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...
Notable Guests
Episodes (493)
Operation Mincemeat: truth is stranger than fiction
Story Nerd
WALL-E: the basics, mastered
Story Nerd
Manchester by the Sea: I'm not crying, you're crying
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Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: do you empathize?
Story Nerd
The Hate U Give: delete the first 28 minutes
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Is AI good or bad for writers?
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As Good As It Gets: creating unlikable characters
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The Wife: sublime storytelling
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The Godfather: empathy for a mafia don?
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Story 101: Quibbling Over Semantics
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10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do
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The King's Speech: try this trick
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Our Best Advice: story form + resonance
Story Nerd
Gatsby: who's the protagonist?
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When Harry Met Sally: quasi antiplot huh?
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Star Wars Ep7: the face plant
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Wayne's World: party on, story nerds!
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Aliens: writing a series
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Nashville: writing multiple POVs
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The Shape of Water: kooky and clever
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The Accidental Tourist: oh, so this is miniplot!
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Lego Batman: holy product placement, batman
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Men in Black: invasion lit is a thing?
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Story 101: Read Like a Writer
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Best Advice: middles + subtext
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The Devil Wears Prada: simply solid storytelling
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Story 101 : start your story right
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Four Weddings and a Funeral: saggy middles?
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Announcing Story 101!
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La La Land: novelists make this mistake too
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Groundhog Day: groundhog day groundhog day
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Skyfall: m is for mother?
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Back to the Future: plot holes, schmot holes
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Storm Boy: hugh jackman v. the pelicans
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Whiplash: why the villain has a point
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Coraline: a horror story?
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Home Alone: wanna bend the rules?
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Our Best Advice: beginnings/endings + sequences
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Lost in Translation: wtaf?
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Toy Story: soooooo good, but why?
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The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay
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Guardians of the Galaxy: great script or great music?
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Good Will Hunting: miniplots and subplots
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The Blair Witch Project: power of the imagination
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Sliding Doors: innovation or gimmick?
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Sense and Sensibility: ship your work
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The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes
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Tootsie: finally, sequences!
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Our Best Advice: hero's gift + antagonism
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Wild: stories need conflict
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