Heartbeats: Using a scene’s emotional rhythm to build momentum and captivate readers and agents

Additional Information

Or worse, your critique partner asks in that super-nice-writer way for you to share the point of the scene you worked tirelessly to create. Or, maybe you’ve been told a scene makes sense, but the story doesn’t pop. What if your gut knows a scene belongs but your reader doesn’t understand why? Often, the problem you’re facing is a missed or misunderstood emotional beat.

Emotional beats are the stepping-stones along what Dinty Moore calls the “magnetic river” of your story. Over the course of your book, they drive the plot forward and reveal character. Harness the power of your emotional rhythm and you’ll captivate your reader. Miss the beat, or fail to capitalize on these powerful moments, and readers are more likely to close your book.

During this sixty-minute webinar, you’ll learn how to find the emotional beats in your story and uncover what’s really happening in them. Then, we’ll examine specific techniques that make pivotal scenes so memorable in published memoirs and essays.

In this webinar, you will:

• LEARN how to identify the emotional beats within your scenes
• DISCOVER their role in your story
• DEVELOP techniques for capitalizing on these dramatic moments

There will be time for a Q & A at the end of the presentation.

This webinar is ideal for beginning writers who are learning how to write scenes; mid-stage writers who are looking to take good writing and make it great; and seasoned writers looking to tighten their project’s emotional arc before submitting work for publication.

All registrants receive a recording.

To request closed captioning, please email [email protected].