Storytelling by Ellen

Have you ever stopped to think about story . . . and not what it means in literary terms like character, setting, theme, plot, climax and so forth?

We humans are wired for story. Kids, adults, it doesn’t matter, we all enjoy stories. As writers and illustrators, we know that creating stories and pictures is hard work. Our words and pictures must capture the reader. In this way, they will continue turning the pages.

Our job is to take life’s emotions, fear, worry, bravery, love, gut wrenching experiences and lesson learned, (not to mention building an imaginary place for our characters to deal with whatever we throw their way) and create a . . . story.            

A Book Review on Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

by Ellen

Last month while exploring my local bookstore, I found and purchased a book by Jordan E. Rosenfeld, Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time. Once home, I settled in with interest to read and investigate my new book  . . . hours later, I was still reading, and I asked myself, how had I not discovered this book before? 

As a writer, stories come to me in scenes . . . like snapshots in a photo album. Each page of the album is a chapter, and the individual photos are the scenes. I envision a still life, and then as a film director would, call action! My scene, setting and characters, come to life . . . however, sometimes not the way I would like! 

      

So when I found Make a Scene I was thrilled. Everything a writer needs to know about constructing a powerful, well-thought out scene, with character, setting, dramatic tension, dialogue . . . can be found within the 270 pages of this book.

I’ll share a bit with you today about what’s inside Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time.  

First, the book is divided into four parts, which makes it easy to navigate.

 Part I Architecture of a Scene: part I explains the functions of a scene. Rosenfeld notes that a scene should have “characters that are complex and layered, and who undergo change throughout your narrative, conflict and drama that tests them and ultimately reveals their personalities. Your scene should have meaningful and revealing dialogue. It should have a rich physical setting that calls on the senses and allows the reader to enter the world you created. A scene should also have a sparse amount of narrative summary or exposition.” 

Part II The Core Element and the Scene: part II examines setting, the senses, character development and plot. Rosenfeld states that “plot and character are married to one another. In every scene you should ask: What is plot relevant? What is character-relevant? How are the two related? Your plot should be unable to carry on without your protagonist.” And most importantly . . .  “Ask yourself what does my protagonist want, need, and intend to do?”

Part III Scene Types: there’s a lot of information in this section, but since I’m sure we can all agree on the importance of the first scene of any story, this is what Rosenfeld has to say: “the first scene in your narrative bears the greatest burden of all. It must do the following: hatch your plot, introduce your protagonist and provide a brief glance into his inner struggles, establish a rich setting, set up a feeling of dramatic tension and hint at complications and conflict to come. Your opening scene belongs to your main character.”

Part IV Other Scene Considerations: In the last chapter of her book, Rosenfeld explains scene assessment and revision, something every writer has experienced. She suggests once you have a finished draft, or a tough scene, step back. Put your work away for a couple of weeks and then get reacquainted, scene by scene. The last chapter also has a lengthy check-off list you can refer to. Here’s some of what Rosenfeld lists: do your scenes “fulfill the goals of setting and the senses, have well-developed characters, and contain enough tension to keep the reader’s interest? Engage the senses to create a sense of realism and authenticity? Use voice, dialogue, and behavior, rather than narrative summary, to reveal character? In plot, does each scene introduce at least one new piece of information in regards to who, what, where, when, how, or why? Does the plot create a tense atmosphere through setting and senses?”

I highly recommend owning a copy of Jordan E. Rosenfeld’s Make a Scene Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time.  I’ve barely touched upon the vast amount of information the book offers on developing strong and powerful scenes. It’s well worth reading.

And so on an ending note, I’d love to hear from you! What books on the craft of writing can you suggest I add to my library?      

Rosenfeld, Jordan E. Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time. Cincinnati, Ohio. Writer’s Digest Books, 2008.  

When Synopsis Comes to Visit

by Ellen

When Synopsis comes to call, I bite my nails in angst. If Query is in tow, I bolt the door and hide.

But not for long . . .

