Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchToy Story: soooooo good, but why?
Season 3 Episode 309
There are a handful of stories that theorists use as great examples of the craft, and Toy Story is one of them. (Chinatown is another, but sheesh, en…
3 years, 4 months ago
The Water Horse: keep subplots at bay
Season 3 Episode 308
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 …
3 years, 4 months ago
Guardians of the Galaxy: great script or great music?
Season 3 Episode 307
When fans talk about this movie, they usually mention the music. But an amazing soundtrack can't save a story that doesn't work. More importantly, fo…
3 years, 5 months ago
Good Will Hunting: miniplots and subplots
Season 3 Episode 306
This week, Melanie and Valerie fell into a discussion about whether Good Will Hunting is a miniplot story, or an archplot story with a couple of subp…
3 years, 5 months ago
The Blair Witch Project: power of the imagination
Season 3 Episode 305
Filmmakers have special effects, costuming, casting and music to help them tell their stories. As novelists, we've got 26 characters, a handful of pu…
3 years, 5 months ago
Sliding Doors: innovation or gimmick?
Season 3 Episode 304
If you're writing a story with multiple protagonists, or multiple storylines, this episode is for you. This is a tricky kind of story structure to pu…
3 years, 5 months ago
Sense and Sensibility: ship your work
Season 3 Episode 303
Well, this was an interesting experience. Mercury was retrograde and it led to all kinds of technical issues and re-recording. In the end, to improve…
3 years, 6 months ago
The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes
Season 3 Episode 302
Whatever kind of story you're writing, if you want a reader to stick with you all the way to the end, you've got to build tension! Believe it or not,…
3 years, 6 months ago
Tootsie: finally, sequences!
Season 3 Episode 301
Valerie and Melanie are kicking off a brand new season of the Story Nerd podcast with a high level look at both sequences, and the beginnings and end…
3 years, 6 months ago
Our Best Advice: hero's gift + antagonism
Season 2 Episode 211
To wind up the season, Valerie and Melanie summarize what they've learned about the hero's gift expressed and forces of antagonism, and they offer th…
3 years, 6 months ago