Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchJett Cooper: Melanie's New Novel
Season 15
Today is a fantastic day for the Story Nerd Podcast. We are celebrating the launch of Melanie’s new middle-grade novel, Jett Cooper, by sharing a beh…
7 months, 3 weeks ago
What Went Wrong: stayin' alive
Season 15 Episode 1510
STAYIN' ALIVE has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (I didn't even know that was possible!) so Melanie and I wanted to see if we could figure out where …
8 months ago
Our Best Advice: villain's monologue + turning points
Season 15 Episode 1509
We've come to the end of another season and that means it's time for our best advice about the villain's monologue (what it is, and why it's essentia…
8 months, 1 week ago
Black Bag: IYKYK
Season 15 Episode 1508
I think BLACK BAG misses the mark but it's one of Melanie's favourites. So what happens when we disagree on whether, from a craft perspective, a stor…
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Primal Fear: masterful writing
Season 15 Episode 1507
Primal Fear is a superb film. The novel, by William Diehl, is even better. This is a story to add to your short list of go-to stories to study for ab…
8 months, 3 weeks ago
Legally Blonde (archive)
Season 15
This week we're throwing it back to season 2. Valerie is studying The Hero's Gift Expressed and Melanie is studying Forces of Antagonism. Legally Blo…
9 months ago
No Way Out: conflict triangles (archive)
Season 15
In this week's episode, Melanie introduces the concept of conflict triangles and honestly, if you use them in your work, your story will improve imme…
9 months, 1 week ago
Moonstruck: writing female characters (archive)
Season 15
In this episode, Melanie is studying female characters and how women are presented in modern stories (her work in this episode is reeeeally interesti…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes (archive)
Season 15
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,…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Knives Out: mastering the whodunit (archive)
Season 15
Puzzled about what it takes to write a great mystery? Then grab your notebook because this episode is chock-full of tips. No red herrings in this sho…
9 months, 3 weeks ago