Make a Scene
Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time
by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
ISBN: 1-58297-479-9
$14.99, 256-272p
About the Book
Scenes are essential fictional units, and if a single unit falters, then an entire novel or short story can be weakened. While there is no paint-by-numbers formula for writing powerful scenes, writers can drastically improve their entire manuscripts by understanding the primary components of a given scene and how to manipulate those components to create the desired amount of drama, emotion, tension, energy, and intrigue. Make a Scene explains the fundamentals of strong scene construction and how other essential fiction-writing techniques, such as character development, pacing, description, transitions, etc., must function within the framework of individual scenes in order to provide substance and structure to the overall story.
With precise instruction, examples from bestsellers, unique exercises, and scene-writing tips from successful authors such as Elizabeth Cox and Sheila Kohler, this book shows readers how to craft each scene so that it renders a vivid emotional punch, establishes and maintains tension, and propels the reader forward.
About the Author
Jordan E. Rosenfeld is a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest magazine, and a freelance writer and author. Her articles, essays and reviews have been published in numerous publications including Alternet.org, The St. Petersburg Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Writer, and her book reviews are regularly featured on NPR-affiliate KQED Radio’s “The California Report.” She’s co-founder of “Write Free!” a method to help people attract a creative life, which has spawned the book, with Rebecca Lawton, Write Free: Attracting the Creative Life (Kulupi Publishing) and a monthly newsletter. Find out more about Jordan at www.jordanrosenfeld.net and about Write Free at www.writefree.us.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Part I: The Architecture of a Scene
Chapter 1: Functions of a Scene
Chapter 2: Strong Scene Launches
Chapter 3: Powerful Scene Middles
Chapter 4: Successful Scene Endings
Part II: The Core Elements and the Scene
Chapter 5: Setting
Chapter 6: The Senses
Chapter 7: Character Development and Motivation
Chapter 8: Plot
Chapter 9: Subtext
Chapter 10: Dramatic Tension
Chapter 11: Scene Intentions
Part III: Scene Types
Chapter 12: The First Scene
Chapter 13: Suspense Scenes
Chapter 14: Dramatic Scenes
Chapter 15: Contemplative Scenes
Chapter 16: Dialogue Scenes
Chapter 17: Action Scenes
Chapter 18: Climactic Scenes
Chapter 19: Epiphany Scenes
Chapter 20: Flashback Scenes
Chapter 21: The Final Scene
Part IV: Other Scene Considerations
Chapter 22: Multiple Points of View
Chapter 23: Tracing the Protagonist’s Emotional Thread From Scene to Scene
Chapter 24: Secondary and Minor Characters
Chapter 25: Scene Transitions
Chapter 26: Scene Assessment and Revision