- Basic scene structure (for outlines)
- How to open a scene
- What do add to the middle of a scene
- How to end a scene
- Choosing the right scene length
- Sources
- Goal: your protagonist's goal going into the scene
- Conflict: what gets in the way of the protagonist reaching the goal
- Disaster: what goes wrong when they're trying to navigate the conflict and how does it rise the stakes
- Realization: what they think they must do to get to their goal based on the defeat
- Dilemma: the protagonist considering whether they will do it
- Decision: the protagonists new decision about how to obtain their goal
The photo above, a reendition fo the concept presented in Lisa Chron's "Story Genious," depitch a scene template that divides plot and inner conflicts into two parts of a scene. Plot is the outer happenings while the inner conflict is how it emotionally and intelectually impacts the character and their decitions\actions.
Additional to this structure, you should be able to answer this about your scene:
- Who's the protagonist and what's their scene goal? Why is this their goal? Why does it matter?
- Who's the antagonist and how are they directly or indirectly causing trouble for the protagonist?
- What POV are you writing your story from?
- What's the setting (room, landscape, weather, etc.)? How does it impact the plot and\or character?
- What new plot information is revealed in this scene? It can be a meeting, discussions, something discovered, a realization.
- Suspense - What conflict\suspense\drama is testing and exploring the characters personality in this scene?
- How is your dialogue deepening emotions or creating tension among different characters?
- How long should the scene be to best convey the mood and tone in it?
- Use all five senses to pull the reader into the moment.
- Use literary devices like metaphors and similes to explore themes, emotions and subtext.
- Open with the setting
- Open with character
- Open with on-going action
- Open with narrative summary
- specific, visual details about the place
- metaphors and\or similes that reflects the tone of the scene
- an experience of the surroundings that reflects the narrating characters interior experience of the place
- show how the immediate setting impacts the protagonist
- Tip: Describe their surroundings through action to move the story
- trap your character in a conflict that will lead to a consequence that will drive your plot
- trap your character in a sub-plot related to the main plot that they have to solve before they're able to go back to the main plot. They will experience consequences in the sub-plot that also impacts the main plot.
- withhold important information, objects, locations, emotions to increase the sympathy for the character and increase the readers interest in the characters
Each scene should include at least one of these:
- Plot information that's not shared
- Endanger the character in some way to show how they react (their reaction reveal their true selves)
- An unexpected revelation
- A character gets a new chance
- Establish a frame of safety and security about who the character is
The ending - mood, phasing and plot
The ending of a scene serves many purposes. It should (i) conclude some of what's been going on in the scene, (ii) give the reader enough time to digest what they've read, and (iii) prepare for the upcoming scene.
Zoom-in
If you end your scene by zooming in on the closeness between characters, it can heighten intimacy and emotional connection, or create a moment of realization for the protagonist.
Summarize
Inner monologue or swift dialogue that shows the characters reaction to what just happened will establish where the character stands physically and emotionally by the end of the scene. If you have a complex plot or a sized character cast, it will help the reader keep everything well-sorted. Summarizing can show the characters change across several scenes.
Dialogue
End the scene with a dialogue that reveals new information. This will create a surprise and add intensity to your story.
Cliffhangers
By ending your chapters on a cliffhanger, the reader must turn the page to know what will happen to the character. A cliffhanger laves the character stuck in a difficult situation with no clear clues about if they're getting out injured or not. Cliffhangers creates suspense, but it's important to not use it by the end of every scene. You need to slow down and give the reader a break as well.
Zoom-out
Visual descriptions linking the character to the here and now. Use all the senses to pull the reader into the time and place. Zoom-out sequences can be good after action scenes or as a break between two action scenes.
Philosophical musings
Reflect upon scenes with a philosophical lens that explores the themes in the book. You can do this by adding a description that reflects or attempts to give the answer to a question in the book. For example, a character walks across the beach, looking out on the horizon as the sun sets. They're unsure about whether taking the travel or opportunity offered to them is the right choice. Use comparison, similes and metaphors to establish tone.
Concluding
The scene concludes with something that has happened, and cannot be taken back. For example, a plot point or a death. For example, "It was true. James was dead."
Scene length
Long scenes
The
purpose of long scenes are to (i) slow down the phasing after a
fast-phased scene of action or dialogue. This gives the character and
the reader enough time to digest what happened, and to rebuild the
suspense. Uses a lot of dialogue and new actions.
Short scenes
Short scenes are effective at creating differences between characters, increase the phasing after a slow scene, and shares bite after bite of information that helps establish urgency. This will keep your reader invested. There can be several short scenes within a chapter.
Sources
Make A Scene (2007) by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Description & Setting (2005) by Ron Rozelle
Story Genius (2016) by Lisa Cron
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