There are two great resources for scenes:
Bickham, Jack M. Scene and Structure. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1999
A very structured approach to plotting that is interesting to read once, but not necessarily to practice because it is SO structured. However, he has a fascinating “Scenic Master Plot” in the appendix that helped me understand the flow of events across a novel, and what considerations you need to keep in mind. Great for getting a grasp on the Big Picture.
Scofield, Sandra. The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer. New York: Penguin, 2007.
Scofield grabbed me when she described a story is simply a “rosary of scenes.” This book is just fun to read. Great suggestions on exercises and self-study. Scofield says that you can make the most improvement in your stories if you just learn to write with scenes. While she includes mostly adult novels and short stories as example, she does recommend the Newbery Honor book by Gary D. Schmidt, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and the Newbery book by Karen Cushman, Catherine, Called Birdy.
Of the two, Bickham might actually have more information. But. I read Bickham and told people about this book for years, but I never really “got” it until I read Scofield. Maybe I wasn’t ready? I think, though, that Scofield just presents the material in a different way, one that makes me understand and put it into practice better. Now, I go back to Bickham and understand his material in a different way.
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I’ve read Bickham’s book which is a simpler version of Swain’s, “Techniques of the Selling Writer.” Swain’s book was too difficult for me to take it all in (gave me a brain cramp), but Bickham’s book was much easier to understand. Thanks for the recommendation of Scofield’s book.
Great blog.