Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchDistrict 9: worldbuilding 101
Season 7 Episode 704
This is an episode you're going to want to bookmark because Melanie is offering up oodles of info about how to create a fictional world your readers …
2 years, 8 months ago
Bridget Jones's Diary: why we love her
Season 7 Episode 703
Because the novel is so funny and easy to read, and because the film is a romcom, it's easy to dismiss Bridget Jones's Diary as a simple story that H…
2 years, 8 months ago
Story 101: Poetic Device
Season 7
Here's an episode that will help you improve your line writing. Yes, Melanie is focusing on the poetic devices of metaphor, simile, and allegory, but…
2 years, 8 months ago
Can You Ever Forgive Me: what's hiding under your bed?
Season 7 Episode 702
Very few movies make an adult afraid of what's hiding under her bed, but this is one of them...and it isn't even a horror movie. That's the power of …
2 years, 8 months ago
Ray: a product of his environment
Season 7 Episode 701
It's a brand new season and that means brand new topics. For the next ten weeks, Valerie will study character development and Melanie will study worl…
2 years, 8 months ago
Death on the Nile: the moustache mystery (archive)
Season 6
This might be one of Agatha Christie's best known mysteries, but does it work for a modern audience? This week, Valerie and Melanie analyze Sir Kenne…
2 years, 9 months ago
Skyfall: m is for mother? (archive)
Season 6
In this episode, Melanie's study of subtext has revealed something odd (and slightly uncomfortable). It seems that, according to Skyfall at least, M …
2 years, 9 months ago
The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay (archive)
Season 6
It's not uncommon for a subplot, or secondary character, to take over a story - especially when a writer is still learning the ropes. So, how do you …
2 years, 9 months ago
West Side Story: innovative or cliche? (archive episode)
Season 6
West Side Story (2021) has been lauded for its depiction of race and racial tension, but how has it handled the love story? In his retelling of this …
2 years, 9 months ago
Wanted: AI Prompt Engineer
Season 6
For better or worse, Generative AI will change the job market. Some professions will disappear and new ones will be created. One of the new jobs popp…
2 years, 9 months ago