I reluctantly invite Synopsis to come for a visit. Even though I dread it, I know Synopsis needs to come. I tell myself that if it weren’t for Synopsis, I’d never know the bare bones of what I’ve created. Does my plot work? Is the conflict solved? Is the progression of my protagonist, antagonist, and other characters satisfactory throughout the story?

When Synopsis pays a visit, I’m taken down into the basement of my novel. It’s like putting a vacuum cleaner hose to a Space Bag . . . all that fluffy stuff is sucked out. What’s important is all that’s left. My questions are answered.

Below are a few important points according to Synopsis . . .   

THINGS to DO . . .   

     Write in an active voice, not passive.

     Summarize your novel from beginning to END. Tell the entire story.         

     Plot points, include exciting twists!

     Give a clear idea of your book’s central conflict.

     Focus on the main character, their emotions and struggles.

     Make sure the sentences in your synopsis “flow” from one idea to the next.

THINGS NOT to do . . .

     Stay away from adverbs, adjectives and too many transitions. Focus on essential details.

     Don’t mention every character, only the important ones.

     Forget about all those subplots. You don’t need them.

     No dialogue.

     Don’t write a synopsis as if it were an instructional manual for assembling a BBQ grill. 

   

  So . . .  how do we arrive at a finished synopsis? Here are a few helpful strategies.

     Outline-outlining is a helpful process. Some authors outline their novel first, and from this information, draft a synopsis. The synopsis becomes a roadmap to guide them along in the writing process.

     Storyboard-storyboarding can be used by both illustrators and authors. As a teacher, to help my students understand plot progression, we did the following.  Divide a piece of drawing paper, any size you like, into boxes. In each box, in sequence, jot a sentence about the plot and sketch a picture. In this way, you can visually see how things are working. Some authors do the same with note cards.

     Characterization-as you write your novel, chart you character’s personality traits. Make sure their actions fit their personalities.  

     Clustering- clustering is grouping your story by creating a free-flowing chart. Groupings might include plot, character, scene, chapters . . . anything you want. If you use clustering for plot, subplots are revealed, which aren’t necessarily needed when writing a synopsis.

     Your novel is finished. Now what?

     Revisions are done. You’ve sent a query letter out to an agent and they’ve requested the first few chapters and a two page, double-spaced synopsis. Your novel is 300 pages. Here’s where the vacuum cleaner hose to the Space Bag comes in. Shrink a novel down to two pages? It’s not easy. Below are some things you can do.

     First-if you are a writer that has outlined your work, or kept note cards, review them. Shrink things down to what’s important. Your synopsis is a miniature version of your work.   

     Second- focus on your pitch. Be sure you can express your book in a sentence. The pitch can be used as the first sentence of your synopsis, if you like.  

     Third- my favorite strategy takes time, but I find it the most helpful. I print out my finished novel and then, ignoring chapters, type out the major scenes in the order they occur. This helps me with plot points and my characters. If things aren’t working, I revise. From the scenes I’ve typed, I write a quick summary of the book. Finally, I par the summary down, down, and down until it becomes the synopsis.

     Fourth- polish your work. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. If you are in a critique group, share your synopsis. If not, share it with a friend. It’s always better for someone with a fresh view to take a look.  Also, since there is no set way to write a synopsis, be sure and check the agent or editor’s guidelines.

     Fifth- hit send!!  Good Luck!!

Here are some resources I’ve found helpful:

Marshall, Evan. “Producing a Knockout Novel Synopsis.”The Complete Handbook of Novel

     Writing. Writer’s Digest. 2010: 370-375.

How to Write a Synopsis of Your Novel. http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/how-to-write-a-synopsis.html#

The synopsis: what it is, what it isn’t, how to write it. http://www.caroclarke.com/synopsis.html

Vilardi, Debbie. “Navigating the Synopsis Maze.” SCBWI Bulletin. Jan-Feb 2013: 19

 SO . . . I would love to know what works best for you when Synopsis comes to visit! Please share!