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.
Course Overview
Scenes that captivate readers and draw them into the world of a story are built through rich detail and intentional action. In this course, you will craft vivid, dynamic scenes using sensory detail and purposeful movement. By practicing description, metaphor, and action sequences, you'll create immersive experiences that drive your stories forward. Techniques for balancing showing and telling, maintaining clarity in action scenes, and weaving imagery into the narrative will further enhance your storytelling skills.
The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:
- Developing the Story and Idea
- World-Building and Character Development
- Building Blocks of Scene and Structure
Key Course Takeaways
- Craft powerful sensory descriptions that evoke specific emotional responses
- Write clear, compelling action sequences that reveal character and advance plot
- Deploy metaphors and imagery that enhance rather than overwhelm the narrative
- Create dynamic scenes that balance description and momentum
- Integrate imagery and action to serve larger story goals
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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