Story Nerd
Episodes
The Devil Wears Prada (archive)
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 soundtra...
Dirty Dancing (archive)
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 w...
Conclave: a masterclass in nuanced characters
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 y...
Interview with Literary Agent Kathleen Foxx
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Right...
Mulholland Drive: trippy
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 char...
Darkest Hour: darkest villain
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Calling historical fiction writers, memoirists, and anyone writing a "David and Goliath" style story! In this episode, I do a deep dive into the Speec...
Amour: looks easy, but isn't
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Amour: looks easy, but isn't!
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Invitation to a Murder: there's no plot!
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
Erin Brockovich: writing underdogs
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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. Wi...
The Man Who Knew too Much: honestly, kinda weird
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
What Went Right: the princess bride
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 lik...
What Went Wrong: the golden compass
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Our Best Advice: hero's monologue + the shadow
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 chan...
Rebecca: character shadows
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Invisible Man (archive)
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Genre is enigmatic (at best). Writers, agents, readers, and editors, all have different perspectives, and sometimes they lead to heated debates. In th...
Sense and Sensibility (archive)
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 S...
The Last of Sheila (archive)
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
Wayne's World (archive)
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 enjo...
Doubt: a quiet story masterpiece (archive)
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ar...
The Holdovers: a rare gem
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Tar: writing nuanced characters
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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. Qui...
Dial M For Murder: unlikeable characters
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Incredibles: storytelling gold
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Proposal: writing dual protagonist stories
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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'...
The Substance: ewwwww!
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
Backdraft: yes, but why?
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
What Went Right: the outrun
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Jett Cooper: Melanie's New Novel
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 be...
What Went Wrong: stayin' alive
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Our Best Advice: villain's monologue + turning points
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Black Bag: IYKYK
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Primal Fear: masterful writing
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 abs...
Legally Blonde (archive)
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Blon...
No Way Out: conflict triangles (archive)
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 immed...
Moonstruck: writing female characters (archive)
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Melanie is studying female characters and how women are presented in modern stories (her work in this episode is reeeeally interestin...
The Bourne Identity: build tension, raise stakes (archive)
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Knives Out: mastering the whodunit (archive)
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Foe: offers lots of writing lessons
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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-watcha...
The Miracle Club: when the hero is also the villain
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
THE MIRACLE CLUB is a multiple protagonist, miniplot, story. That means that each protagonist is also an antagonist. Sounds cool, right? But how the h...
She Said: constant characters
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
The Mighty Ducks: weak villains
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The antagonist drives the middle of a story, so what happens when the antagonist is a really weak character? Well, if you're a filmmaker and can cast ...
How to Avoid a Page-One Rewrite
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Melanie and I have both had to do page-one rewrites (actually, I've done TWO!!!), and they're not fun. Not fun at all. We want to keep you from suffer...
What A-List Authors Know that You Don't
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Announcing THE FUNDAMENTALS OF STORYTELLING on-demand course, available now. Visit storynerd.ca/courses and use coupon code CANADA50 for 50% off, now ...
Mission Impossible: simple yet solid
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is a great example of good, straight forward storytelling. Yes, it’s an action movie with big stunts. Yes, you have...
Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3: don't look too closely
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a brand new season and that means two brand new study topics! In Season 15, I'm studying something called the villain's monologue and Melanie is ...
Traditional and Indie Publishing Models
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Authors often ask us for our advice about publishing models and whether traditional is better, or worse, than indie/self publishing. So this week, we'...
What Went Right: Juror #2
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you're writing a quiet, character-driven story — especially if it deals with questions of morality — Juror #2 is a film you must watch. The sto...
What Went Wrong: Ghosted
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you are wondering what kids mean when they say, “It’s cringe” then watch this movie. Otherwise save yourself some time. On paper everything a...
Our Best Advice: core event + progressive complictions
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've reached the end of another season and that means it's time for me and Melanie to give your our best advice, our a-has, and our key takeaways all...
Women Talking: does what it says on the tin
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve had a number of masterful movies this season and Women Talking is another one. Q: How do you tell a story when everything you’ve ever known ...
