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The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – S3, E5: Joan d’Arc

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Season 3 is continues! We’re combining Nora’s passion for history with Sue’s passion for story structure — giving you a historical story and pointing out the structural elements that make it compelling.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 5: Joan d’Arc

Nora tells the story of Joan of Arc whole breathing like Darth Vader. Sue points out the 5 commandments of story telling and there’s even a special guest appearance by Moana/Alma.

To look at the story structure, I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • If you want to learn more about Joan of Arc, you can start with this book: Joan of Arc: The Teenager Who Saved Her Nation.(That’s an afflicate link, by the way.)  I can only assume this is where Nora read about it because we have this book checked out from the library right now.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – S3, E4: The Crimes of Grindelwald

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Season 3 is continues! But this week, instead of a story from history, we’re talking about the new Fantastic Beasts movie The Crimes of Grindelwald.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Leta Lestrange, as drawn by Nora

Season 3, Episode 4: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Since it’s all we can talk about, we’re doing a spoiler episode to look at the story structure of the newest Fantastic Beasts film and discuss various theories about the big surprise at the end.

To look at the story structure, I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast: S3, E3 – The Affair of the Diamond Necklace

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Season 3 is continues! We’re combining Nora’s passion for history with Sue’s passion for story structure — giving you a historical story and pointing out the structural elements that make it compelling.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 3: The Affair of the Diamond Necklace

The plot of this story kind of sounds like a Billy Wilder movie, except that it took place just four years before the French Revolution. And it involved Marie Antoinette, but she knew nothing about it until it was way too late. Some even say that this event was one of the biggest factors in causing the French Revolution. Nora and I will tell you the story of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace and I’ll point out story structure elements along the way.

To look at the story structure, I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • If you want the super detailed version of this story, check out this wikipedia entry.
  • Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald — go see it! And then buy the script to help you figure out what you just saw.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – S3, E2: Empress Matilda versus Stephen

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Season 3 is continues! We’re combining Nora’s passion for history with Sue’s passion for story structure — giving you a historical story and pointing out the structural elements that make it compelling.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 1: Empress Matilda vs. Stephen

Here’s how this season will work:

Nora will tell a story from history, and I’ll interject at various points to point out story structure elements. This week, we look at some British history from the 1100s. Matilda was supposed to be England’s first female monarch but tings went a bit sideways. Still, Matilda’s brilliance shines through.

To look at the story structure, I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Then we get a bit off topic and talk about our excitement over the new Fantastic Beasts film Crimes of Grindelwald. But no spoilers — promise!

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • If you want to learn the whole story behind Matilda and Steven, check out the documentary “She-Wolves: England’s Early Queens.”
  • Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald — go see it! And then buy the script to help you figure out what you just saw.
  • Kristin Glasbergen – a YA author and big Harry Potter fan. You can get her serialized story, Red Magic, by signing up for her mailing list.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – S3, E1: The Rise of Cleopatra

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Season 3 is here! We’re combining Nora’s passion for history with Sue’s passion for story structure — giving you a historical story and pointing out the structural elements that make it compelling.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 1: The Rise of Cleopatra

Here’s how this season will work:

Nora will tell a story from history, and I’ll interject at various points to point out story structure elements.

I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.” These need to exist at both the macro and micro level of a long-form story. In other words, you need the five commandments in every scene, but also in every section of the story (the beginning part, the middle part and the end part) and over the story arc as a whole.

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • “The Discovery of King Tut” exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science Industry (OMSI).

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast: S2, E11 – Status Stories

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This is our final episode for season 2 and we’re looking at the Status genre. It’s all about characters trying to come up in the world and whether we glory in their success or pity their failure.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 2, Episode 11: Status Stories

This week we’re looking at the Status genre. It’s all about characters trying to come up in the world and whether we glory in their success or pity their failure. Season 3 will start next week and we’ll be going back to stories from history!

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable, on which they’ve covered the morality genre a number of times.
  • The five leaf Genre Clover, or as Nora likes to call it, the Genre Flower.
  • Spirit Riding Free from Netflix. Specifically, S2, E4: Lucky and the Competition Conundrum 

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!).