Ask any writer if they know what a scene is and they’re sure to answer “yes.” “Scene” is a staple in our vocabulary and one of the most oft-used terms we use to talk about sections of our stories,.
But, if pushed further, many writers would struggle to identify exactly what makes a scene or how they fit into a story well-told.
A collection of sentences does not necessarily tell a story. Academic papers, product descriptions, and legal disclaimers are collections of sentences, but they are not stories. Only scenes contain the smallest basic element of the whole story.
And that’s what trips writers up in revision; they don’t know what the basic units of their story are and how those units work together.
When you understand the structure and purpose of scenes, you gain greater mastery over the flow of your story, which allows you to play with your story in the revision phase with more flexibility, clarity, and direction.
Understanding Scene is one of my most foundational courses for good reason: it’s a simple lesson that pays off tremendously in the quality of your storytelling. You can gain a solid understanding of scene in less than an hour and begin putting the framework to use immediately.
What you’ll learn:
A strong scene immerses the reader in some aspect of the character’s experience–in a specific moment in time with one setting and one or more characters interacting in some way. And it sets up the cause-and-effect trajectory that drives the pace and emotional tension of the larger story.
In the Understanding Scene mini-course, you will learn to:
Define what a scene is and how it works in fiction.
Understand the six parts of scene.
Use scene goals to create a cause-and-effect trajectory in your story.
Avoid common scene-level mistakes.
Heighten emotion at the scene level.
A combination of lecture, examples, and brief exercises, this informative 5 lesson course is built to help you improve your story’s structure by starting with the essential foundation: strong, engaging scenes.
Access to this course is included in a paid subscription to Make Revision Magic. Check out the other perks for paid members and upgrade your subscription here:
Course Outline
Use the links below to skip directly to a lesson.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the Understanding Scene mini course or need support getting started, please reach out!
