Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

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I'm in the process of revising my YA manuscript Powerless before sending it to a book coach, and there's one scene I just haven't been able to crack. So I decided it was time to go back to my writing basics, and take some advice from some of the craft books I've used over the years to fix it.

After looking at the magical cookies method, Story Genius's scene cards, The Anatomy of Story, The Story Grid and Story Engineering, I THINK I've gotten somewhere, but the book coach will be the judge of that!

QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENTS:
- What do you do when you have a scene that just isn't working? Have you found a method that works?

TIME STAMPS:
01:20 A beginner's guide to Powerless
02:35 The scene that isn't working
04:57 Magical cookies
08:10 Story Genius's scene cards
11:52 The Anatomy of Story
14:06 The Story Grid
17:44 Trying to apply Story Grid after drafting the scene
27:49 Incremental vs. transformative changes
31:40 Story Engineering

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:
- Story Genius by Lisa Cron amazon.com/Story-Genius-Science-Outlining-Riveting/dp/1607748894
- The Anatomy of Story by John Truby amzn.to/32wWLaP
- Story Grid by Shawn Coyne amzn.to/32vuuRR
- Story Engineering by Larry Brooks amzn.to/2nrnx2L
- @abbie emmons' scene cards video: youtube.com/watch?v=JCmvNvUjqvg
- @susan dennard's magical cookies blog post: susandennard.com/2013/10/21/how-i-plan-a-book-part-4-coaxing-out-the-magical-cookies

FIND ME ONLINE:
Instagram: instagram.com/jp.writes
Website: jpwrites.co
Nanowrimo: nanowrimo.org/participants/jpwrites

#writing #writingvlog #scenecards