When fans talk about this movie, they usually mention the music. But an amazing soundtrack can't save a story that doesn't work. More importantly, for our purposes, music is outside the purview of the writer. So the question remains. Is the writing of this film solid, or does it rely on hits from yesteryear to gloss over its weaknesses? Tune in to find out. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.

To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.

This week, Melanie and Valerie fell into a discussion about whether Good Will Hunting is a miniplot story, or an archplot story with a couple of subplots. What's the difference? Why does it matter? And how can not knowing put your work-in-progress at risk? Tune in to find out. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

Filmmakers have special effects, costuming, casting and music to help them tell their stories. As novelists, we've got 26 characters, a handful of punctuation, and our readers' imaginations. That's it. So how can we put our readers' imaginations to work for us? Tune in to this week's episode to find out. Happy Hallowe'en! Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

If you're writing a story with multiple protagonists, or multiple storylines, this episode is for you. This is a tricky kind of story structure to pull off, and there are a few different ways it can work, but does Sliding Doors pull it off? Is this an innovative way to approach story, or is it just a gimmick. Tune in to find out! Oh, and yes, there are cell phones in this movie - Gerry has one. When you listen to the episode you'll know why that's important. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

Well, this was an interesting experience. Mercury was retrograde and it led to all kinds of technical issues and re-recording. In the end, to improve the audio, Melanie had a towel over her head. It's natural to want our work to be perfect before we send it out into the world, but sometimes we've got to just go with it. So, if you're hesitating to submit your work, take a listen to this week's episode, and then, ship your work. We did. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

Whatever kind of story you're writing, if you want a reader to stick with you all the way to the end, you've got to build tension! Believe it or not, The Bourne Identity is a terrific example to study - even for a love story or coming of age story. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

Valerie and Melanie are kicking off a brand new season of the Story Nerd podcast with a high level look at both sequences, and the beginnings and endings of stories. If you want to learn how the first act of a story telegraphs the last, or how to break your manuscript down into easily-manageable sequences, be sure to tune in. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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 wind up the season, Valerie and Melanie summarize what they've learned about the hero's gift expressed and forces of antagonism, and they offer their best advice about how you can get these storytelling principles working in your own novel. This is an episode you'll want to bookmark! Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

It's hard to know quite where this film went off the rails, but certainly, one of the main problems is that there isn't any real conflict or tension. Just as tension begins to form, it fizzles, and so too does the viewer's interest. Why did this happen and how can you avoid it in your story? Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.

If you've ever been told to "show, don't tell" then you'll want to listen to this episode because the truth is that exposition (i.e., "tell") is an effective storytelling tool. This film is a brilliant example of forces of antagonism, the hero's gift expressed, and just about every other storytelling principle you can think of — including exposition. Acquire the power to write a bestselling story at storynerd.ca/courses 

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.