Free Daily Podcast Summary
Story Nerd: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis
For novelists, memoirists and screenwriters who want to write stories their readers will love. Each week literary 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. The goal is simple: to learn from writers who have come before us...what worked well and what didn't work so well. If you're a writer who loves to write, 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)
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday36 min
Vertigo: does it live up to the hype?
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.
- 6 days ago41 min
Knowing When to Query (this is a BIG deal)
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/checklistTo learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
- 1 weeks ago35 min
What Went Wrong: jason bourne
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/checklistTo learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
- 1 weeks ago41 min
How do agents see genre?
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. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.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.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
- 2 weeks ago21 min
Best Advice: protagonist types and premises
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. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.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.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
- 2 weeks ago31 min
Spielberg listens to Story Nerd
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. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.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.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
- 3 weeks ago32 min
Serenity: object of desire MIA
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 Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.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.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
- 3 weeks ago8 min
What Agents Wish Authors Knew BEFORE They Query
Querying agents can be a daunting task but there's a way to do it effectively! Agents want to love your book but you have to know how to present it to them. Query letters aren't simply cover letters. They're sales letters and their job is to convince an agent to ask for more. Putting a query package together is a skill, and if you want to get an agent, it's a skill you must master! The Query Starter Kit available at learn.storynerd.ca now. -V. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.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.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!
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About Story Nerd
For novelists, memoirists and screenwriters who want to write stories their readers will love. Each week literary 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. The goal is simple: to learn from writers who have come before us...what worked well and what didn't work so well. If you're a writer who loves to write, 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)
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