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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...

Notable Guests

Episodes (493)

Operation Mincemeat: truth is stranger than fiction

Story Nerd

Jul 19, 202338:50pending

WALL-E: the basics, mastered

Story Nerd

Jul 12, 202328:32pending

Manchester by the Sea: I'm not crying, you're crying

Story Nerd

Jul 5, 202339:08pending

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: do you empathize?

Story Nerd

Jun 28, 202344:48pending

The Hate U Give: delete the first 28 minutes

Story Nerd

Jun 21, 202339:04pending

Is AI good or bad for writers?

Story Nerd

Jun 16, 202331:27pending

As Good As It Gets: creating unlikable characters

Story Nerd

Jun 14, 202335:04pending

The Wife: sublime storytelling

Story Nerd

Jun 7, 202354:14pending

The Godfather: empathy for a mafia don?

Story Nerd

May 31, 202349:55pending

Story 101: Quibbling Over Semantics

Story Nerd

May 26, 20239:14pending

10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do

Story Nerd

May 24, 202332:29pending

The King's Speech: try this trick

Story Nerd

May 17, 202339:13pending

Our Best Advice: story form + resonance

Story Nerd

May 10, 202333:28pending

Gatsby: who's the protagonist?

Story Nerd

May 3, 202328:56pending

When Harry Met Sally: quasi antiplot huh?

Story Nerd

Apr 26, 202336:44pending

Star Wars Ep7: the face plant

Story Nerd

Apr 19, 202345:43pending

Wayne's World: party on, story nerds!

Story Nerd

Apr 12, 202340:13pending

Aliens: writing a series

Story Nerd

Apr 5, 202336:35pending

Nashville: writing multiple POVs

Story Nerd

Mar 29, 202344:07pending

The Shape of Water: kooky and clever

Story Nerd

Mar 22, 202341:22pending

The Accidental Tourist: oh, so this is miniplot!

Story Nerd

Mar 15, 202342:32pending

Lego Batman: holy product placement, batman

Story Nerd

Mar 8, 202338:52pending

Men in Black: invasion lit is a thing?

Story Nerd

Mar 1, 202337:35pending

Story 101: Read Like a Writer

Story Nerd

Feb 26, 202312:00pending

Best Advice: middles + subtext

Story Nerd

Feb 22, 202321:54pending

The Devil Wears Prada: simply solid storytelling

Story Nerd

Feb 15, 202330:35pending

Story 101 : start your story right

Story Nerd

Feb 14, 20239:00pending

Four Weddings and a Funeral: saggy middles?

Story Nerd

Feb 8, 202340:24pending

Announcing Story 101!

Story Nerd

Feb 5, 20232:52pending

La La Land: novelists make this mistake too

Story Nerd

Feb 1, 202341:45pending

Groundhog Day: groundhog day groundhog day

Story Nerd

Jan 25, 202335:14pending

Skyfall: m is for mother?

Story Nerd

Jan 18, 202357:51pending

Back to the Future: plot holes, schmot holes

Story Nerd

Jan 11, 202338:48pending

Storm Boy: hugh jackman v. the pelicans

Story Nerd

Jan 4, 202345:34pending

Whiplash: why the villain has a point

Story Nerd

Dec 28, 202250:25pending

Coraline: a horror story?

Story Nerd

Dec 21, 202235:54pending

Home Alone: wanna bend the rules?

Story Nerd

Dec 14, 202239:49pending

Our Best Advice: beginnings/endings + sequences

Story Nerd

Dec 7, 202227:08pending

Lost in Translation: wtaf?

Story Nerd

Nov 30, 202249:09pending

Toy Story: soooooo good, but why?

Story Nerd

Nov 23, 202238:14pending

The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay

Story Nerd

Nov 16, 202243:33pending

Guardians of the Galaxy: great script or great music?

Story Nerd

Nov 9, 202247:40pending

Good Will Hunting: miniplots and subplots

Story Nerd

Nov 2, 202232:48pending

The Blair Witch Project: power of the imagination

Story Nerd

Oct 26, 202249:37pending

Sliding Doors: innovation or gimmick?

Story Nerd

Oct 19, 202245:46pending

Sense and Sensibility: ship your work

Story Nerd

Oct 12, 202226:43pending

The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes

Story Nerd

Oct 5, 202234:28pending

Tootsie: finally, sequences!

Story Nerd

Sep 28, 202232:53pending

Our Best Advice: hero's gift + antagonism

Story Nerd

Sep 21, 202232:10pending

Wild: stories need conflict

Story Nerd

Sep 14, 202234:12pending
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