You can’t tell a great story without great scenes, but this basic unit of storytelling often gets glossed over. What clever tricks can you use to juice your scenes with more impact and emotion? In the first half, Matt will work through his Scene Work checklist, then in the second half, he’ll move on to Theme. What’s the difference between theme and moral? How can you use ironic dilemmas to magnify the meaning of your story? Matt will bring lots of examples and some new videos.
Matt will accept manuscripts for critique. Please see manuscript guidelines for details.
Matthew Bird has an MFA from Columbia University, but a lot of the advice he hands out now is the opposite of what he was taught there. He is the author of the bestselling writing guide “The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers”, published in 2016 by Writer’s Digest Press. He lives in Evanston, Illinois with his wife and two adorable children. Matt can be reached on his website: www.secretsofstory.com
9-9:30 Socializing
9:30-12 Program
