Making a Scene
Making a Scene is a memoir by Constance Wu, an actor in the TV show Fresh Off the Boat and the movie Crazy Rich Asians. Constance dives into snippets of her life discussing topics such as family dynamics, sexual harassment, dating, and Hollywood. The stories take place from when she was a child to her time acting in Los Angeles.
Favorite Quote:
“I’d spent so long dwelling on the hurt that I hadn’t been able to look beyond to see how it helped me.”
This quote stood out the most because it not only showed the intent of writing these passages, but also showcases a nonfiction writer’s drive for revisiting these stories. At first, you live through the effects and emotions Constance experiences within that moment. Then, at the end of every story, there is a new viewpoint of how there was growth and benefit to these experiences for the next steps in her life.
What did you like about the book?
Constance’s voice was rich throughout her essays. They were raw with her vocabulary as if you were speaking with her about what was happening through a conversation. She paints the scene well in many different parts to immerse the reader.
Additionally, some of the text included her own opinion of what to include in the book, showing unease and vulnerability with writing a book in the first place. This not only humanized the book further but made it something more than only stories.
What could be better?
Reordering the chapters would benefit the flow. When finishing a captivating chapter, there was a want to continue diving deeper into that timeline; however, what followed was an entirely different story and timeframe without any relatability to the previous one. This led to a loss of momentum that could have aided in easing the reader’s ability to continue without pausing.
Some stories also had too many details and included repetitive information from prior chapters. The chapters themselves were meant as standalone essays. With more edits of what had been stated previously, the final product would have been more cohesive.
What were some takeaways?
There were moments where Constance came out of the story and allowed her writing voice to come in showing some of the challenges of writing a memoir. These were small comments such as — this is my book so I will include this. The benefit to having this was that you could witness the journey of what it was like for Constance to write this book as if you two were looking down at the memory together.
Top 3 Lessons
Lesson 1: Stories have two sides to them
Throughout many of her stories, Constance provides her viewpoint and then has an analysis to see it from the lens of the other person. Displaying both not only gave more breadth to the other side but also allowed us to see more of the gray area of how the world is.
Lesson 2: Every action can be seen as selfless or selfish
“Sometimes it’s hard to know if an apology is meant for the receiver’s benefit or the apologizer’s selfish gratification.”
In one of the stories, Constance talks about writing a letter to apologize for her previous actions. Writing the apology in the first place was her coping mechanism for what had happened, which can be seen as selfish. On the other hand, the person who received it may also be holding a grudge against Constance making it plausible to aid in mending the bond, which can be seen as selfless. In both regards, the action itself is the trigger, and whatever happens afterward is up to the receiver to interpret.
Lesson 3: How to show vs tell
“Instead of dwelling on the emotions of an event, you recall the sensory parts— sound, touch, smell, taste, sight.”
Constance discusses theatre and acting in her childhood stories and brings up many points about how to paint the picture of a scene. Recalling back to our five senses and describing that out in writing was one of the main takeaways from this lesson.
Who would I recommend this book to?
I would recommend this book to anyone looking into acting, growing their voice, or learning more about the AAPI community. All of these topics were highlighted multiple times throughout the book.
Want to read the book?
Consider buying from the affiliate link below! This comes with no extra fee for you, and I will receive some of the profits.
