WW Talk - J Morrell - Anatomy of a Scene

WW – Jessica Morrell: Anatomy of a Scene
(5-8-2011)


Jessica Morrell – Contact Info:
Website: www.jessicamorrell.com
Blogs: http://thewritinglifetoo.blogspot.com
http://summerinwoods.wordpress.com
Book: “Thanks, but This is Not for Us.”

Writing get-together: September 21st to September 24th:
3 hours of classes plus 3 hours of going over your writing.
At her workshops, can ask her for what we’re interested in.


Announcements:

1) WW--Bill Johnson or Phil Messina? : 250 Names on WW distribution list. Using gmail. Won’t recognize all of the names on list. (Outlook can’t handle 250 names).
2) Bill Johnson – Electronic stuff got messed up. Last newsletter copies at table if you didn’t get one in the email.
a. Conference and latest newsletter.
3) June 4th – Last regular SOWW meeting – Alyssa Lukara.
4) July: JoJo Jensen – Pitching practive.
5) Summer in Woods (with Jessica Morrell) – June 24th to June 26th
6) WW Conference: August 5th through 7th


Start:

Scene Equals Change:


Key Events (Scenes) Backstory Locale Mood – Primary Emotions

Begin with a threatening change  knocks a character off-balance. (Don’t want happy characters – want nervous characters). Readers not supposed to be happy. Instead, want them involved caring about characters.

Start out with a scene as much as possible.

When you have conflict, you get readers involved. Want Characters to have huge conflicts and goals—very large stakes. (eg. football teams trying to win the Super Bowl).
Characters: Have to have convincing desires; large motivations.
Backstory: Have to have for readers to be able to experience the characters.
Reversal: (of fortune) – usually caused by antagonist Protagonist faces complete change of fortune. (Good  Bad)
(Example: Good kid who is ok in world  Event  ends up paralyzed: Complete change in emotion
Want to make this transition short. (Our new technology causes changes in structure.)


Modern media (YouTube, cable etc.)almost always deals in scenes. Readers in a new media. Kindles’ etc. Now need high drama for this new technology.
Deeply emotional stuff – need backstory in small pieces.

Scene Cuts: Changes in scenes (as in locales in a movie). Can use them a lot more now (Technology). Never have single characters in a single scene. Also, don’t have casual characters in scenes: Too static 
Put them in sequels instead.

Sensory Details: Want to use little things to alter mood. (especially smells).
Tension: Invisible – Always want an uneasy atmosphere.
Use details to create tension, even sexual tension.
Also, put weather in your story – weather really a big deal.
As opposed to:
Suspense – Waiting for something to happen.
Want to get on reader’s nerves.

Structure: Everyone has different structures: (like snowflakes, no two the same). People respond to structure. People like structure.
Exploit structure as much as possible.
She as a reader/teacher likes taking apart structure of stories into pieces.
Example: Charlie Houston – great writer; writes almost all action. All Scenes.

Recommends: Anna Quindlan: “Blessings”

Scenes:
1) Scenes have action, description and expository (info)
a. Main purpose Dramatic conflict.
2) To reveal an unstable character  Reader must empathize with character.
3) Always move plot forward.
4) Scene: single piece of action. (Scene basic unit of fiction)
a. More than one scene per chapter okay, but (use same setting?)
5) Can move backwards in scene but not forwards (???)
6) Interrupt scenes:
a. With sensual or visual.
7) Scenes can be any length.

Scene:
Scene equals experience and change. Not info, as in telling a story. Develops emotions. Things you need to know where you’re going as an author.

Most emotional: Dialog.
1) Separates best from others.
2) Dialog expresses subtext.
3) Use of dialog tags important.
a. Mix with actions, gestures and mannerisms
4) Sometimes comments reveal characters
5)

Don’t mix character thoughts in scenes. Save for sequels.
Sequels: Smaller goals: Make reader and character worry.

Emotional Reversal:
1) Makes character reverse emotions.
2) Someone always opposes character’s goals. --> creates tension and suspense.
3) Themes
a. Have dramatic significance, but themes not shouted out.
i. Connect pieces together: not just what happened (???)
4) What do we learn about characters? What emotions do they make reader experience?
5) Causality  How one thing leads to another.

