The Storyteller Pod

The Storyteller Pod The Storyteller Pod is where Screenwriters come to grow; explore our courses and join the community. Arts & Entertainment

STARTING A NEW YEAR!!They say every day is a chance to start something new... birthdays and New Year get special attenti...
07/09/2026

STARTING A NEW YEAR!!

They say every day is a chance to start something new... birthdays and New Year get special attention though. THIS YEAR though, a lot of fantastic "new things" flowed into my life ON AND AROUND MY BIRTHDAY though.

On the home front, we got our mortgage and FINALLY we will start our NEW build. School is back, and my little nunu is in First Class, so I get an EXTRA HOUR every day - it's the small things that make you wanna dance, really!!

In my own work, LOTS of seeds I planted a long time ago, just broke ground and are starting to sprout! I am overwhelmed and excited and generally experiencing 100 000 emotions - all happy!! And no, I did not know there were this many happy emotions to experience.

Thank you all the writers and creatives and smiling faces at workshops and in class who make my "every days", amazing days. I am so grateful for the love and community that is THE STORYTELLER POD!!

There are a lot of new things happening at The Storyteller Pod too, I KNOW that I know that I know that it will make your journey with us SUPER! So I am excited for you too!!

And you can get excited... We're in for another GREAT ride
together!!

Isaiah 43:19 says, "See, I am doing a new thing!!". Before I close... I just want to give praise and say thanks to GOD, who moved all these pieces into place and continues to "do a new thing" through me every day. My birthday wish, is that I may I be a blessing to you.

Natsxx

PS. Yes, also new hair... 😎

IT'S SEPTEMBER!!Remember those pots I planted up last month? Looking all sad... and well, like I planted a whole lot of ...
01/09/2026

IT'S SEPTEMBER!!

Remember those pots I planted up last month? Looking all sad... and well, like I planted a whole lot of nothing in them? Yup those ones.

Well.. look at them now! And I had to move them to various positions around the house, because some of the dahlias are fat and leaf-intensive!! In another week or so, i will share the flowers.

I always say, gardening teaches you everything you need to know about life... and a few things about WRITING to boot!

What I want to share in particular today as we move into SEPTEMBER, is a question I get all the time... and one I have to ask myself all the time:

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? (This is accompanied by "am I slow?" and a selection of "where should my script/story/career be by now")

And sadly the only honest and truthful answer is: IT TAKES AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

Yes, sometimes you **should've** been miles ahead of where you are now, because maybe you had your head up your ass, maybe you had a great excuse list that even you bought into...

BUT!! Maybe life pressed a little harder than usual and in unprecedented ways. And if you put the work down for this, you had your priorities straight.

BUT!! Maybe you did everything you were supposed to and the way the story developed or grew (getting bigger and smaller and wilder) TOOK TIME!!! If you did put in the hours, the right blend of elbow grease and space for imagination... then MAYBE, hear me out: IT TAKES AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

Only YOU know the answer. The answer only comes with extreme self-honesty and not judging yourself. The time it takes is neither good or bad. You are neither good or bad. IT IS WHAT IT IS.

Now get back to your desk... and WRITE!! September is the best month to be writing!

xx Nats

I don't know about you, but I worked HARD in August!! 💪 Loved every minute - NO REGRETS!! Lived my best life in-between ...
28/08/2026

I don't know about you, but I worked HARD in August!! 💪

Loved every minute - NO REGRETS!! Lived my best life in-between with my non-furry Cat (the 6 year old), but now it is time to REST.

Properly.

Unapologetically.

Turning all the lights off and I may be drooling from the left corner of my mouth until Monday. (I feel sorry for my husband this weekend.)

My golden nugget of advice to other writers and creatives out there: GET SOME QUALITY REST too!!

Here is something I did not know until this week: Your brain has a Default Mode Network. And it ONLY fires up when you stop actively working.

This is the network responsible for making unexpected connections. For the shower-thought breakthroughs. For the scene that suddenly clicks together while you're washing up or staring out the window losing saliva randomly aka doing absolutely nothing.

Your resting brain is not being lazy. It's actually a monster-machine doing lots and lots of "stuff". The work you can not do at your desk.

So this weekend? I am going full Default Mode Network. *Loving the sound of that... sounds very 2055!!*

I recommend you do the same.

