Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchUp in the Air: thiiiiin
Season 12 Episode 1208
Up In The Air, boring or not, is this week’s question. Why do I find this movie interesting, and why does Valerie find it boring? Could the answer li…
1 year, 6 months ago
All the President's Men: masterful exposition
Season 12 Episode 1207
This movie is almost entirely exposition, and while this isn't an approach I'd recommend for novelists, I can't imagine telling this particular story…
1 year, 6 months ago
Gone Baby Gone: writing a static protagonist
Season 12 Episode 1206
Most stories are about change. However, there is also a place for stories when the protagonist doesn’t change. The outcomes can still be positive - j…
1 year, 7 months ago
Little Miss Sunshine: who's the protagonist?
Season 12 Episode 1205
As Melanie and I prepared for this episode one question kept coming up ... Who is the protagonist? Melanie argues that the entire family is the prota…
1 year, 7 months ago
Far From Heaven: what your character doesn't want
Season 12 Episode 1204
This season, I am focused on stories with negative or neutral character arcs. Sometimes, finding out what a character doesn’t want is the first step …
1 year, 7 months ago
I, Tonya: don't try this at home
Season 12 Episode 1203
Wowzers! I, TONYA is absolutely chock-full of exposition. It's a documentary-style film so at first blush it doesn't seem to offer up many story less…
1 year, 7 months ago
Dorian Gray: what mick jagger said
Season 12 Episode 1202
The Rolling Stone’s song ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,’ is my earworm this season. This week, I started to pick apart how wants, needs and arc…
1 year, 8 months ago
The Social Network: pacing, pacing, pacing
Season 12 Episode 1201
It's a brand new season and this time Melanie is studying character arcs through 5 key questions: Where do the characters start, where do they finish…
1 year, 8 months ago
Best Advice: Narrative Drive + Conflict Triangles
Season 11 Episode 1109
Whoa. This season has been a heavy season. Narrative Drive and Conflict Triangles are two major concepts that can - and will - transform your writing…
1 year, 8 months ago
Eye in the Sky: wonderfully nuanced storytelling
Season 11 Episode 1108
Eye in the Sky reminds me of the ‘greater good’ questions I discussed in class during high school - there’s no right or wrong answer but there are al…
1 year, 8 months ago