The Scene Book

A treasure-trove of scene-writing wisdom from award-winning author and teacher Sandra Scofield

To write a good scene, you have to know the following:
• Every scene has an EVENT
• Every scene has a FUNCTION in the narrative
• Every scene has a STRUCTURE: a beginning, middle, and end
• Every scene has a PULSE

The Scene Book is a fundamental guide to crafting more effective scenes in fiction. In clear, simple language, Sandra Scofield shows both the beginner and the seasoned writer how to build better scenes, the underpinning of any good narrative.

Sandra Scofield is the author of seven novels, including Beyond Deserving, a finalist for the National Book Award, and A Chance to See Egypt, winner of a Jesse H. Jones Award for Fiction. Scofield has also written The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer, as well as two memoirs, Occasions of Sin and Mysteries of Love and Grief, an excerpt of which won first place in Narrative’s 2014 Spring Story Contest. She is on the faculty of the Solstice MFA Program in Creative Writing at Pine Manor College. She divides her time between Missoula, Montana, and Portland, Oregon.