Story Nerd

By Valerie Francis, Melanie Hill, Kathleen FoxxArts Books

Story Nerd episodes

March 22, 2023 The Shape of Water: kooky and clever
Melanie loves this film but it gives Valerie the creeps. They'll never see eye-to-eye on this one, but thanks to story theory, their subjective opinions don't get in the way of appreciating what this story has to offer. Guillermo del Toro has innovated the heck out of a courtship love story in a way that is nothing short of masterful. If you're looking for ways to innovate your story, regardless of the genre, this is the episode for you!
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!
42 min
March 15, 2023 The Accidental Tourist: oh, so this is miniplot!
It's easy to think that a Miniplot story is simply one where the protagonist has a strong internal arc. But that's only part of it. There's much, much more to it than that. So if your novel features a main character who changes over the course of the story, you definitely want to give this episode a listen!
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!
43 min
March 08, 2023 Lego Batman: holy product placement, batman
The marketing people at Lego are geniuses. In 2014 they released The Lego Movie, launching a lucrative movie franchise and driving sales of their product through the roof. The storytelling isn't fancy, but it sure is solid. In this week's episode Valerie and Melanie look at Lego Batman (2017) and how the company uses resonance and storytelling fundamentals to create movies viewers love.
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!
39 min
March 01, 2023 Men in Black: invasion lit is a thing?
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? 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?
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!
38 min
February 26, 2023 Story 101: Read Like a Writer
We've all heard this advice from A-List authors...if we want to be better writers we have to read more. What they don't tell us is that reading like a writer is an entirely different activity than reading like a reader. In this episode, Melanie explains her approach to reading actively, deeply, widely and consistently.
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!
12 min
February 22, 2023 Best Advice: middles + subtext
That's a wrap for Season 4! In this episode, Valerie and Melanie pull out their a-ha moments from the past ten shows, and they give you their best advice about crafting the middles of stories (Act 2) and subtext.
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!
22 min
February 15, 2023 The Devil Wears Prada: simply solid storytelling
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.
Learn more about Valerie's upcoming webinar at www.hookyourreader.com
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!
31 min
February 14, 2023 Story 101 : start your story right
How are you starting your story, and is your global inciting incident fulfilling its two most important functions? In this episode, Valerie fills you in on the key points you need to know about the Inciting Incident at the global story level and the scene level.
Learn more about Valerie's upcoming webinar at www.hookyourreader.com
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!
9 min
February 08, 2023 Four Weddings and a Funeral: saggy middles?
Want to keep the middle of your story from sagging? In this episode, Valerie reveals the one thing writers need to understand about the second act and its function in a story. While Valerie and Melanie agree on the genre for this movie, they disagree about whether the film works as a whole. What do you think?
Learn more about Valerie's upcoming webinar at www.hookyourreader.com
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!
41 min
February 05, 2023 Announcing Story 101!
Thanks to you, our fellow story nerds, this little passion project of ours is growing by leaps and bounds. We're already in 76 countries and are nearing 1,000 downloads per week. And we're still in our first year! To express our gratitude, we're introducing new bonus episodes called Story 101. They'll be your quick reference guide to story theory for those times you need a little refresher. We've got your back!
Learn more about Valerie's upcoming webinar at www.hookyourreader.com
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!
3 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…