In case you are now intrigued, I stumbled onto this on Substack... You can read about it here: [https://createmefree.substack.com/p/rest-boredom-and-the-default-mode]

Fascinating!! And would qualify as "Things to do on REST DAY".

Work hard. Rest hard. 🖤

Until Monday — au revoir!

Nats xx

Say I write a holiday short... how the h*ll do I go about selling it?GREAT question. And honestly? One of my favourite t...
26/08/2026

Say I write a holiday short... how the h*ll do I go about selling it?

GREAT question. And honestly? One of my favourite things to teach.

Because writing it is only half the battle. The other half is knowing exactly whose desk it lands on, how it gets there, and what happens next.

That is Week 8 of PS105. The Path to Market. Not a vague "here are some tips" handout. ME. Walking you through exactly where to send it, how to pitch it, and how to follow up like a pro.

We also have something a little special planned — a collective pitch session where we get REAL buyers in the room. A group of writers with a slate of holiday shorts is a seriously powerful thing.

PS105 kicks off TONIGHT at 6PM UK. 🚂🎄👻

There is still one spot left in the back. Excellent view. Great writers to your left and right.

👉 https://www.thestorytellerpod.com/course/pitch-to-script-the-holiday-short

Nats x 🎄👻

IT'S MONDAY. YOU'RE PLANNING. YOU SAW THE ANIMATED HOLIDAY SHORT WRITING PROGRAMME... You're thinking: "Why should I joi...
24/08/2026

IT'S MONDAY. YOU'RE PLANNING.

YOU SAW THE ANIMATED HOLIDAY SHORT WRITING PROGRAMME...

You're thinking: "Why should I join a programme? Surely I can just write it on my own?"

The answer is an entirely personal one.

If you know this space, you are a proficient writer, and you have a history of successfully selling ... you will just be coming to make friends. And there are cheaper ways to make friends! W**e. You're welcome.

BUT.

If you suspect you're missing something — the format, the medium, the target audience... maybe it's just your first rodeo? Maybe you just do better work when you have a map and minds and a healthy dose of "show me the money."

THEN THIS IS FOR YOU!!

Look, hacking at a project alone for a year (or two or ten!) that should take you 8 weeks is a waste of TIME and your life force. Personally, I find it soul destroying. I am a very emotional writer and when a project DRAGS, I lose my will to live. Especially personal projects that don't have to dra-a-a-a-ag.

And that sense of accomplishment when: IT. IS. DONE. Priceless.

WRITING IS HARD ENOUGH. You can't escape that. Excavating your heart to find gems is gonna hurt. A lot if it's gonna be any good. That is the job. But you CAN make the road easier for yourself.

That is why I would join THIS programme. That is why I designed THIS programme. So what's inside?

1. Development. We start at the start, and create a blueprint for your pitch while we're at it.

2. Scripting. We write it: Premise. Outline. Script. Polish.

3. The Path to Market. We get your pitch on desks — plural — and on route to getting picked up.

Why the process is so effective:

A CLEAR METHOD. I have paved the way for you to: GET IT WRITTEN.

A POOL OF MINDS. I will tell you this — I am blessed, by the Man upstairs Himself, because the writers in the Pod are like vaults of genius and magic. The workshopping and brainstorming energy is second to none. It's like magic dust on a story.

EDITORIAL SUPPORT. To write with an editor in your pocket, is like having your own personal compass. Like a spade on a dig.
.. and the pièce de résistance: THE PATH TO MARKET. Not a booklet saying "you should do the following." ME saying: Do this. Do that. Have you done it?! We have the power of a collective of projects that attract niche buyers, as a group. (More on that tomorrow.)

Are you thinking: Why have I not signed up yet?

Here are the logistics:

👉 PS105 — Pitch to Script: The Holiday Short
8 weeks.
Wednesdays 6-8PM UK.
Starts 26 August.
3 one-on-one editorials included.
€399 — or Pay in 3 at €136 x 3.

👉 Enrol here: https://www.thestorytellerpod.com/course/pitch-to-script-the-holiday-short

Want to chat first? About your idea, your situation, or how we can make it work for you? I have a few spaces left today and Wednesday.

👉 Book your FREE 20 minutes: https://calendly.com/thestorytellerpod/chat-about-my-holiday-short-idea

Nats x

The struggle is REAL. 😂Too many ideas is genuinely a problem. Because when everything feels exciting, nothing gets writt...
21/08/2026

The struggle is REAL. 😂

Too many ideas is genuinely a problem. Because when everything feels exciting, nothing gets written. and you are like a super excited dachshund chasing-chasing-chasing...

