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 explain how to craft a story that hooks the reader on page one and holds their attention all the way to the end. On alternate weeks, Valerie and literary agent Kathleen Foxx offer their professional feedback on query letters and writing samples submitted by Story Nerd listeners. The goal is simple: to help writers realize their dreams of becoming published authors. If you love to write, and you love to tell stories, and you want to see your book out in the world, this podcast is for you! "The only thing that matters, and that ever will matter, is the story. That's it." - Tom Hanks (Oxford Union 2024)
What Went Wrong: jason bourne
Ronin: what is an antihero?
Hidden Figures: your reader’s expectations?
Notting Hill: why we love it
Mrs.Harris Goes to Paris: toothless antagonists
Sicario: not what we expected
Murder She Said: sex or murder?
What Went Wrong: 80 for Brady
Conclave: a masterclass in nuanced characters
Darkest Hour: darkest villain
Amour: looks easy, but isn’t
Amour: looks easy, but isn’t!
Invitation to a Murder: there’s no plot!
Erin Brockovich: writing underdogs
The Man Who Knew too Much: honestly, kinda weird
What Went Right: the princess bride
What Went Wrong: the golden compass
Rebecca: character shadows
Doubt: a quiet story masterpiece (archive)
The Holdovers: a rare gem
Tar: writing nuanced characters
Dial M For Murder: unlikeable characters
The Incredibles: storytelling gold
The Proposal: writing dual protagonist stories
What Went Right: the outrun
What Went Wrong: stayin’ alive
Primal Fear: masterful writing
No Way Out: conflict triangles (archive)
Moonstruck: writing female characters (archive)
The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes (archive)
Knives Out: mastering the whodunit (archive)
Foe: offers lots of writing lessons
The Miracle Club: when the hero is also the villain
She Said: constant characters
The Mighty Ducks: weak villains
Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3: don’t look too closely
What Went Right: Juror #2
Women Talking: does what it says on the tin
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: secrets of multi POV stories
Anatomy of a Fall: mind blown
Shirley: when endings fail
Mother’s Instinct: keeps you guessing
The Bank of Dave: def leppard steals the show
Pretty Woman: a masterclass in the fundamentals (archive)
The Dry: an intro to outback noir (archive)
Whiplash: why the villain has a point (archive)
What Went Right: paddington
What Went Wrong: green lantern
Sleepless in Seattle: relies on star power?
The Secret of Roan Inish: sweet but weak
Judy: why object of desire is essential
Crazy Stupid Love: passive tension?
Fatal Attraction: who’s the villain? (archive)
10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do (archive)
The Nightmare Before Christmas: razzle dazzle
The Banshees of Inisherin: when the mc breaks bad
Calendar Girls: wait...it's over?
What Went Wrong: the cold light of day
All the President's Men: masterful exposition
Gone Baby Gone: writing a static protagonist
Little Miss Sunshine: who's the protagonist?
Far From Heaven: what your character doesn't want
I, Tonya: don't try this at home
The Social Network: pacing, pacing, pacing
Eye in the Sky: wonderfully nuanced storytelling
The Wife: best movie ever
August Osage County: simply masterful
The Godfather: Valerie gets excited
Nocturnal Animals: pretty, but no story
The Help: put this on your list
A Simple Favor: seriously, an evil twin?
Belfast: active v passive protagonist
What Lies Beneath: play the "let me guess" game
Doubt: a "quiet story" masterpiece
Hanna - women aren't small men
Where'd You Go, Bernadette: deus ex machina
Crazy Rich Asians: when the antagonist is more compelling than the protagonist
Red Joan: meeting reader expectations
Dirty Dancing: the heroine's journey
Zero Dark Thirty: women in war zones
Moonstruck: writing female characters
The Sixth Sense: the art of the gotcha ending
The Last of Sheila: soooo good
Gosford Park: did he deserve it?
A Most Wanted Man: why now?
The Good Liar: surprise v twist
See How They Run: wasted potential
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: when did Smiley know?
The Dry: an introduction to outback noir
Crooked House: left-brained stories
The Lost Daughter: fisticuffs
Lady Bird: writing female protagonists
Love, Simon: how (not) to arc a character
Sex and the City: great world building, but meh
The Gentlemen: conflict and a detour
Little Women: why we do (or don't) love it
The Full Monty: writing comedic characters
The Woman King: when storylines compete
August Osage County: one for your repertoire
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain: externalize the internal
Pretty Woman: a masterclass in the fundamentals
Don't Worry Darling: where did it go wrong?
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas: writing historical fiction
Big: writing comedic characters
Everything Everywhere All At Once: was there a script?
Fatal Attraction: who's the villain?
District 9: worldbuilding 101
Bridget Jones's Diary: why we love her
Can You Ever Forgive Me: what's hiding under your bed?
Ray: a product of his environment
Death on the Nile: the moustache mystery (archive)
Skyfall: m is for mother? (archive)
The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay (archive)
West Side Story: innovative or cliche? (archive episode)
Operation Mincemeat: truth is stranger than fiction
Manchester by the Sea: I'm not crying, you're crying
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: do you empathize?
The Hate U Give: delete the first 28 minutes
As Good As It Gets: creating unlikable characters
The Wife: sublime storytelling
The Godfather: empathy for a mafia don?
10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do
The King's Speech: try this trick
When Harry Met Sally: quasi antiplot huh?
Wayne's World: party on, story nerds!
Nashville: writing multiple POVs
The Shape of Water: kooky and clever
The Accidental Tourist: oh, so this is miniplot!
Men in Black: invasion lit is a thing?
The Devil Wears Prada: simply solid storytelling
Four Weddings and a Funeral: saggy middles?
La La Land: novelists make this mistake too
Groundhog Day: groundhog day groundhog day
Skyfall: m is for mother?
Back to the Future: plot holes, schmot holes
Storm Boy: hugh jackman v. the pelicans
Whiplash: why the villain has a point
Coraline: a horror story?
Home Alone: wanna bend the rules?
Lost in Translation: wtaf?
Toy Story: soooooo good, but why?
The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay
Guardians of the Galaxy: great script or great music?
Good Will Hunting: miniplots and subplots
The Blair Witch Project: power of the imagination
Sliding Doors: innovation or gimmick?
Sense and Sensibility: ship your work
The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes
Tootsie: finally, sequences!
A Few Good Men: this is how you handle exposition
Booksmart: an unfortunate train wreck
Death on the Nile: the moustache mystery
Promising Young Woman: when society is the villain
The Matrix: give your story away
Captain Marvel: the alter ego is key
The Invisible Man: thriller or horror?
The Power of the Dog: the epitome of a blended genre story
Rogue One: worldbuilding 101
Knives Out: mastering the whodunnit
Being the Ricardos: masterful writing, but does it work?
Turning Red: home run, or swing and miss?
The Courier: when is a spy story not a spy story?
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: what the heck is the genre?
West Side Story: innovative or cliché?
