I’m ready to create something delicious and memorable, something people will remember for a long time, and want to enjoy again, and again. I pull out my recipe (trusty plot clock template), and list all of the ingredients I need for a successful and engaging outcome:  ordinary world, binding point, low point, turning point, climax, and denouement. (You may structure your story differently, but this is the recipe I use – tried and true.)  The recipe has only six main … Read More »

Arrive late; leave early. It’s a splendid mantra for mandatory office parties, but it also applies to scene setting. Don’t begin the scene with tedious party preparations, the highlighting and contouring needed to turn Plain Jane into Beautiful Belle, or the inevitable staring at one’s reflection as a means of self-description. ARRIVE LATE. Begin the scene with the swish of silk and the striking of her heel against the marble tiles as heads turn to stare… LEAVE EARLY. End the … Read More »

  We’ve learned about scene functions. Now let’s discuss the structure of the scene. Just like the short story or novel, a scene must also have structure: it begins (Rising Action), has a middle (Complication, Climax), and then ends (Resolution). But: How should it begin? What should the middle contain? How should it end? Let’s begin with the Beginnings! Rosenfeld, in Make a Scene, calls the scene beginning a “launch”. You want the scene to begin in such a way as to continue to … Read More »

We’ve learned about scene functions. Now let’s discuss the structure of the scene. Just like the short story or novel, a scene must also have structure: it begins (Rising Action), has a middle (Complication, Climax), and then ends (Resolution). But: How should it begin? What should the middle contain? How should it end? Let’s begin with the Beginnings! Rosenfeld, in Make a Scene, calls the scene beginning a “launch”. You want the scene to begin in such a way as … Read More »

No, not you. It’s a message to me, from me, granting permission to step away from the computer screen, to let my brain rest, and mull a plot point over in my brain while I sweep the driveway. Several drafts in, and I’m again at a pivotal point in my story – the Turning Point. It’s where Maggie, my main character, finds a clue that propels her to the end of the story. I struggled with it for days, trying … Read More »

Several years ago, I signed up for a “Writer’s On-Line Workshop” from Writer’s Digest – Novel Writing: Scene Fundamentals. The course used Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld for the reading assignments. I had reviewed this book for an issue of Creative Writer’s Notebook that year. Coincidence? No, I love this book! In this series, I’m not going to give you the whole of what I learned, you can buy the book for that. I am going to share with you some of … Read More »