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: secrets of multi POV stories
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This movie looks like an innocent little story about seniors who want to make the most of their golden years, but the craft behind it will knock your ...
Anatomy of a Fall: mind blown
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every-now-and-then we stumble across unassuming movies that blow our socks off. Anatomy of a Fall is one of these. There’s so much to love about thi...
Shirley: when endings fail
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I think the filmmakers had good intentions when they made SHIRLEY, unfortunately, they failed to stick to the essentials of storytelling. In this epis...
Mother's Instinct: keeps you guessing
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The antagonist owned the progressive complications in this movie. Celine shows her best friend Alice what a fate worse than death could be. Valerie ex...
Greenbook: when society is the antagonist
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you're writing a character-driven story, or a story where society is the antagonist, or a story with broad societal issues, add Greenbook to your l...
Anyone But You: yeah nah
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
First of all I have to let you know that it’s a miracle that no podcasters were harmed during the making of this episode.Bloody hell! What have I do...
The Bank of Dave: def leppard steals the show
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a brand new season and that means two brand new story theory principles to discuss! This time around, I'm studying the core event (aka a story's ...
Becoming a Bestselling Author, with Brian Proctor
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus episode, I interview Brian Proctor, a bestselling author in the field of personal development. This might seem like an odd fit f...
Pretty Woman: a masterclass in the fundamentals (archive)
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While Melanie and I continue to beaver away in the background, we thought we'd pull PRETTY WOMAN from the archives for you. This movie is a fan favour...
The Dry: an intro to outback noir (archive)
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While Melanie and I cook up something extra special for you, we're highlighting some past episodes that you might have missed. THE DRY is an Outback N...
Whiplash: why the villain has a point (archive)
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Behind the scenes, Melanie and I are cooking up something very special for you! While we work on that, for the next few weeks we'll be replaying some ...
What Went Right: paddington
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes the Paddington franchise so popular with audiences? That's exactly what Melanie and I set out to discover as we take a deep dive into the f...
What Went Wrong: green lantern
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's our second "what went wrong" episode and this time we're taking a deep dive into the 2011 film, GREEN LANTERN. Even Ryan Reynolds says this one i...
Our Best Advice: tension + 4SQ
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
That's a wrap on Season 13! Over the past eight episodes Melanie took a deep dive into one of the most important concepts in storytelling: tension. In...
Sleepless in Seattle: relies on star power?
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Valerie and I take a scalpel to some well loved movies this season. First there was the Nightmare Before Christmas and now Sleepless in Seattle. I’m...
Gifted: nowhere to hide
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Writers of quiet, character-driven or "literary" stories often ask me if all this story theory stuff applies to them, or if it's only for "commercial"...
The Secret of Roan Inish: sweet but weak
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Frustration follows flaws! Can you create tension and conflict if the 4 Story questions haven’t been answered? The simple answer is “no”. I desp...
Judy: why object of desire is essential
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Melanie and I talk about Object of Desire all the time and boy, oh boy, this movie really drives home why it's so important. The writers didn't go for...
Crazy Stupid Love: passive tension?
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I love it when Valerie and I study different theories and come to different conclusions about the movie. Crazy, Stupid, Love has great examples of slo...
Fatal Attraction: who's the villain? (archive)
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this archive episode, we revisit our study of FATAL ATTRACTION which first aired as episode 5 of season 7. I was studying character revelation and ...
10 Things I Hate About You: what not to do (archive)
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While I'm teaching my kids to surf during our summer beach holiday, and Valerie is shovelling out from a winter storm, we're bringing you a throwback ...
The Nightmare Before Christmas: razzle dazzle
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a favourite with both our families, and given that this is a Tim Burton film we expected that the storytelling would...
The Banshees of Inisherin: when the mc breaks bad
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The tension starts with the title of this week’s movie - The Banshees of Inisherin. Banshees cry right before someone dies. That’s tension right t...
Calendar Girls: wait...it's over?
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a brand new season! This time around I'm studying the 4 Story Questions and Melanie is focused on tension. This week we're looking at CALEN...
