While this film may not be listed among Pixar's Top 10, there's still plenty to love about Turning Red and we need more stories that explore these themes. From a craft perspective, Melanie sees it as a good example of how the beginning of a story sets up the end, and Valerie considers whether the red panda is a metaphor that works. 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.

In this episode, Melanie takes us on a deep dive of spy stories, their conventions and subgenres. It turns out that what we usually think of as spy stories might not be spy stories at all! Meanwhile, Valerie examines the testing plot and offers advice about how to write historical fiction that works. 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 interested in character development, this award-winning film is one you want to study. However, if you're interested in studying examples of crime stories (which is how this movie has been marketed), maybe give it a pass. Tune in to find out why! 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.

West Side Story (2021) has been lauded for its depiction of race and racial tension, but how has it handled the love story? In his retelling of this age-old story, did Spielberg innovate the genre or did he perpetuate stereotypes? 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.

A story makes one point. If your story is about everything, then it's about nothing. Understanding genre is a vital skill for writers because everything in a story flows from it; it's the key to telling a story in an entertaining and effective way. Can you boil your story down to one idea? Does your choice of genre help your story make its point? 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.

Join literary editors and writers, Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill, as they analyze a film a week as an example of a storytelling principle. If you want to spend more time writing and less time studying, this show is for you. 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.