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Today’s episode brings the study of scene to a conclusion with a third scene, this one from Danzy Senna’s non-fiction Where Did You Sleep Last Night? A Personal History. Angie and Elizabeth look at the work an opening scene does in establishing vital information–here, establishing a relationship dynamic, a core theme, and stakes. With deft details and action, Senna creates a strong cinematic scene while also allowing for a narrator grappling with the meaning and interpretation of a scene from the past, one of the strengths of narrative prose on the page. The discussion also covers action as dialog, the interweaving of researched history with personal history, and the power of ambiguity. The episode kids off with a look at the trials, tribulations, and pleasures of reviewing morning pages, and of completion-centric project planning, as well as learning, revision, and imperfection in writing and math.
Links in this episode:
Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser
Cal Newport completion-centric and Einstein theory
The Einstein Principle: Accomplish More By Doing Less
The Art of the Finish: How to Go From Busy to Accomplished
Story Makers Show scene episodes:
Scene It All: What Makes Scene Work?
The Final Scene: Elizabeth Strout
Denzy Senna Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Danzy Senna New People
Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival–everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.
The hosts:
Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.
Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.