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PODCAST

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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All Episodes

00:22:28

Greenbook: when society is the antagonist

Story Nerd ·

2025/04/16

If you're writing a character-driven story, or a story where society is the antagonist, or a story with broad societal issues, add Greenbook to your list of films to study. I know all about the controversy surrounding this film but our analysis this week is, as always, on the storytelling craft. And from a craft perspective, this movie does a whole lot of things right. - V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner

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00:27:18

Anyone But You: yeah nah

Story Nerd ·

2025/04/09

First of all I have to let you know that it’s a miracle that no podcasters were harmed during the making of this episode.Bloody hell! What have I done? The cringe factor in this movie is off the charts - it’s worse than getting “sand up your clacker” (if you’ve watched this movie, you’ll get the reference). However, the opening scene does provide a reasonable example of progressive complications in action. Not surprisingly, Valerie’s study of the Core Event is hampered by, um, by, everything. -MFor

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00:26:58

The Bank of Dave: def leppard steals the show

Story Nerd ·

2025/04/02

It's a brand new season and that means two brand new story theory principles to discuss! This time around, I'm studying the core event (aka a story's climax) and Melanie is studying progressive complications. The writers of THE BANK OF DAVE definitely poured some sugar on this genuinely sweet, feel-good movie. It's rock solid. As an added bonus, it also features Def Leppard (seriously!). Let me know if you literally stand up and dance at the end of this movie. I did! -V.For access to writing

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00:36:52

Becoming a Bestselling Author, with Brian Proctor

Story Nerd ·

2025/03/26

In this special bonus episode, I interview Brian Proctor, a bestselling author in the field of personal development. This might seem like an odd fit for the show until you realize that it's not our talent or ability that holds us back as writers, it's our mindset. In this interview we discuss how to conquer procrastination, the truth about manifesting, and the mindset Brian used to become a bestselling author with his very first book. -V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more

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00:46:16

Pretty Woman: a masterclass in the fundamentals...

Story Nerd ·

2025/03/19

While Melanie and I continue to beaver away in the background, we thought we'd pull PRETTY WOMAN from the archives for you. This movie is a fan favourite and here's the thing, it gets all the storytelling fundamentals exactly right. We can't wait to share our new project with you. Stay tuned for more! - V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's

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00:38:24

The Dry: an intro to outback noir (archive)

Story Nerd ·

2025/03/12

While Melanie and I cook up something extra special for you, we're highlighting some past episodes that you might have missed. THE DRY is an Outback Noir that we studied back in season 9. We talk about the environment as an antagonist, character archetypes, and a whole lot more. Check it out! - V. For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.Follow Valerie

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00:51:51

Whiplash: why the villain has a point (archive)

Story Nerd ·

2025/03/05

Behind the scenes, Melanie and I are cooking up something very special for you! While we work on that, for the next few weeks we'll be replaying some of our best episodes for you. This week it's WHIPLASH. This is one of my all-time favourites because it's an excellent example of every story principle (seriously). Enjoy! -V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit

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00:24:08

What Went Right: paddington

Story Nerd ·

2025/02/26

What makes the Paddington franchise so popular with audiences? That's exactly what Melanie and I set out to discover as we take a deep dive into the first film in the trilogy in this brand new What Went Right episode. We look past the CGI and get straight to the heart of the story. -V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.Follow Valerie on

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00:48:12

What Went Wrong: green lantern

Story Nerd ·

2025/02/19

It's our second "what went wrong" episode and this time we're taking a deep dive into the 2011 film, GREEN LANTERN. Even Ryan Reynolds says this one is a dud, so where did the storytelling go wrong? Tune in to find out! -V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.Follow Valerie on Instagram and Threads @valerie_francisFollow Melanie on X, Instagram

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00:17:56

Our Best Advice: tension + 4SQ

Story Nerd ·

2025/02/12

That's a wrap on Season 13! Over the past eight episodes Melanie took a deep dive into one of the most important concepts in storytelling: tension. In this episode, she reviews the concepts of high and low tension, and highlights the principles you can use to create tension in your story. Meanwhile, I spent the season studying The 4 Story Questions. This is really important stuff. Trust me on this...if you can't answer these questions clearly and succinctly, your story might be in big trouble.

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00:28:45

Sleepless in Seattle: relies on star power?

