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PODCAST

Writing Lessons From...

Every fortnight I take a story I"ve consumed (usually a TV show or film, because that"s me) and I break it down to find the creative writing and storytelling lessons we can learn from it, both the good and bad. Let"s improve our craft in the most fun way possible.

tv & film books

All Episodes

11:52

Writing Lessons From... Poms

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/12/05

aka The Joy of Keeping it SimpleThe episode looks at:Why simple can be best.Summing up your plot in one sentence.The importance of good character development.Read instead of listen at:Please hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and leave a rating or review. It all helps!And come join the mailing list for more storytelling goodness at writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfromFor more on this topic, check out the following past episodes:Episode 14: Starstruck (which I mention in this

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13:51

Writing Lessons From... Grace and Frankie

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/11/21

aka Ending That Story BeautifullyWriting endings is HARD!My favourite kind of endings are the ones that mirror the beginning.Grace and Frankie teaches us that we can look at four things when writing an ending:The themes of the storyThe character arcsHow it all startedAnd make sure there’s closure.Please hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and leave a rating or review. It all helps!Read instead of listen at:And come join the mailing list for more storytelling goodness at

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17:07

Writing Lessons From... Love, Death and Robots

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/11/07

aka the Power of the Short StorySpecifically looking at episodes: Sonnie's Edge (Volume One), Lucky 13 (Volume One), The Tall Grass (Volume Two) and Bad Travelling (Volume Three).The episode looks at:A short story should pack a punchKeeping your audience guessingConsidering all characters - some can be inanimate objects, settings, placesBuilding the tension, andDoing the right thing by doing lots of wrong things, along with questionable heroes.But also, not having to do ALL those things in one

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12:52

Writing Lessons From... Mary and George

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/10/31

aka What’s Your Story About, Though?This week I'm looking at Mary and George, available on Sky Atlantic / Showcase / Now TV.The episode looks at: endings!! Again! Getting endings right is so hard! the difficulty of writing historical fiction - there are just so many rabbit holes to investigate the importance of focusing in your story.Read instead of listen at: writeintothewoods.com/2025/10/30/writing-lessons-from-mary-and-george/Please hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and leave a

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16:09

Writing Lessons From... Starstruck

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/10/24

aka When a Character Changes the StoryThis week it's all about all three series of Starstruck, available on BBC iPlayer, and Jessie's journey.The episode looks at: middles are so tough the importance of listening to your characters how sometimes the story isn't the one you thought it would be, sometimes it's something better.Read instead of listen at: https://writeintothewoods.com/2025/10/24/writing-lessons-from-starstruck/Please hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and leave a rating or

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10:12

Writing Lessons From... Save Yourselves!

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/10/10

aka When One Idea Inspires a Whole StoryAnd what to do when that original idea no longer quite fits with the story that grows around it.Have you ever heard of Save Yourselves!? It's worth having a watch if you can find it, especially for the ending. But if you can't, enjoy this spoiler-full episode!Please hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and leave a rating or review. It all helps!And come join the mailing list for more storytelling goodness at

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19:23

Writing Lessons From... Alien: Earth

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/10/03

aka Start Your Third Act Without Being Boring!This is the longest episode (so far) of Writing Lessons From... and why is explained in the intro.If you'd like to go straight to the writing lessons, they begin properly at 15:26.But there's also an important message for all storytellers at the beginning and the rest of it is context, so I hope you'll listen, even if you already know all this stuff because you've watched Alien: Earth and want me to get to the point!Please hit follow wherever you listen

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12:34

Writing Lessons From... Growing a Family in Sitcoms

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/09/26

aka The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.The writing lesson in this episode focuses on something every single storyteller needs to know, so it's worth 12 minutes of your time. While you're walking the dog or on the treadmill or making lunch and cleaning the toilet (careful those earbuds don't fall in!).Without giving a spoiler as to the big writing lesson in this episode, the general gist is around character development and writing believable characters.For more on this topic, check out episodes 3:

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10:29

Writing Lessons From... Barbie

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/09/19

aka Big Themes, Little Themes, Cardboard BoxFinally, I managed to watch Barbie! And I tried to stay away from the big themes and focus on the things that I found interesting as a storyteller.Come and join the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfromJohn Cena is also mentioned in episodes 8 and 6! He gets everywhere.

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11:23

Writing Lessons From... Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/09/12

aka A lesson in originality and lazinessI almost didn't record this one, but here we go. Writing is joyful, but it can also make us angry, resentful, confused... All of these stories help us to learn too.Also my new novel is out! And I said I'd put the link in the show notes...Yellow Petals at Christmas: https://mybook.to/YellowPetalsJoin the Writing Lessons From... mailing list: https://writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfrom/

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10:39

Writing Lessons From... Unreal (WWE documentary)

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/09/05

aka Writing a Billion-dollar Soap OperaThis week we're looking at WWE documentary Unreal, on Netflix, and the secrets (pure gold!) from their writers room. If you're interested in telling stories, or in the storytelling business, this one is a must watch/listen!Please hit follow, rate/review, and come subscribe to the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfrom

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10:29

Writing Lessons From... Hannah Gadsby's Something...

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/29

aka Creating Subplots and Tangents That Mean Something. Today we take a look at Hannah Gadby's comedy special Something Special, available on Netflix, and work out just why and how the storytelling works so well, so we can apply it to our own stories.Please hit follow, and join the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfrom

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13:01

Writing Lessons From... Only Murder in the Building...

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/22

aka Killing Off a Great Character. Should you do it? When should you do it? HOW should you do it?This week I take a look at season four of Only Murders in the Building (Disney+) and Peacemaker (Sky Max), and the agony but beauty in killing off a character who is well loved or vital to some part of your story.Don't forget to hit follow, and come join the mailing list at writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfrom

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13:12

Writing Lessons From... Girlboss

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/15

aka What the Hell Was That Ending? Yes, it's another episode about endings. Endings are so hard! Also, about dislikable characters AND writing fiction from fact.If you enjoy this episode, please hit follow and you can find the blog post and the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com/writinglessonsfrom

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12:57

Writing Lessons From... Platonic and Mythic Quest aka...

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/08

Can two characters just be friends without resorting to kissing or sleeping together? Let's look at the creative writing and storytelling lessons from Platonic and Mythic Quest, both available on Apple TV.Hit follow and sign up to the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com.

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12:37

Writing Lessons From... Ozark aka Doing Your...

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/01

Let's talk about that ending of Ozark (available on Netflix and very bingeable!) and the creative writing and storytelling lessons we can learn from it. Massive spoilers in this one, I'm talking life and death. So hit follow/subscribe, make sure you've watched Ozark, then hit play!Please hit follow or subscribe, and sign up to the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com.

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15:14

Writing Lessons From... TMNT Mutant Mayhem aka...

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/01

I am a HUGE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan. HUGE! Was Mutant Mayhem everything I wanted it to be? Yes and no. But what glorious animation and what glorious writing and storytelling lessons we can learn from it!Please hit follow or subscribe, and sign up to the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com.

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12:13

Writing Lessons From... A Quiet Place aka How to Stop...

Writing Lessons From... ·

2025/08/01

Welcome to the first episode of Writing Lessons From...! A blogcast where every week I'll be reading aloud a post from the Writing Lessons From... project. This episode was first published on my blog in 2023, and I'm taking a look at what I learned as a creative writer from the film A Quiet Place, and how to write a good alien invasion ending.Please hit follow or subscribe, and sign up to the mailing list at www.writeintothewoods.com.

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18 results

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