Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis, Kathleen Foxx

Story Nerd

Arts EN ↓ 253 episodes

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 you love...

Author

Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis, Kathleen Foxx

Episodes

West Side Story: innovative or cliché? 04.05.2022 43:33

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 age-old story, did Spielberg innovate the genre or did he perpetuate stereotypes? Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for f...

Late Night: a story is about one thing 27.04.2022 40:46

A story makes one point. If your story is about everything, then it's about nothing. Understanding genre is a vital skill for writers because everything in a story flows from it; it's the key to telling a story in an entertaining and effective way. Can you boil your story down to one idea? Does your choice of genre help your story make its point? Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing...

Calling All Story Nerds! 01.04.2022 9:45

Join literary editors and writers, Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill, as they analyze a film a week as an example of a storytelling principle. If you want to spend more time writing and less time studying, this show is for you. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free)...