Word by Word

Practical insights for writers from Jessica P Morrell

Deep Fiction the Anchor Scenes workshop

Written By: Jessica Morrell - Oct• 04•12

October 20, 9-5
Manzanita, Oregon, The Center for Contemplative Arts
Cost: $80

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 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 that underlies the whole—the essential scenes that every story needs to create drive, tension, conflict, climax, and resolution. We’ll pay special attention to the architecture of scenes and the plot points and reversals that power stories forward.

Since scenes are those parts of your story where the excitement happens we’ll dissect the core ingredient of each scene: change. 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 the protagonist stars in these scenes, how they’re emotionally charged, and build the plot. By the end of the workshop participants will have outlined these crucial scenes and know where flashbacks should be placed to deliver the most potency. As part of the lecture we’ll be discussing the anchor scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird, The Old Man and the Sea and the film Witness. Story maps provided as part of the comprehensive handouts.

Space is limited and payment is required to register. Payments can be made by check or through PayPal
Contact me for more  registration details.

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