Hands up if IDEAS is not your problem. 🖐

Hands up if you have an excess of five ideas... and absolutely no idea which one to actually WRITE. ✋

Picking the RIGHT idea is a skill.... and it's also not... Sometimes you JUST HAVE TO CHOOSE. And start. Sometimes, you have to ask yourself, what is your goal? And which story will most likely help you achieve that.

A-a-a-a-a-a-and... sometimes, it's a little bit of both and also there may be a couple of other factors weighing in on your choice!

This is when it's good to have a chat with a NEUTRAL person who is also a story editor who has an eye on the outcome. Hey!! I am just that person!

It's actually one of my favourite conversations to have with writers: Let's look at your pile of ideas and find the diamond! That is why I am offering you a no strings 20 minutes to chat about YOUR HOLIDAY SHORT IDEA.

👉 https://calendly.com/thestorytellerpod/chat-about-my-holiday-short-idea

PS105 starts Thursday 26 August. LIMITED!!! seats left. Come find your idea and then come write it the fun and supported way! 🎄👻

Nats x

It's here!! 👀Last week I told you something was coming... and HERE IT IS.This one is for all the writers and animators T...
20/08/2026

It's here!! 👀

Last week I told you something was coming... and HERE IT IS.

This one is for all the writers and animators THINKING of writing a holiday short, but that fence sure is comfortable!!

Now if "To write a holiday short... or NOT to write a holiday short?" are the words running through your mind every time you see a Santa or a pumpkin... SPEAK TO ME!!

Literally. I've opened my calendar for 10 people who want a little chat about ... WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME? (meaning you of course!)

20-minutes with me... absolutely FREE.

A quick, honest pow-wow about:

"Is my idea any good?"

"Would this work commercially? Ehem... can I sell this?"

"Is PS105 right for me RIGHT NOW?"

"Why would this make a difference to ... er me just writing it at home on my own?"

In return, I promise to LISTEN. Give you my honest feedback. I promise I will not try to SELL you on the programme if it is not for you... why? Because if you really want to, you will... and I'm not in the business of making people do something that is not ight for them right now. It gives me the "ick".

10 spots. Free. 20 minutes. ONE WEEK ONLY though... Just you and me.

👉 Grab your spot: https://calendly.com/thestorytellerpod/chat-about-my-holiday-short-idea

Nats x

THROWBACK TO CMC 2026!!It's not the WHOLE gang... but it was significant!! And let me tell you, I had FO... MO!!! not be...
13/08/2026

THROWBACK TO CMC 2026!!

It's not the WHOLE gang... but it was significant!! And let me tell you, I had FO... MO!!! not being there.

From L to R is Zainab Balami, Sarah Walsh, Alex English, Suraya Raja 🔜 CMC and Ken Rogan! Five Storyteller Pod writers who rocked up to the Children's Media Conference in Sheffield last month, and were instantly part of a little storytelling gang!

Because yes, The Storyteller Pod is great for classes and career building, but the icing is: THE COMMUNITY.

The people you meet in class, become your "writer friends" who you go to seminars and events with, and who ... (cheese loading) ... become the wind beneath your wings!!

True story: Everything's easier when you have support, encouragement... someone to have lunch with or hang with between stuff... or just to Whatsapp: "Where are you guys?"

TOGETHER. Laughing. Networking.... and colour coordinating apparently.

The Storyteller Pod is not just a school... we're a "GANG".

Watch this space for opportunities to join our adventures!

Nats x

So with a bit of extra time on our hands... (in case you did not hear, we moved THE HOLIDAY SHORT up to start 26 August!...
11/08/2026

So with a bit of extra time on our hands... (in case you did not hear, we moved THE HOLIDAY SHORT up to start 26 August!)

I decided to get creative and do something special. Because I know, like me, some of you have decked your desk in bows of holly or hung out the Halloween lights in preparation!!

So... Watch this space. 👀

I'm keeping it secret til Monday!

In the meantime — have you picked up our FREE guide yet? An Introduction to Writing Animated Holiday Shorts is packed with everything you need to understand the form BEFORE you write a single word.

👉 https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1901547/192981983619449880/share

Nats xx

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