Class Description
Scenes are the lifeblood for any prose writer, and yet most don’t have a firm grip on what a scene truly is or the elements a successful scene should contain. This class will discuss the ways character intention drives a scene, how to insure that your scenes contain conflict (however subtle), how to balance action with your character’s internal world, and how to present not merely something that happens but to make what happens meaningful. We will also look at how the arc of several scenes creates a chapter, how chapters help to organize your larger narrative, and methods for beginnings and endings. Through craft discussions, the examination of published work, and writing exercises, you will gain not only a better understanding of what strong scenes and chapters consist of but how to write them yourself. Bring your laptops or notebooks and a digital or printed copy of your novel-in-progress for reference.
Part of The Novel Series, which teaches students the skills and craft of writing novels. All such classes offered this term include:
- The Novel Series: Character Lab
- The Novel Series: The Point of View Puzzle
- The Novel Series: Finding Your Direction from the First Pages
- The Novel Series: Conflict for the Conflict Averse
- The Novel Series: Dynamic Scenes and Chapters
- The Novel Series: Subtext, Setting, & Suspense
- The Novel Series: How to Hold Up Your Middle & Find Your Ending
- The Novel Series: Taming Time: Pacing, Compression, and Slowing Down
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.