Word by Word

Practical insights for writers from Jessica P Morrell

There are still spaces available for The Anchor Scenes Workshop

Written By: Jessica Morrell - Oct• 09•13

Deep Fiction: The Anchor Scenes

October 12, 2013
9:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Tabor Space 5441 S.E. Belmont, the Library
Portland, OR

The task of a novelist or memoirist is to tell a story so riveting that it will hold a reader’s attention for hundreds of pages. This requires intimate knowledge of the characters, their inner lives, and central dilemma. It also requires an understanding of plot; the sequence of events that take readers from beginning to end.
These events won’t hang together without a compelling structure or architecture that underlies the whole—the essential scenes that every story needs to create drive, tension, conflict, climax, and resolution. These must-have scenes in your story, especially the plot points and reversals, power stories forward.

The anchor scenes we’ll cover are: Inciting Incident, First Plot Point, Mid-point Reversal, Dark night of the Soul, The Point of No Return, Climax, and Resolution. We’ll discuss how they’re linked to protagonist’s character arc, how they’re emotionally charged, and build the plot. By the end of the workshop participants will have outlined these crucial scenes and know how change is the basis for scene writing. As part of the lecture we’ll be discussing the anchor scenes in The Hunger Games and the film Witness. Comprehensive handouts will be included and space is limited.

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