Scene-Weaving Challenge!

The Challenge
1. Take the given elements and smoothly combine them in a scene (or part of a scene).

2. Paste your scene in the comments, then change one element for the next commenter. (e.g. “still locked in the cabin, but now it’s noon the next day,” or “setting changed to an island,” or “ship noises get louder.”)

3. The next commenter will continue the story.

The Elements

Characters: Eloise, age 90, spry great-grandma; Jake, age 17, gamer.

Setting: Cruise ship

Situation: Eloise is traveling to Australia to meet a friend. Jake has been forced by his parents to go on the cruise. They meet just after Jake’s mother has confiscated all his video games.

Backstory: Eloise is a former spy; Jake once dreamed he had turned into a giant bird, and woke to find feathers on his pillow. This worried him. (Eloise is not worried about having been a spy.)

Problem: Jake and Eloise have become locked in the fitness room. It is 2:00 in the morning. The ship begins making strange noises.

If you are tempted to continue weaving scenes, you should come to:

Scene Weaving
Thursdays beginning April 16

In this course, students will focus on the well-crafted scene: devastating dialogue, authentic action, vivid setting. All of this comes from an inner landscape deep in the mind of your character. Appropriate for all genres of narrative writing: fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction. Classes include in-class writing and critique.