Story Nerd

It's not unusual for a debut author to query agents too soon. After all, this is a new skill and often they don't realize that their submission might not be ready. Yes, official queries require completed manuscripts (although on this show it's not necessary). But is that all a writer needs or could there be more? Tune into today's episode to find out. -V.

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!

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. -V.

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!

How much worldbuilding should you do in your opening pages? Does it depend on which genre you're writing in? What happens if you do too much, or too little? Will the reader get lost or confused, or will they just go with it and fill in the blanks based on their personal past experiences and knowledge? We discuss all this and more in today's episode. Enjoy! - V.

Not gonna lie ... this episode kinda went off the rails. We're supposed to talk about why Hitchcock's Vertigo is such a fabulous story — after all, it is lauded as one of his greatest films. Buuuut ... I didn't watch it before I recommended it for our What Went Right episode. Yes, the narrative drive works well in places. No question. However, to say this movie doesn't age well is an understatement and Melanie lets Hitchcock have it with both barrels. I roared with laugher through her whole bit (thankfully, my mic was muted so you'll have no trouble hearing her). This episode is worth a listen for the laugh if nothing else. And please let us know ... do you think Vertigo is one of Hitchcock's greatest films? - V.

How do you know if you're ready to query? The short answer is: when you've finished your manuscript. But could there be more to it than that? Do you need to run it past beta readers first, or is that a waste of time? If it's a good idea, then who do you choose to be on your beta reader team? We discuss all this and more on today's Hook Your Reader episode. Enjoy! -V.

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!

How did such a successful franchise get the last Bourne film wrong? There’s a simple answer - repetition and forgetting the rules of the world. This is an episode about the details, and it’s perfect for those writing a series because there’s a lot of good lessons to learn. - M

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!

Genre is a funny topic in our business because nobody can seem to agree on it. That makes querying agents a particularly tricky situation ... what if the agent has a different perspective of your story's genre than you do? What happens then? In today's Hook Your Reader episode, we offer our take on a horror story with fantasy elements that may, or may not, actually be an action story or a haunted house story or even a global internal genre story. -V.

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!

In this episode we share our lessons learned and a-ha moments about the 4 Types of Protagonists and the Premise statement. The ability to summarize your story in one sentence is an absolute must and over the course of the season, Melanie explored several different methods for doing just that. Which one was her favourite and why? This week, she reveals all. And for my part, I explored the 4 different types of protagonists and was happily surprised to have found three such different examples of the anti-hero — a protagonist type that, I think, is both misunderstood and under used. What do you think? -V.

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!

Steven Spielberg listens to Story Nerd. My proof? In a recent interview with The New York Times, he said, "The first thing I look for [in a story] is a very compelling premise. The second thing is a character we can hitch our wagons to." THIS is exactly what Melanie and I have been discussing all season. So yeah, he MUST be listening to us, right? ;-) Seriously though, you want to tune into this episode to hear why Spielberg thinks these two things — premise and character — are so important. -V.

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!

Serenity is the follow-on movie from Joss Whedon’s series, Firefly. While the movie had a guaranteed audience, the story suffers because the main protagonist doesn’t have a clear object of desire, however, the antagonist’s OOD is super clear and it saves the movie. Valerie’s exceptional study of the four types of protagonist moves up a notch again, as she explores the ‘lost soul’ theory for the anti-hero. - M

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!