Fiction Writing Made Easy

Bonus: How To Write Scenes Like Rowling (An Interview With Savannah Gilbo & Abigail K. Perry)

Jul 25, 2024

Join Savannah Gilbo and Abigail K. Perry as they discuss studying Harry Potter with Tim Grahl. They delve into J.K. Rowling's scene layering and stake-raising techniques, exploring crafting scenes in books, scene stakes evolution, and analyzing Diagon Alley scenes with valuable insights on character development and plot progression.

29:08

Episode guests

Abigail K. Perry

Savannah Gilbo

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

J.K. Rowling excels at layering scenes and increasing stakes gradually to engage readers.

Analyzing scenes from different perspectives and ensuring every element serves a purpose are vital for effective storytelling.

Deep dives

Analyzing Key Scenes in Harry Potter

The podcast discusses the importance of analyzing key scenes in storytelling, emphasizing understanding if scenes work, and how to revise or cut scenes effectively. The conversation includes strategies to view scenes from the reader's, character's, and author's perspectives, highlighting how these perspectives influence effective storytelling.

Purpose Drives Narrative

01:16

Every Detail Must Serve the Story

01:36

Intro

3min

Crafting Meaningful Scenes and Tight Plotting in Storytelling

14min

Exploring Scene Stakes and Evolution in Writing

2min

Analyzing Scene Writing in Diagon Alley

5min

Analyzing Value Shifts in Scenes and Pre-Order Bonuses for a Story Grid Analysis Guide

4min

J.K. Rowling is the master of layering things within her scenes. She’s also fantastic at raising the stakes from scene to scene, too. But how does she do it

Tune into this episode to hear Abigail K. Perry and I talk to Tim Grahl (the CEO of Story Grid) about what it was like to study Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—what we learned from J.K. Rowling about writing scenes and so much more.

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