

Story Nerd

Apr 24, 202444:17pending

What do agents do?

Story Nerd

Apr 20, 202448:04pending
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