For novelists, memoirists and screenwriters who want to write stories readers will love, and who want to work with a literary agent. Each week, 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. On alternate weeks, Valerie and literary agent Kathleen Foxx offer their professional feedback on query letters and writing samples submitted by Story Nerd listeners. The goal is simple: to help writers realize their dreams of becoming published authors. If you love to write, and...
Listen in the Podli app 🎧
Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
Nov 13, 2026 · 45:08
So often, writers are told that their query letters are waaaay too long, but what happens if it's too short? And how short is too short anyway? Do agents appreciate the brevity,…
Nov 11, 2026 · 34:20
There's one thing that every story, in every genre, must do and it's this: escalate the stakes. The Nice Guys is a great example of it (well, until the end and then something…
Nov 4, 2026 · 41:22
Blending genres, even genres as disparate as sci-fi and western, CAN be done! Firefly pulls it off beautifully, and yet Cowboys and Aliens flopped. Story tropes and hacks, like…
Oct 28, 2026 · 30:01
How do you keep your reader from losing interest halfway through the book? This is what happens when a story "sags" in the middle and the fix is easier than you might expect!…
Oct 21, 2026 · 34:49
If you want to know what irony is and how to use it, this episode is story gold. ‘I’m not a feminist,’ is Megyn Kelly’s catchcry in Bombshell, but she calls out misogyny…
Oct 16, 2026 · 32:07
Here's why you need to invest time learning to write plot paragraphs: even if your sample pages are stunning, a weak query will sink the whole submission. Don't believe me?…
Oct 14, 2026 · 39:31
What happens to a reader's attention when you blend or combine genres? The Birds starts out as an obsession love story and ends as a monster horror film. Yes, it's Hitchcock (a…
Oct 9, 2026 · 49:41
What are the telltale signs of a first-time writer? (Yep, they exist and agents can spot them a mile away.) Are you making them? In this Hook Your Reader episode, Kathleen and I…
Oct 7, 2026 · 35:52
When writing historical fiction, how important is historical accuracy? After all, it's fiction, right? Surely there's wiggle room, isn't there? This week, we study The Northman,…
Oct 2, 2026 · 44:02
How do you know if your query letter is accurately representing the narrative within your manuscript? Yes, you have to hook the reader in the query, but what happens if the hook…
Oct 1, 2026 · 50:33
Meet Kathryn Willms (The Rights Factory, Toronto). Kathryn represents writers of both fiction and nonfiction. On the fiction side, her list is focused on cozy fantasy, women’s…
Sep 30, 2026 · 32:57
How do you write a story where the protagonist is her own worst enemy? In other words, when the protagonist is also the antagonist. Well, it isn't easy, that's for sure. Luckily,…
Sep 25, 2026 · 46:58
Why is it that when Kathleen and I read the same query letter and same sample pages, we had completely opposite opinions? One of us loved what we saw, the other, frankly, didn't…
Sep 24, 2026 · 45:10
If you want to get an agent, then this is for you! We know that researching agents can be hard because not all of them have a social media/online presence. So on these special…
Sep 23, 2026 · 25:12
Spy Games is not a perfect movie, but one thing it gets right is the main character Nathan Muir. Muir’s belief system is established early in the film via his actions, decisions…
Sep 18, 2026 · 56:32
With all the chatter about AI-gen text (and whether a book was, or was not, generated by it), in this episode we talk about a genre that no machine or prompt will ever be able to…
Sep 16, 2026 · 43:39
We know that stories need conflict and very often writers default to two kinds: physical fights and shouting matches. Far more interesting — and far more versatile — is the more…
Sep 11, 2026 · 45:47
If you're writing your memoir, or considering writing it, then this episode is a must because it offers an excellent example of both the query letter and the opening pages.…
Sep 9, 2026 · 43:24
What happens when a story's logic falters? You end up with plot holes...and boy oh boy, does Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (film version) have plot holes! How could…
Sep 4, 2026 · 1:04:07
Kathleen and I run the gamut of opening pages advice in this episode. We discuss the pros and cons of time travel stories (why we love them and why they're so prone to plot…
Sep 2, 2026 · 36:47
Ever heard of a story having a saggy middle? It's a real thing and this season, I'm revealing the fix for it! Meanwhile, Melanie is study story logic. I know, it sounds kinda…
