The most powerful short stories and novels are built on a foundation of great scenes. Scenes convey the fears and desires of characters in tense, funny, wonderful real-time action—so why are they so difficult to write? In this discussion class, we'll explore the 3 P's of great scenes (person, place, and problem) and discuss how to get in and out of a scene efficiently. We'll discuss the difference between scenes and summary, and why rooting our most emotional moments in scenes is so much more effective than analysis or "habitual time."
Works to examine will include Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"; Denis Johnson's "Emergency"; Carver's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love"; and others.
We will also start a short writing exercise, turning exposition into realtime scenes.
BLAIR HURLEY is the author of THE DEVOTED, which was longlisted for The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. Her second novel, MINOR PROPHETS, was published in 2023. Her work is published in New England Review, Electric Literature, The Georgia Review, Guernica, Paris Review Daily... Read More →