Story Nerd ·

2025/02/05

Valerie and I take a scalpel to some well loved movies this season. First there was the Nightmare Before Christmas and now Sleepless in Seattle. I’m not a believer in ‘magic love’ so I find the premise of the movie silly, but there are some good examples of tension. However, under the microscope of Valerie’s 4 Story Questions, this movie is lacking in some fundamental storytelling scaffolding. Without clear wants there isn’t anything meaningful at stake. The take away - the story could be better

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00:33:40

Gifted: nowhere to hide

Story Nerd ·

2025/01/29

Writers of quiet, character-driven or "literary" stories often ask me if all this story theory stuff applies to them, or if it's only for "commercial" fiction. Believe me when I say that it's even more important and in this episode of the podcast, I explain why. Meanwhile, Melanie conducted an experiment this week. She wanted to discover how knowing the ending impacted the tension of a story. Does it kill the tension or enhance it? What she learned may surprise you. -V."Our jobs, when we're writing

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00:27:14

The Secret of Roan Inish: sweet but weak

Story Nerd ·

2025/01/22

Frustration follows flaws! Can you create tension and conflict if the 4 Story questions haven’t been answered? The simple answer is “no”. I desperately wanted to love this movie because I’m writing a short story based on selkies. This is a sweet movie. It lacks some storytelling basics, which results in minimal tension and conflict. I know I’ve said it before, but learning from stories that don’t work is more valuable when you're learning to write. -M"Conflict relies on tension to make readers want

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00:30:33

Judy: why object of desire is essential

Story Nerd ·

2025/01/15

Melanie and I talk about Object of Desire all the time and boy, oh boy, this movie really drives home why it's so important. The writers didn't go for the obvious choice here and it makes the movie, and the protagonist, so much more interesting because what Judy wants more than anything in the world is not to perform, but to be with her kids. In terms of tension, it's hit-and-miss. Tune in to find out how you can emulate the tension-creating techniques and how you can avoid the pitfalls. -V."It's

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00:33:01

Crazy Stupid Love: passive tension?

Story Nerd ·

2025/01/08

I love it when Valerie and I study different theories and come to different conclusions about the movie. Crazy, Stupid, Love has great examples of slow/low tension and high/intense tension - it’s a great movie demonstrating how tension works. However, it doesn’t work so well when the 4 Story Questions are applied. Why? Because a multi-point-of-view story needs answers for all POV characters! Which POVs work and which don’t…dive into this episode and find out. -M"Having your characters make stupid

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00:39:30

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

Story Nerd ·

2025/01/01

In this archive episode, we revisit our study of FATAL ATTRACTION which first aired as episode 5 of season 7. I was studying character revelation and Melanie was studying worldbuilding, but what I find most fascinating about this movie is that, viewed through a modern lens, it's unclear who the antagonist really is. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode, until then, Happy New Year! -V.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free),

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00:33:58

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

Story Nerd ·

2024/12/25

While I'm teaching my kids to surf during our summer beach holiday, and Valerie is shovelling out from a winter storm, we're bringing you a throwback episode from season 6 where we studied stakes and empathy. Based on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", "10 Things I Hate About You" is packed with lessons about what not to do. We'll be back with a brand new episode on January 8. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays story nerds! - M."Stakes equals object of desire plus consequences."

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00:32:28

The Nightmare Before Christmas: razzle dazzle

Story Nerd ·

2024/12/18

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a favourite with both our families, and given that this is a Tim Burton film we expected that the storytelling would be rock solid. This is a great example of writers using the storytelling tools at their disposal to maximum effect. Ah, but since filmmakers have access to different tools than novelists, when you strip away the "spectacle" of stop-motion and musical numbers, how strong is the story itself? The answer may surprise you.This is our last new episode

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00:25:28

The Banshees of Inisherin: when the mc breaks bad

Story Nerd ·

2024/12/11

The tension starts with the title of this week’s movie - The Banshees of Inisherin. Banshees cry right before someone dies. That’s tension right there - who will it be? The anticipation about who is going to die is high because the outcome is unknown. Tension thrives with uncertainty. I also explore the idea of high and low tension in a story. Valerie is powering on with her study of the 4 Story Questions and showing why they are so important. If you don’t want to waste years writing in circles,

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00:33:51

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

Story Nerd ·

2024/12/04

Welcome to a brand new season! This time around I'm studying the 4 Story Questions and Melanie is focused on tension. This week we're looking at CALENDAR GIRLS. We love these actresses (I mean, honestly, what's not to love?) but the storyline threw us for a loop because when it felt like it was coming to a natural conclusion, we realized there was still another hour to go. What happened? And was that a good thing or not? Tune in to find out! -V."Making a sale or getting an agent hinges on your

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