Aug 28, 2026 · 44:10
There are a whole lot of people writing memoir and the competition to get an agent is fierce! In this episode Kathleen and I discuss the story-related challenges to writing…
Aug 26, 2026 · 41:27
Never has there been a better example of why world building is so important. Fans of Sex and the City love to live vicariously through Carrie Bradshaw so it's no surprise that…
Aug 21, 2026 · 48:54
Boy, prologues are tricky things. How do you know if your story needs one? If you do want to use one, how do you make sure it enhances your story, or detracts from it? Kathleen…
Aug 19, 2026 · 33:25
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 Helen Fielding simply dashed…
Aug 17, 2026 · 50:03
Might there actually be a demand for AI-generated books?! What do publishers expect authors to do during these uncertain times? And what should authors expect of publishers? Will…
Aug 15, 2026 · 37:37
Holy smokes. The publishing industry is really stumbling its way through this new AI landscape. Some writers, agents, and publishing houses have chosen to use various AI tools…
Aug 14, 2026 · 50:55
Ah, nonlinear timelines. You don't have to be in this business very long to hear some "expert" claim that flashbacks and flashforwards are bad. Not so! When used correctly, they…
Aug 12, 2026 · 44:03
The movie had both me and Valerie on the edge of our seats. When we come across a masterful movie we pull out as much as we can for you. This episode is chock-a-block full of…
Aug 7, 2026 · 42:41
It's not unusual for a debut author to query agents too soon. After all, this is a new skill and often they don't realize that their submission might not be ready. Yes, official…
Aug 5, 2026 · 58:45
In this episode, Melanie takes us on a deep dive of spy stories, their conventions and subgenres. It turns out that what we usually think of as spy stories might not be spy…
Jul 31, 2026 · 39:56
How much worldbuilding should you do in your opening pages? Does it depend on which genre you're writing in? What happens if you do too much, or too little? Will the reader get…
Jul 29, 2026 · 36:21
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…
Jul 24, 2026 · 41:19
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…
Jul 22, 2026 · 35:23
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…
Jul 17, 2026 · 41:22
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…
Jul 15, 2026 · 21:12
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…
Jul 10, 2026 · 31:56
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.…
Jul 8, 2026 · 32:10
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…
Jul 5, 2026 · 8:43
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…
Jul 3, 2026 · 42:38
What's the key to choosing comp (comparative) titles that pique an agent's curiosity? Should you use films or tv shows? What about huge bestsellers — would those make good comps,…
Jul 1, 2026 · 29:33
How do you create an emotional connection between a reader and an unlikeable character? That's one of the most common questions we get as editors. The answer lies in…
Jun 24, 2026 · 28:52
Nothing is what it seems in this mercenary mystery. I discovered a way to use two premises to create mystery and a twist - a great find for everyone writing mysteries or spy…
Jun 19, 2026 · 37:59
What kind of story are you writing? That question is actually much trickier to answer than it seems, and that's because writers and agents look at genre differently. What happens…
Jun 17, 2026 · 25:58
Well, well, well ... this has to be THE most interesting presentation of an underdog protagonist that I've ever come across. Not only have the filmmakers gone above and beyond…
Jun 10, 2026 · 23:16
This week I practised writing a premise for each of the characters in Notting Hill and I experimented with the ending to see if this tool helps writers evaluate writing ideas.…
Jun 5, 2026 · 43:29
What happens when a story is pitched in the query letter as a mystery, but doesn't read like one in the opening pages? Where did the confusion creep in and how can you avoid a…
Jun 3, 2026 · 41:15
Of all the types of protagonists, audiences/readers love the underdog the most, and our discussion of this beloved archetype led us down all kinds of interesting story theory…
May 27, 2026 · 38:49
Sicario presented us with a few surprises this week. Valerie thought she’d be analysing a hero, but Kate is an underdog. She’s not presented as a typical underdog, nor does she…
May 22, 2026 · 48:30
Can you write a killer opening line? Can you define what a killer opening line is? In this week's episode, we give our professional advice on the opening pages of a story…
