Make a Scene: Writing a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan Rosenfeld

The definitive guide to writing scenes–now revised and expanded! Scenes are the building blocks for any work of fiction–the DNA sequence that makes a novel un-put-downable and unforgettable. When writers are able to craft effective, engaging scenes, they can develop a complete, cohesive story–and a mesmerizing experience for readers. “Make a Scene Revised and Expanded Edition” takes you step-by-step through the elements of strong scene construction and demonstrates how the essential aspects of a compelling story–including character, plot and dramatic tension–function within the framework of individual scenes to give momentum to the whole narrative.

Writing Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story Through Action, Emotion, and Theme by Martha Alderson and Jordan Rosenfeld

Scenes sell stories. The strength of a novel’s, screenplay’s, or memoir’s scenes is often the key to its success. “Deep Scenes” will explore the intricacies and subtleties of scenes at every point in a story so writers can take their characters on a moment-by-moment journey of transformation, an element found in all best-selling stories.

Also available in eBook from hoopla.

Word Painting: The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan

Writing strong descriptions is an art form, one that you need to carefully develop and practice. The words you choose to describe your characters, scenes, settings, and ideas–in fiction, poetry and nonfiction–need to precisely illustrate the vision you want to convey. “Word Painting Revised Edition” shows you how to color your canvas with descriptions that captivate readers.

You’ll also find dozens of descriptive passages from master authors and poets–as well as more than one hundred exercises–to illuminate the process.

The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces by Angela Ackerman and Becca Publisi

Making readers care and feel like they’re part of the story should be the number one goal for all writers. Ironically, many storytellers fail to maximize one of fiction’s most powerful elements to achieve this: the setting. Not only can the right location become a conduit for emotion, it can also provide conflict, characterize the story’s cast, reveal significant backstory and trigger the reader’s own emotional memories through sensory details and deep point of view.

“The Urban Setting Thesaurus” helps you tailor each setting to your characters while creating a realistic, textured world readers will long to return to, even after the book closes.

A Writer’s Guide to Active Setting by Mary Buckham

Setting is one of the most underutilized and misunderstood elements of the writing craft. And when writers do focus on setting, they often pull readers out of the narrative and jolt their attention from the action on the page.

“A Writer’s Guide to Active Setting” will show you how to create vivid, detailed settings that bring your story to life. You’ll learn how to deepen character development, anchor readers to a specific time and place, reveal backstory without slowing things down, elevate action sequences and more.

Drawing upon examples from authors writing across a variety of genres, Mary Buckham will illustrate exactly how the proper use of setting can dramatically improve your story.

Also available in eBook from hoopla.