Edan, you are SO GOOD at concretely laying out piles of feelings I have about writing that I am not always able to verbalize. I work with writers often on their manuscripts and scenes are so tricky because they can be anything but also things have to happen and also I want scenes to justify themselves but also again scenes can be anything? This puts it all together so well.
Thank you! Scenes CAN be anything. And also so much of scene has other narrative registers like SUMMARY in it, so it's a little misleading of a term. Thanks for reading. :)
This is full of such good stuff! Recently I dipped back into Matt Bell's excellent Refuse to Be Done, and he says something that I think piggybacks on your change in understanding directive. It's that scenes fall into four buckets: discovery, complication, reversal, resolution. I found it so helpful that I have it on a Post It on my computer. I've been cutting so many scenes in this revision as they don't do any of the above. The scene I'm currently stuck on isn't suffering from this, but it's suffering nonetheless, and I'm going to use some of these questions to see if I can't figure out what it is. Thanks, teach!
Ooh I love this. I need re-read that book--I remember liking it a lot and agreeing with Matt ...which is more than I can say about a lot of other craft books, which too often feel very prescriptive and/or cheesy!
Same, if anything I felt like he was so aligned with so many of my methods it kind of freaked me out how he'd articulated so many things I do/teach/agree with. I pop in and out of it when I need reminders. It's one of the rare concrete books about being the thick of a long project. I'm way less interested in formula (you know those books, they make me insane, though I know some folks find them useful) or deep dives on literature that don't have actionable takeaways. I am obsessed with that Joan Silber book, by the way. My other go to!
OMG that Lynda Barry exercise is totally a go-to for me! It’s a little different writing scenes in memoir—and at the same time it’s not. You’re just culling details from memory—rather than conjuring them—and then doing just what you’re talking about here. The LB exercise helps me remember stuff that I had no idea was up in my brain!
She has so many good exercises and that book is a gem! When I started teaching creative nonfiction I didn't have much experience with it (compared to teaching or writing fiction) but I've found a lot of the same principles apply.
Thanks! I was thinking it would be a sort of drop-in situation. I will check in on the early side but then I'll go away to write, and then I'll check in when I'm done, and pop in here and there throughout the day. Maybe that's not how it's done though--?!
Ha! I have no idea! But that sounds like a good idea so people--and our learned leader--can participate when it's most convenient. Thank you so much for doing this!
Omg, no, I think if anything you may get inundated. You're such a brilliant writer yet always so real with details about your life, struggles, successes. It's like a secret path many of us have been longing for. May be TMI but I even felt, after you wrote once about masturbation, "Hey, Edan does it! Guess I'm not weird!"
Furniture catalog fiction!! That’s the problem with the scene I’m in right now! They’re just talking in her kitchen! Maybe I should take it to like, Fairyland. Thank you for this essay, so immensely helpful
This is why you are my queen! 😁 If only I had Edan in my head all the time talking to me when I'm frustrated with my work in progress. Your razor-sharp insight always cut right to the bone of the problem. *Goes back to first 50 pages of new novel to read for scene work*
Edan, you are SO GOOD at concretely laying out piles of feelings I have about writing that I am not always able to verbalize. I work with writers often on their manuscripts and scenes are so tricky because they can be anything but also things have to happen and also I want scenes to justify themselves but also again scenes can be anything? This puts it all together so well.
Thank you! Scenes CAN be anything. And also so much of scene has other narrative registers like SUMMARY in it, so it's a little misleading of a term. Thanks for reading. :)
This is full of such good stuff! Recently I dipped back into Matt Bell's excellent Refuse to Be Done, and he says something that I think piggybacks on your change in understanding directive. It's that scenes fall into four buckets: discovery, complication, reversal, resolution. I found it so helpful that I have it on a Post It on my computer. I've been cutting so many scenes in this revision as they don't do any of the above. The scene I'm currently stuck on isn't suffering from this, but it's suffering nonetheless, and I'm going to use some of these questions to see if I can't figure out what it is. Thanks, teach!
Ooh I love this. I need re-read that book--I remember liking it a lot and agreeing with Matt ...which is more than I can say about a lot of other craft books, which too often feel very prescriptive and/or cheesy!
Same, if anything I felt like he was so aligned with so many of my methods it kind of freaked me out how he'd articulated so many things I do/teach/agree with. I pop in and out of it when I need reminders. It's one of the rare concrete books about being the thick of a long project. I'm way less interested in formula (you know those books, they make me insane, though I know some folks find them useful) or deep dives on literature that don't have actionable takeaways. I am obsessed with that Joan Silber book, by the way. My other go to!
OMG that Lynda Barry exercise is totally a go-to for me! It’s a little different writing scenes in memoir—and at the same time it’s not. You’re just culling details from memory—rather than conjuring them—and then doing just what you’re talking about here. The LB exercise helps me remember stuff that I had no idea was up in my brain!
She has so many good exercises and that book is a gem! When I started teaching creative nonfiction I didn't have much experience with it (compared to teaching or writing fiction) but I've found a lot of the same principles apply.
I started taking notes as I began to read this post.
Then I just flagged the whole thing. Dang - it's LOADED with insight!
(I'm so glad I brought my cat into my book! He's so fun to play with in my scenes!)
Thank you, Alyson! I am thrilled you found it useful. And, yes, the CAT. A perfect way to bring life into a scene.
Wonderful post. Have you set the time for the chat on Nov. 20th?
Thanks! I was thinking it would be a sort of drop-in situation. I will check in on the early side but then I'll go away to write, and then I'll check in when I'm done, and pop in here and there throughout the day. Maybe that's not how it's done though--?!
Ha! I have no idea! But that sounds like a good idea so people--and our learned leader--can participate when it's most convenient. Thank you so much for doing this!
I'm excited (and scared no one will ask me anything ha ha).
Omg, no, I think if anything you may get inundated. You're such a brilliant writer yet always so real with details about your life, struggles, successes. It's like a secret path many of us have been longing for. May be TMI but I even felt, after you wrote once about masturbation, "Hey, Edan does it! Guess I'm not weird!"
ha ha ha I love this! ;) Masturbators of the world, unite!
I don't have *that* many paid subscribers so I doubt inundation will occur. Maybe I can get some other free readers to pony up $5 to inundate me.
Hopefully! I'll talk about it tomorrow at a workshop I go to in Santa Monica. (I'll tell them being a masturbator is not required.)
Furniture catalog fiction!! That’s the problem with the scene I’m in right now! They’re just talking in her kitchen! Maybe I should take it to like, Fairyland. Thank you for this essay, so immensely helpful
Fairyland! Yes that is a great idea and such a fun setting to play with!
This is why you are my queen! 😁 If only I had Edan in my head all the time talking to me when I'm frustrated with my work in progress. Your razor-sharp insight always cut right to the bone of the problem. *Goes back to first 50 pages of new novel to read for scene work*
Ha ha, thank you! The problem is, I have myself in my head and I still get myself in this spot! Ah well, that's writing.