May 20, 2026 · 32:33
What type of protagonist does your story feature? There are 4 types, each of them can be a constant character or a change character, and each one evokes a different emotion from…
May 13, 2026 · 28:42
Poles apart - and not the dancing kind! Anora won the 2024 Palme d’Or at Cannes and five out of six categories at the 2025 Academy awards including Best Original Screen Play and…
May 8, 2026 · 29:40
It's AMA time! When is the best time to query an agent? When is the best time to go out on submission? How on earth does a writer choose comp titles? Literary agent, Kathleen…
May 6, 2026 · 48:39
I'm convinced that the screenplay for this film was generated by AI. Of course, I have no proof for that, but 80 for Brady is so completely bizarre that if AI wasn't involved,…
Apr 29, 2026 · 19:41
In the season roundup, we share all our best advice about the speech in praise of the villain (what it is, how to craft it, and why it's important), and constant characters…
Apr 24, 2026 · 26:04
This is the first episode of our brand new HOOK YOUR READER series! In these episodes, literary editor Kathleen Foxx and I review query letters and first ten pages writing…
Apr 23, 2026 · 1:50
What if you could get professional advice on your query letter and first ten pages writing sample BEFORE you started to send it off to agents? Well my friends, you're going to…
Apr 22, 2026 · 44:24
In a twist that no one saw coming, not even us, the villains in this movie are Val and Mel! Despite this, I thought Thunderbolts would be better. :( However, the constant…
Apr 15, 2026 · 38:45
Season 5 kicks off with Men in Black. Valerie is studying plot structure, and Melanie is studying resonance. Now, admittedly, plot structure doesn't sound very sexy but it's one…
Apr 8, 2026 · 30:38
Sometimes, studying a story that you love can be a bit scary. What if it turns out that the story is rubbish, and what you really like is the soundtrack, or the actor, or the…
Apr 1, 2026 · 36:53
Does the nickname "baby" bother us? Why yes, yes it does. But we've got to admit, Dirty Dancing is an excellent example of the heroine's journey, as well as female archetypes and…
Mar 25, 2026 · 30:03
Wowzers! This is a terrific movie. If you're writing a thriller (any sub-genre), or a story with nuanced and complex characters, this episode is for you. In fact, CONCLAVE is one…
Mar 20, 2026 · 37:50
What does a literary agent look for in the sample writing pages of a query? In this special bonus episode, I speak with agent Kathleen Foxx (The Rights Factory) about the 4…
Mar 18, 2026 · 27:19
Valerie asked me, “How are you going to explain this?” Trippy. It’s David Lynch and it’s trippy. It’s also an antiplot story with characters who have two identities. Where is the…
Mar 11, 2026 · 40:25
Calling historical fiction writers, memoirists, and anyone writing a "David and Goliath" style story! In this episode, I do a deep dive into the Speech in Praise of the Villain…
Mar 4, 2026 · 29:44
HEADS-UP! Amour is beautiful but heavy (have the tissue ready!). Do you want to write gritty stories that leave readers grief struck long after they read THE END and close the…
Mar 4, 2026 · 29:44
HEADS-UP! Amour is beautiful but heavy (have the tissue ready!). Do you want to write gritty stories that leave readers grief struck long after they read THE END and close the…
Feb 25, 2026 · 30:56
Stories need both characters and a plot. That sounds obvious, I know...but you'd be surprised. In this week's episode, Melanie and I examine a film that, sadly, forgot to include…
Feb 18, 2026 · 25:13
This season I'm blowing the idea that ‘characters need arcs’ out of the water. Erin Brockovich is a constant character and she’s an underdog. With the odds against her, she does…
Feb 11, 2026 · 26:13
On the list of films that haven't aged too well, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is near the top. Because it's Hitchcock I'll get flack for saying that, but watch it first and then…
Feb 4, 2026 · 27:07
Using a framing story in your novel? Maybe you're writing multiple plot lines. Or perhaps you want to know what truly masterful storytelling looks like. This week, we take a deep…
Jan 28, 2026 · 43:30
If you’re wondering what NOT to do when adapting your novel, there are great tips in this episode. We've all experienced the feeling of walking out of a cinema and saying, the…
Jan 21, 2026 · 14:46
We're wrapping up Season 16 with our best advice, lessons learned and a-ha moments about The Shadow and The Hero's Monologue. If you didn't get a chance to listen to all the…
Jan 14, 2026 · 27:11
