The Anatomy of a Scene with Lisa Cron

Lisa Cron

Create Scenes That Work Together to Build a Compelling Story

The Anatomy of a Scene
  • 7 video lessons
  • 1 hour and 31 minutes of class content
  • Streaming access on desktop and mobile browsers
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee

Although your novel is made up of individual scenes, in truth those scenes are not individual at all, but part of an escalating internal and external cause-and-effect trajectory. Each scene is made up of myriad layers, and performs multiple tasks: they move subplots forward, give the reader insight into the protagonist, develop secondary characters, ratchet up what’s at stake, foreshadow what’s to come, and trigger changes that will ripple throughout the novel.

Wow, that’s a lot! How do you keep track of it? And how do you get it onto the page so that all those layers merge to create what reads as a seamless whole? That’s exactly what we’ll unravel, giving you a clear, concise and concrete method of making sure that every scene you write not only serves the story you’re telling, but rivets the reader.

Never again will you face that frustrating struggle, wondering if the scene you’re contemplating is relevant or not. You’ll learn how to identify and create each layer in every scene, bringing your story to life and creating the irresistible sense of reality that hijacks the reader’s brain.

In this session you’ll learn:

  • What makes a scene work, and what every scene must do to be relevant and riveting.
  • Maddeningly common mistakes writers make when writing scenes and how to deftly avoid them.
  • How to keep track of every layer in your story – scene-by-scene—from beginning to end.
  • Why you should never write scenes out of order.
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Course Instructor

Lisa Cron

Lisa Cron

Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence and Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere), both published by Ten Speed Press.

See instructor's classes

  • Trish G. Jun 4, 2024

    Fantastic class. I learned more in under three hours than I have in untold books and workshops. Highly recommended. I would have really liked a downloadable scene card that I could print out to use though, but I can knock one out on excel to carry around and ask the questions and make notes on it while I think. Ms. Cron's class Wired For Story was also excellent. I highly recommend both. I wish I'd learned these things ages about, I might have been published already. All this time I thought it was me, that I just couldn't figure out how story worked and what I was doing wrong, why I always wrote myself into a corner - it was because everyone else teaching it doesn't seem to understand how story actually works either and pass on the misinformation. I find that terrifying for some reason.

  • Suresh V. Apr 9, 2024

    This course is essential. I started writing and did not know what a scene was. When does a scene start and when does it end? I asked this question in a writing class and people looked at me as if I was stupid. Turns out they don't know either. My understanding of how to tell a story has come along in leaps and bounds. Thank you Lisa.

  • Jym S. May 3, 2022

    Lisa Cron really has an excellent way of demonstrating the why of storytelling. Highly recommended

  • Kate T. Oct 14, 2021

    Lisa Cron's class and the book she wrote about writing -- "Story Genius" -- is the best fiction teaching I've ever experienced. This is a great, great class and Lisa is an inspired teacher. Thank you!

  • Emily B. Apr 11, 2020

    I love Lisa's book, Story Genius, and this course helped me to get a more solid handle on how the individual scenes are part of a greater whole that give them meaning. Great class!

  • Jennifer B. Dec 11, 2018

    I've read Lisa's books and used her Story Genius techniques for three novels. Still, sometimes I find myself struggling with some aspect of the scene card when it comes to implementation. This class on the Anatomy of a Scene really helps to clarify the scene card ideas with more explanation and detailed examples.

  • Jerusha B. Oct 22, 2018

    Great storytellers are not born - they are made. The story wizard Lisa Cron helped to peel back some of the mystery behind what makes a scene work and pinpoints pitfalls that make it fall flat on its face. The magic formula of epic badassery is ours for the taking. Lisa helps us get there. 10 out of 10 - will listen again.

  • Joni T. Oct 15, 2018

    Another master class from Lisa Cron!

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