Story Nerd

By Valerie Francis, Melanie Hill, Kathleen FoxxArts Books

Story Nerd episodes

July 26, 2023 Our Best Advice: empathy + stakes
In this episode, Valerie and Melanie wrap up season six with a look at all the lessons they've learned about creating empathy for a protagonist, and establishing the stakes of a story.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
For information about Valerie's upcoming webinars, visit: www.valeriefrancis.ca/webinars
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
21 min
July 19, 2023 Operation Mincemeat: truth is stranger than fiction
Even though Operation Mincemeat hides its imperfections behind a star-studded cast, it's still a good example of how to raise the stakes in story. Mind you, if this was a work of pure fiction, a writer would never get away with it - there are way too many coincidences. But hey, it's Colin Firth.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
For information about Valerie's upcoming webinars, visit: www.valeriefrancis.ca/webinars
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
39 min
July 12, 2023 WALL-E: the basics, mastered
There's nothing fancy about the storytelling in Pixar's WALL-E. It's a solid story that relies on the fundamentals to engage its audience, and it's an approach that led them to gross over $521 million. Too often new writers reject the basics instead of embracing them. In WALL-E, empathy is established early and the stakes are clear. Mastering the basics has been a winning strategy for Pixar, and it can be a winning strategy for us too.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
For information about Valerie's upcoming webinars, visit: www.valeriefrancis.ca/webinars
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
29 min
July 05, 2023 Manchester by the Sea: I'm not crying, you're crying
This movie does so many things well, it's a great one for both novelists and screenwriters to have in their repertoire of reference stories. We're studying stakes and empathy this season and boy does Manchester by the Sea deliver. If you haven't seen it yet, add it to your short list and have the tissues handy. Trust us on this one.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
For information about Valerie's upcoming webinars, visit: www.valeriefrancis.ca/webinars
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
40 min
June 28, 2023 Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: do you empathize?
This one's coming to you by popular request! The #1 comment from women who've watched this movie is that it's too close for comfort, so that makes it a perfect choice for a study of empathy. What is it about Emma Thompson's character that resonated with so many viewers? What does she stand to lose? As an added bonus, this episode even a cameo by Meryl Streep...sorta.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
For information about Valerie's upcoming webinars, visit: www.valeriefrancis.ca/webinars
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
45 min
June 21, 2023 The Hate U Give: delete the first 28 minutes
Well, they rushed this one. Given the subject matter, this film deserved to have much more care and attention given to it. Instead, it feels like the studio was in such a hurry to get it to market (given the social tensions at the time of release), that they ignored basic storytelling principles. At least it's a great example of what not to do.
Oh, and the first half hour? Get rid of it. It's all exposition.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
40 min
June 16, 2023 Is AI good or bad for writers?
Everyone's talking about AI these days, and for good reason. Experts say that AI will have a bigger influence on our lives than electricity. So what does that mean for writers? Will AI be a tool that helps us write better stories? Or, is it something that will put us out of business? Tune in to this bonus episode to hear our initial thoughts.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
32 min
June 14, 2023 As Good As It Gets: creating unlikable characters
Melvin Udall is not a nice man, but he sure is interesting and that's what makes this episode so important for writers. We concern ourselves with whether or not our reader will like our main character, but seldom do we consider whether our main character is interesting, or fascinating. Fascination is what we're after, not likability.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
36 min
June 07, 2023 The Wife: sublime storytelling
Sometimes we stumble upon a story that gets everything right - especially when to reveal information and when to hold back. Melanie and Valerie discuss how mystery impacts the audience's understanding of what's at stake, and how empathy is established in the first scene via shared experience and then grows as the story is revealed.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
55 min
May 31, 2023 The Godfather: empathy for a mafia don?
There is so much storytelling goodness to be learned from The Godfather, it kinda boggles the mind. Even if you're writing a light-hearted romcom, believe it or not, your novel/screenplay will benefit from the way Coppola and Puzzo approached the craft. The stakes start out high and get even higher. And when it comes to empathy, the role that world-building plays is a thing of beauty. Of course, one of us totally empathizes with Michael and the other of us doesn't at all. Guess which one is which.
For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle: www.valeriefrancis.ca/innercircle
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website: www.melaniehill.com.au
Follow Valerie on Instagram and Twitter @valerie_francis
Follow Melanie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @MelanieHillAuthor
The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more.
Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.
For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist
To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.
To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.
Watch us on YouTube!
50 min

About Story Nerd

From the publisher's feed

For novelists, memoirists and screenwriters who want to write stories readers will love, and who want to work with a literary agent. Each week, editors Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill use films to…