You control the shadows in your characters. This week we reveal how a negative shadow looms large despite being dead. Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ crushed everyone she came into…
Jan 7, 2026 · 50:41
Genre is enigmatic (at best). Writers, agents, readers, and editors, all have different perspectives, and sometimes they lead to heated debates. In this episode, which originally…
Dec 31, 2025 · 27:57
Did you know that the beginning of your story, and the end of your story, work together as a unit? This this episode, which originally aired back in Season 3, we explore how the…
Dec 24, 2025 · 39:09
Holy smokes! Now THIS is how you write a murder mystery. If you're a mystery writer, or simply want to watch an absolutely fantastic film during the holiday season, be sure to…
Dec 17, 2025 · 41:40
Wayne's World is a superior example of an anti-plot story (and it's hilarious to boot!). As Melanie and I take a much deserved recording break to enjoy the holidays with our…
Dec 10, 2025 · 28:15
It's a brand new season and that means Melanie and I are studying two new topics: narrative drive and conflict triangles. Conflict and page-turners are usually associated with…
Dec 3, 2025 · 30:47
This is storytelling at its finest. We could study it to learn about almost any aspect of writing, but this week, Melanie and I are highlighting the complexity and nuance of the…
Nov 26, 2025 · 26:15
If you are writing a villain’s POV in your story, this episode is for you. Lydia Tar is a villain but she’s also the protagonist of the story. Quite simply: villain + protagonist…
Nov 19, 2025 · 24:15
If you're curious about how to handle unlikeable protagonists, this episode is for you! In Hitchcock's classic, DIAL M FOR MURDER, the protagonist is the villain — he plots the…
Nov 12, 2025 · 29:29
The villain isn’t a stand in for the hero’s shadow. The villain is a warning to the hero if the hero doesn't learn to integrate their shadow. The Incredibles is storytelling gold…
Nov 5, 2025 · 21:42
If you're writing a dual protagonist story, a story with multiple plot lines or a romance, this episode is for you! After the spookiness of last week's episode, I thought we are…
Oct 29, 2025 · 28:01
You need to read stories you don’t like. Yep, it’s true. This week I put my body on the line and I forced myself (and Valerie - so sorry, please forgive me) to watch The…
Oct 22, 2025 · 27:44
How does your reader know why your protagonist does what she does? This seemingly minor detail is one of the most important parts of your story and the way you let the reader…
Oct 15, 2025 · 44:21
I think I missed the mark with my choice for What When Right this Season. I went with The Outrun because it scored well on ratings sites. Why did this movie get such good ratings…
Oct 8, 2025 · 1:00:44
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 behind the veil look at how she…
Oct 1, 2025 · 50:13
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 the storytelling in this…
Sep 24, 2025 · 28:39
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 essential you have one in your story)…
Sep 17, 2025 · 38:52
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 story is working or not? Well,…
Sep 10, 2025 · 25:05
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 absolutely any aspect of the…
Sep 3, 2025 · 42:02
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 Blonde is a beautiful example of…
Aug 27, 2025 · 41:06
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 immediately. In terms of cast…
Aug 20, 2025 · 44:33
In this episode, Melanie is studying female characters and how women are presented in modern stories (her work in this episode is reeeeally interesting!), and I investigate…
Aug 13, 2025 · 38:27
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, The Bourne Identity is a…
Aug 6, 2025 · 51:37
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 show, we promise! The Hook…
Jul 30, 2025 · 39:05
Ummm … I don’t know what to say to introduce this week’s episode. Perhaps I should start with a simple question, ‘What makes a story un-watchable/un-readable?’ Part of the answer…
Jul 23, 2025 · 30:36
THE MIRACLE CLUB is a multiple protagonist, miniplot, story. That means that each protagonist is also an antagonist. Sounds cool, right? But how the heck do you pull it off? Well…
Jul 16, 2025 · 28:06
Valerie’s focus on the villain’s monologue in She Said was always going to be risky because we’d have to hear Harvey Weinstein's justification but justification requires the…
Listen in the Podli app 🎧
Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
Your podcast? Get the Podli badge for your site
