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Scenes are where memoir stops telling and starts revealing. They’re where readers feel the stakes, experience change alongside you, and stay emotionally tethered to the story you’re trying to tell. Yet many memoir drafts rely too heavily on summary, explanation, or reflection—flattening moments that should carry weight.

In this hands-on scene-writing clinic, we’ll focus on revising existing scenes, so they earn their place in your memoir by effectively and efficiently revealing the changes taking place in your narrator. We’ll look closely at how tension, sensory detail, and emotional truth operate on the page, and how to harness the central emotional beat of a scene so it propels your narrative forward.

Together, we’ll examine well-crafted scenes from published memoirs and break down what makes them work. You’ll learn how to sharpen scene openings and closings, clarify what’s changing within a moment, and avoid common pitfalls that leave readers confused, overwhelmed, or disengaged. Throughout the session, we’ll apply these concepts in real time using selected participant submissions (from students enrolled in the series), so you can see the revision process unfold on the page.

During this 90-minute class, you’ll:

• Learn the difference between scene, summary, and exposition
• Identify the essential elements every strong scene requires
• Explore how dialogue, action, and narration reveal change
• Discover how to focus each scene around its most important emotional moment
• Practice revising scenes for clarity, pacing, and momentum using real examples submitted by participants

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of not just the elements of great scene writing, but how to capitalize on them in your book.

This class is part of a year-long series

Anyone may attend this class without registering for the entire series; students will gain all benefits described for this specific session. For a more intensive experience, consider registering for the entire series in 2026.

Learn more about the 2026 series on revising your memoir

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Who this class is for

• Memoirists who’ve completed a first draft and are wondering what’s next
• Memoirists in the “messy middle” who are working to revise their books
• Memoirists who’ve received feedback that their story is too raw, incomplete, or includes a series of disjointed events
• Memoirists who’ve received agent or editor rejections and sense their story needs more work
• Memoirists struggling to identify their story’s narrative arc or how to execute it
• Writers working on a memoir-in-essays or essay collection
• Memoirists working on their book proposal

This class is not suited for:

• Writers of (non-memoir) narrative nonfiction
• Short story writers or novelists
• Children’s picture book writers
• Poets

What you’ll receive

How do I attend the live class?

This class uses Zoom webinar technology. You will join through your Internet-connected computer or mobile device. When you register, you will receive information via email on how to join the class. If you don’t receive it within 1 hour of registering, please contact us.

• When: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
• Time: 1:00–2:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Pacific Time
• Fee: $25 through June 21, 2026 / $35 if you register after June 21, 2026

The webinar is broadcasted via the internet with live audio delivered through your computer or mobile device speakers. The visual presentation is displayed directly from the presenter’s computer to your computer screen. The Q&A is managed through a chat-style submission system with questions read and answered by the presenter for the entire class to hear.

Closed captions are provided during the live class. We use Zoom’s automated closed caption service, which is about 80%+ accurate.

Refund policy

If you attend the live class and/or watch the recording, and it does not meet your expectations, contact us for a full refund, no questions asked.

Testimonials

Event Attendance & Anti-Harassment Policy

We strive to provide an environment where all present—whether attendee, presenter, or staff—can feel supported. In order to ensure a welcoming event, here is what we expect from all who participate.

• That the presenter and the presenter’s work be treated with respect by attendees and that all attendees treat each other with respect and a generosity of spirit.
• That attendees will refrain from harassment of any sort including (but not limited to) comments or questions of a racist, homophobic, sexist/sexual, or threatening nature. This includes actions that disrupt or interfere with anyone’s ability to participate. Offenders will be disconnected from the live event.