She likes to look at proportions in writing.


Scenes: characters colliding. Have scenes multi-task: with settings, plot, characaterization, etc. (If scene only covers 1 it’s not rich enough).

Characters: Actions plus decisions. Mostly choose wrong ways (especially with moral issues).
Foreshadowing: Hinting at how characters handle moral issues.

Summaries: Condense the info and go through fast. Use for transitions, updating characters and reader, and make less importan plot obstacle

Story Structure:
Elements: Summary, Exposition, Scenes, Dialog, Senses, Scenes
All starts with inciting incident  Want it emotionally charged (eg. Wizard of Oz – lady snatches Toto).
Every scene needs a hook.
POV character – wants something (in scene).
Middle of scene:
Need conflict and incompatible goals.
Protagonist and antagonist: Need opposing agendas.
Often about power exchanges.
Genre Fiction – look at for structure. (Examples: James Lee Burke, Janet Evanovich).
End Scene:
Resolution while creating new conflicts and new questions.
Have to have one disaster after another. Good to end scenes with disasters or surprises.
Reader POV – heading towards something and then have it blow up. (eg. tornado in
Wizard of Oz)
Mid-point reversal (Wizard tells Dorothy to bring him broom of witch)
Need poignant endings (Work hard on this).
Need a lot of words for ending?
Let reader see the blood and gore.

Scenes:
Use setting: can set up with new locale  adds emphasis.
Be careful of too much setup.
Action: Go in and out.
Sense of time: running clock good.
Made up of beats: (bits in scenes) – smaller pieces that add to whole. Can have lots of beats.
Record of change. How emotions will change because of what happens around them.
1) Emotional Changes
2) Plot Changes
Don’t always have to have a reversal of mood:
Can have smaller goals.


Towards middle and end of story: Need Pressure in scenes. Scenes need to get shorter.
First and last chapters have the most setup.


Half-scenes: Like a mini-scene. Like a pause: snippets.
Want reader to see little things.
Part exposition. Part scene.

Sequels:
Slow down story so character can react to last scene.
Genres: Mysteries, Westerns: Don’t use a lot of sequels.
Mainstream: Uses more sequels.
Deeper characters: Sequels linked to character’s core features.
Don’t want too many sequels.
If story is improbable, may want more sequels for the characterization.
Sequels can make the story more believable – give reason for actions to happen.
Emotional Quandary, Decision  Leading to action.
From characters heart to character’s mind.
eg. Rage, worry and sadness  Figure out what to do – Next scene.

Scene: Unit of conflict.
Sequel: Transition that links the scenes.

In all scenes:
Key to plots: Get readers very involved.
Start: Character in big trouble  Physical Obstacles. Showdowns. Fights. Violence. Sex.
Love scenes: Have to show how characters change from it.
Revenge: Act out if you can.
Plot points, revesals, Turning Points
Think about what you want reader to feel.
Use Beats: (mini-moments) – Otherwise characters just stand around.

Question:
1) Memoirs: Lots of self-reflection:
a. Good ones have lots of subtext.
b. Compare with other memoirs.
c. Technique – Highlight with lots of colors:
i. (Eg. Green (go, fa st), Yellow slower, Red Slow
d. Want least amount of reporting
i. Living in the past
e. Revelations key in memoirs.
i. Use scenes rather than sequels for this.
f. Don’t want too much dialog.
g. Fictionalize Reality
i. Remember the best you can.
h. The story is more important than the real events.
i. True story  Fiction  Use extremes.

Inner thoughts: Use sparingly. Instead, one thing you can do instead is to imply with dialog.
Dialog – Want especially spicy.


Beats can also be back and forth.  One emotion per beat.
Often cumulative (cowardly lion in Wizard of Oz).


Aside: Romances: Start with woman having something missing: character develops and resolves

Aside: Different colors communicate different moods.

Aside: Memoirs often need more drama (as fiction).