Story Nerd

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 samples from you, our listeners! While we're getting this off the ground, and to give you time to prepare your work, we've devoted this week's show to answering your questions about AI, writing and publishing. It's a good one! A...

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 love this! Starting tomorrow, literary agent Kathleen Foxx and I are going to do just that (and it's free). For all the details about how you can get our feedback on your work, visit storynerd.ca. -V. Submit your query lette...

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 characters in this movie support a protagonist with a change arc, and fill archetypal roles in the movie. In another surprising twist - switching the villain in the end of the movie has a big impact on the effectiveness of the s...

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 of the first decisions a writer must make. If you haven't chosen a structure for your novel, how will you know if what you've written is working? Do you know what the structure options are? Resonance is the ability to evok...

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 costumes? Well, you can cast those worries aside this week because The Devil Wears Prada is solid. In terms of structure, it isn't fancy. It doesn't waver from the Hero's Journey/Archplot form, and that's okay. In fact it's m...

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 how women are presented in stories. It also happens to be, structurally, an excellent film. It's not a complex story, but it's well told. -V. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For...

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 of the movies we recommend you put on your short list of films to study because, seriously, you can learn about almost any aspect of storytelling from it. It's so good that I'm not even angry that the bad guy turns out to...

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 criteria she uses to evaluate a submission, her 21-point checklist (which you can get for free), and the importance (or not) of a novel's opening line. This is an episode you're going to want to bookmark and share with your wri...

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 speech in praise of the villain and what arc does the story and protagonist have? Well…it’s a mix of pessimistic, dreamy, constant, whoa, what is going on, and none.  Pick and choose. Close your eyes and we’ll see you...

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 and I show how the filmmakers expertly (and seamlessly) used exposition to let the viewing audience know just how formidable the antagonist is. (The level of craft here is truly next-level stuff!) And Melanie explains how,...

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 book? Amour is a fantastic template for a complex moral problem that will never be resolved. This is another example of how a story can have an arc when the protagonist is constant. And Valerie does a stellar job of working...

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 book? Amour is a fantastic template for a complex moral problem that will never be resolved. This is another example of how a story can have an arc when the protagonist is constant. And Valerie does a stellar job of working...

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 a plot. No, really! INVITATION TO A MURDER has unfortunately fallen prey to a very common storytelling trap but the fix is super easy! To find out the problem (so you can avoid it), and the solution (if you've already err...

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 not change instead, she bends the world to suit herself. This is no mean feat, because the villain is powerful and wealthy. In underdog movies the speech in praise of the villain is essential. It's through this speech that...

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 decide. In terms of study topics this season, I'm looking at The Speech in Praise of the Villain and Melanie is examining Constant Characters. Its portrayal of women and parenting aside, this movie offers up interesting insig...

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 dive into THE PRINCESS BRIDE. Melanie and I were spoiled for choice in this What Went Right episode because, when you're dealing with a William Goldman story, pretty much everything is going right. Enjoy! -V. Submit your...

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 book was better. That's definitely the case for The Golden Compass. I’ve read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it plus the book won the Carnegie Medal which means it's excellent. So how did such a good children story go so wr...

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 episodes this season, you'll definitely want to tune in and maybe even bookmark this episode! - V. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For access to writing templates and worksheets, and...

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 contact with, even her allies. With our study of The Shadow drawing to a close, it’s time to look at how suppressed emotions break free and cause chaos. The Hero’s monologue is also treated differently in this film. See i...

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 aired in Season 2, Melanie and I totally disagree on the genre. She thinks it's a horror, I think it's a thriller. Which of us is right? Tune in to find out. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Until then, H...

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 powerhouse pairing of Jane Austen and Emma Thompson put this bit of theory into action. For the rest of your story, understanding sequences might just be the key to making your story sing! We'll be back on January 14, 2026...

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 check out THE LAST OF SHEILA. This episode originally aired in Season 9 and it's one of our favourites. So sit back and enjoy, and we'll be back with a brand new show on January 14, 2026. -V. Submit your query letter and fir...

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 families, we're sharing this archive episode with you because, if nothing else, it'll bring a smile to your face and give you a good laugh. We'll be back on January 15, 2026 with a brand new episode. Until then Happy Holidays,...

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 action stories, thrillers and the like. But DOUBT is a quiet, character-driven film that is so expertly crafted it grabs the viewer's attention immediately and holds it right to the bitter end. Seriously, there's so much for...

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 main character. He's a passive character, which makes for an especially interesting study of both the hero's monologue and the shadow. If you've not seen THE HOLDOVERS yet, watch it as a gift to yourself this holiday seaso...