The Art of Writing Great Scenes

In both literature and film, there are moments that resonate across generations. The most powerful are transformative, immersive, emotional, and filled with memorable imagery and subtext. They give the writer a chance to “show vs. tell” and allow the reader to experience a story firsthand.

“We’ve all got scenes that stick with us”, says instructor Kate Montgomery. “A beautifully crafted scene can feel immediate and alive even if it was written more than five hundred years ago. It's timeless.” 

In this 3-week class, we’ll take a deep dive into what makes a scene great and why mastering the art of writing one is essential to the storytelling craft. We’ll explore key elements that make a scene work: the need for structure, intent, conflict, movement, emotion, pacing, sensory detail, and purpose, and the importance of context, sub-context and character growth. 

Through a lively and interactive mix of instruction, individual and group writing exercises, scene reads, and screenings, some of the things you’ll learn in this class include:

• What constitutes a “scene” versus the “narrative” 
• The difference between a scene in a short story or novel and a scene in a screenplay
• Why every scene needs a beginning, a middle, an end — and a purpose!  
• How to craft scenes that deepen the reader’s emotional connection to the story
• The three types of scenes that guarantee your readers keep turning the pages 
• Why subtext is important and how to reveal it through dialogue
• How to craft a scene as an immersive experience for the reader or viewer
• How to fix a scene that’s flat or dragging  

This class is designed to be interactive and fun. There’s no need to take notes. After each class meeting, participants will receive a copy of all of the material we covered.

About The Writing Salon's Online Zoom Classes

You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.