Developing Dynamic Scenes for Your Novel

Class Description

You may have an idea of the overall structure and plot of your novel, but how do you move the reader from point A to B? Through scenes! Scenes are the building blocks of a story, immersing the reader in the world of your characters.

In this course, we will explore the essential questions you need to ask to make sure each scene moves your story forward and how to know if the scenes you’ve crafted are compelling. We’ll focus on different elements of scene-building: including emotional development, setting, goal, conflict, dialogue, and action. We’ll read excerpts of well-crafted scenes from authors such as Sally Rooney, Leesa Cross-Smith, Alexia Arthurs, Violet Kupersmith, Susan Choi, and Andrew Sean Greer, and put what you learn into practice through weekly exercises and scene prompts. Twice over the course of the class, you will have the opportunity to submit a scene to the rest of the class for feedback. By the end of this class, you'll learn what qualifies as a scene, what your scenes should accomplish, ways to create tension within a scene, the difference between scene and summary, and leave with many tools for developing compelling and significant scenes.

Please Note: Class does not meet on June 19th (Juneteenth).

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

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.