BLACK FRIDAY - SAVE 89%
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You want to get published, right? You want to see your book in bookstores, you want to hit a bestseller list, and maybe you want Reese Witherspoon to ...
What Went Wrong: the cold light of day
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're trying something new this week! Writers are constantly asking me and Melanie to explain why a story seems weird to them. So to help you understa...
Our Best Advice: writing exposition and creating character arcs
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time again! We've reached the end of the season and that means Melanie and I are wrapping up all our a-ha moments and lessons learned about ...
Up in the Air: thiiiiin
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Up In The Air, boring or not, is this week’s question. Why do I find this movie interesting, and why does Valerie find it boring? Could the answer l...
All the President's Men: masterful exposition
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This movie is almost entirely exposition, and while this isn't an approach I'd recommend for novelists, I can't imagine telling this particular story ...
Gone Baby Gone: writing a static protagonist
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most stories are about change. However, there is also a place for stories when the protagonist doesn’t change. The outcomes can still be positive - ...
Little Miss Sunshine: who's the protagonist?
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Melanie and I prepared for this episode one question kept coming up ... Who is the protagonist? Melanie argues that the entire family is the protag...
Far From Heaven: what your character doesn't want
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This season, I am focused on stories with negative or neutral character arcs. Sometimes, finding out what a character doesn’t want is the first step...
I, Tonya: don't try this at home
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wowzers! I, TONYA is absolutely chock-full of exposition. It's a documentary-style film so at first blush it doesn't seem to offer up many story lesso...
Dorian Gray: what mick jagger said
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Rolling Stone’s song ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,’ is my earworm this season. This week, I started to pick apart how wants, needs ...
The Social Network: pacing, pacing, pacing
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's a brand new season and this time Melanie is studying character arcs through 5 key questions: Where do the characters start, where do they finish,...
Best Advice: Narrative Drive + Conflict Triangles
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whoa. This season has been a heavy season. Narrative Drive and Conflict Triangles are two major concepts that can - and will - transform your writing....
Eye in the Sky: wonderfully nuanced storytelling
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eye in the Sky reminds me of the ‘greater good’ questions I discussed in class during high school - there’s no right or wrong answer but there a...
NYAD: writing unlikeable characters
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your reader doesn't have to like the protagonist but she does have to empathize with him because if empathy is absent, your story is in trouble. In th...
The Wife: best movie ever
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Holy moly, this is a good movie! It's an especially good movie to study for anyone writing a quiet, character-driven story. THE WIFE originally aired ...
August Osage County: simply masterful
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This movie is a masterclass on characters, character development, cast design and the relationships between characters. It honestly doesn't get any be...
Lego Batman: ROTFL
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Melanie chose Lego Batman from the vault because, in addition to being a really well-written story, it made her laugh. And that, imo, is the mark of s...
The Godfather: Valerie gets excited
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Melanie and I are taking a short mid-winter/mid-summer break, so while we recharge our batteries we're reposting some of our favourite episodes starti...
Nocturnal Animals: pretty, but no story
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We visit the joys of multiplot stories this week. Valerie discovers (again) the issues with multiplot stories in movies, and I investigate how the dif...
The Help: put this on your list
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're writing a story with multiple protagonists/POVs, or if you're tackling a big social issue in your story, then you'll want to study The Help....
A Simple Favor: seriously, an evil twin?
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week one of mystery writing’s deadly sins makes a guest appearance. Valerie and I discuss if the appearance is welcome or not. A Simple Favour ...
Belfast: active v passive protagonist
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In BELFAST, Kenneth Branagh does something that most, if not all, new writers do. In a movie, it's kind of hard to spot because filmmakers have access...
What Lies Beneath: play the "let me guess" game
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we learn more from our mistakes than our successes - that’s my story and I’m sticking to it this week! Narrative drive is an important s...
Doubt: a "quiet story" masterpiece
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ar...
Our Best Advice: female characters + setups and payoffs
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've reached the end of another season and so we're wrapping up our best advice and a-ha moments just for you. Tune in to hear what we have to say ab...