Writing Great Fiction

(vip2019) #1

Lecture 20: Building Scenes



  1. Choose an undramatized moment from a story of your own or from a
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    In other words, take a moment from a story that is only alluded to or is
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    example, you might dramatize the moment that Hamlet is told that his
    father has died, a scene that doesn’t appear in Shakespeare’s play. Use as
    many words or pages as you need and turn that scene into a little story,
    with a beginning, middle, and end, making sure that the scene you write
    contributes to the larger narrative. This exercise will give you practice
    in making a scene self-contained, as well as making it an integral part of
    the larger story.


Writing Exercise
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