Aoise Stratford is a dramaturg, playwright, and lecturer at Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts, as well as director of education at The Cherry Arts, a not-for-profit arts facilitator and presenting organization. Her plays have won several awards and been produced around the world, including at National Theatre London, Solo Chicago, and the New York City Fringe. Locally, Ms. Stratford has co-authored two walking headphone plays for The Cherry and adapted “A Christmas Carol” for The Hangar Theater. Her work on The Cherry’s season seeks to provide meaningful production context for audiences and to spark, foster, and facilitate community conversations — as well as inspire action — about displacement, dispossession, migration, and oppression. Ms. Stratford holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Dramatic Literature from Cornell and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco.
Building Blocks of Scene and StructureCornell Course
Building Blocks of Scene and Structure ()
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Course Overview
Mastering the flow of story progression and dramatic tension allows writers to keep readers engaged from beginning to end. In this course, you will craft compelling narratives by honing the essential mechanics of plot development and character transformation. You'll examine conflict types, story beats, and plot structures, and you'll practice techniques for guiding characters through meaningful change. These principles will be applied across multiple forms, from traditional narrative to poetry, creating dynamic scenes that drive stories forward.
The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:
- Developing the Story and Idea
- World-Building and Character Development
Key Course Takeaways
- Generate powerful story conflicts using the three Cs framework (character, connection, and context)
- Construct effective scene beats using the three Ds method (discovery, decision, and doing)
- Design character arcs that demonstrate meaningful emotional and psychological transformation
- Build dynamic plot structures that sustain tension from beginning to end
- Develop techniques for transitioning seamlessly between different emotional and narrative states
How It Works
Course Length
2 weeks
Effort
6 to 8 hours of study per week
Format
100% online, instructor-led
Course Author
Aoise Stratford
Senior Lecturer
Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences
Senior Lecturer, Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences
Who Should Enroll
- Aspiring writers (fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, memoirs)
- Journalists
- Content writers
- Actors
- Teachers
- Publishing and editing professionals
- Individuals looking to adapt or develop stories to a new medium
- Anyone with an interest in narrative storytelling
Get It Done
100% Online
100% Online
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