My January 9 webinar for The Writers Store on “What Makes a Great Scene” is now available online through their store, for $79.

Similar to the webinars I offered on “True Stories” and “Creating Series Ideas and Writing Spec Pilots“, it’s a Powerpoint/audio program with a few questions I answered at the end — from students who were there live.

Among other things, I shared what I’ve come to understand about how to create a compelling and entertaining story from the “macro” level of concept, genre and structure, down to the “micro” level of scene – that basic unit of storytelling of which all scripts are entirely composed – which determines the level and type of emotional impact the audience will experience.

What you’ll learn:

• How “outer problems” drive stories and scenes more than “inner journeys”
• How good scenes focus on strong desires which meet unexpected conflict
• What Jerry Maguire, Pretty Woman, and The Godfather have in common
• The importance of understanding “what the audience wants to happen”
• How every scene should “change the game” of the main story problem(s)
• Why it’s best to make your main character’s thoughts and plans clear
• How Save the Cat’s genres, beat sheet and scene-card process can help
• How to describe emotional states that put the reader inside your character
• Techniques for communicating information without being “expositional”
• What great subtext in dialogue looks like, and how it improves scenes