How Taylor Jenkins Reid Crafts an Exceptional Opening Scene

Your Next Draft

Your reader experiences your story one scene at a time. Make every scene un-put-down-able.
Great stories are made of great scenes.
Sure, your novel has a clever plot with twists and turns from the first page to the last. But the way your readers will experience that plot is . . .
. . . one scene at a time.
Which means if you want your readers to fall in love with your novel, you need to captivate them with scenes they can’t put down.
How do you do it?
I’ll show you in this episode. I’m analyzing a scene from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to show you how and why it works—
—and how you can create the same magic with your own scenes.
You’ll learn:

• The timeless structure behind this modern scene
• How every single detail in the scene enhances that structure
• What Taylor Jenkins Reid shares through exposition—and what she leaves out
• How to draw inspiration from this scene to craft an exceptional scene of your own
• And more!

This episode is a sneak peek inside my upcoming Scene Mastery Workshop. In fact, this is the first scene we’ll study in the workshop. Then, we’ll dig into seven more scenes from other great novels.
So if you enjoy this episode, you’ll love the workshop.
Want to master editing scenes this summer? Click here to get all the details and apply »
Links mentioned in the episode:

• Apply to join the Scene Mastery Workshop: alicesudlow.com/workshop
• Ep. 27: Value Shifts: How to Craft Compelling Change in Every Story
• Ep. 42: The 6 Essential Elements of Every Novel, Act, and Scene

Send me a Text Message!

Support the Show.

Want more editing tips and resources? Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

And if you're enjoying the podcast, would you mind leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts? That helps more writers find these editing resources. And it helps me know what's helpful to you so I can create more episodes you'll love!
Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »