This is the first episode of our brand new HOOK YOUR READER series! In these episodes, literary editor Kathleen Foxx and I review query letters and first ten pages writing samples from you, our listeners! While we're getting this off the ground, and to give you time to prepare your work, we've devoted this week's show to answering your questions about AI, writing and publishing. It's a good one! And, to find out how you can send in your work for review, be sure to stick around to the end of the episode. -V.

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

What if you could get professional advice on your query letter and first ten pages writing sample BEFORE you started to send it off to agents? Well my friends, you're going to love this! Starting tomorrow, literary agent Kathleen Foxx and I are going to do just that (and it's free). For all the details about how you can get our feedback on your work, visit storynerd.ca. -V.

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

In a twist that no one saw coming, not even us, the villains in this movie are Val and Mel! 

Despite this, I thought Thunderbolts would be better. :( However, the constant characters in this movie support a protagonist with a change arc, and fill archetypal roles in the movie. In another surprising twist - switching the villain in the end of the movie has a big impact on the effectiveness of the speech in praise of the villain. This episode has more twists and and turns than the MCU - and that is saying something! -M

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

Season 5 kicks off with Men in Black. Valerie is studying plot structure, and Melanie is studying resonance. Now, admittedly, plot structure doesn't sound very sexy but it's one of the first decisions a writer must make. If you haven't chosen a structure for your novel, how will you know if what you've written is working? Do you know what the structure options are? Resonance is the ability to evoke or suggest images, emotions, and memories, and all successful writers use it to draw on their readers' experiences. So, how are you putting it to use in your own WIP? - V.

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

Sometimes, studying a story that you love can be a bit scary. What if it turns out that the story is rubbish, and what you really like is the soundtrack, or the actor, or the costumes? Well, you can cast those worries aside this week because The Devil Wears Prada is solid. In terms of structure, it isn't fancy. It doesn't waver from the Hero's Journey/Archplot form, and that's okay. In fact it's more than okay because it teaches us what can happen when we focus on the fundamentals.-V.

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

Does the nickname "baby" bother us? Why yes, yes it does. But we've got to admit, Dirty Dancing is an excellent example of the heroine's journey, as well as female archetypes and how women are presented in stories. It also happens to be, structurally, an excellent film. It's not a complex story, but it's well told. -V.

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

Wowzers! This is a terrific movie. If you're writing a thriller (any sub-genre), or a story with nuanced and complex characters, this episode is for you. In fact, CONCLAVE is one of the movies we recommend you put on your short list of films to study because, seriously, you can learn about almost any aspect of storytelling from it. It's so good that I'm not even angry that the bad guy turns out to be a Canadian - lol! -V.

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

What does a literary agent look for in the sample writing pages of a query? In this special bonus episode, I speak with agent Kathleen Foxx (The Rights Factory) about the 4 criteria she uses to evaluate a submission, her 21-point checklist (which you can get for free), and the importance (or not) of a novel's opening line. This is an episode you're going to want to bookmark and share with your writer friends!

https://kathleenfoxxagent.com/

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

Valerie asked me, “How are you going to explain this?” 

Trippy. 

It’s David Lynch and it’s trippy. 

It’s also an antiplot story with characters who have two identities. Where is the speech in praise of the villain and what arc does the story and protagonist have? Well…it’s a mix of pessimistic, dreamy, constant, whoa, what is going on, and none. 

Pick and choose. Close your eyes and we’ll see you in the void. -M 

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!

Calling historical fiction writers, memoirists, and anyone writing a "David and Goliath" style story! In this episode, I do a deep dive into the Speech in Praise of the Villain and I show how the filmmakers expertly (and seamlessly) used exposition to let the viewing audience know just how formidable the antagonist is. (The level of craft here is truly next-level stuff!) And Melanie explains how, yet again, we have a story where the protagonist is a constant character...he doesn't have an arc, but the story sure does!

Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.

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.

To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

Watch us on YouTube!