Contributed by Daniel Arenson
Every scene doesn’t need a monster, but even the more “literary” writers among you would do well to think about whether your scenes serve a narrative purpose.
How do we define a scene? The simplest, easiest definition would be “a chunk of writing that appears as a subunit within a story or chapter.” Such subunits are often separated by blank lines or five asterisks.
But is any such chunk of writing truly a “scene”? I often see writers (myself included, when I’m not careful) create “scenes” that are, in a sense, not scenes at all. Just because a bit of your story appears as an individual unit doesn’t necessarily make it a true “scene”—or at least not a very engaging scene.
I recently found myself writing a scene with the following format: The characters walked along a seashore, ate lunch, discussed their quest, and went to sleep. In the next scene, they woke up and continued their quest.
I realized that this scene was pointless. True, it provided some dialogue that enhanced characterization. True, it offered details about the setting and quest. But did it advance the plot? Hardly.
I rewrote the scene. Now, the characters never paused for the night. There was no description of them lying down to bed, falling asleep, then waking up in the morning. Instead, they walk along the seashore until they encounter a horrible obstacle—a monster from their past who attacks them. The scene ends with a cliffhanger, leaving the reader uncertain about the heroes’ fate.
The scene now advances the story. It introduces a new obstacle in the plot and hopefully leaves the reader wanting more. It moves quickly and avoids unnecessary details.
I like to think of each scene as serving a purpose. In my example, the scene introduced the monster. Other scenes might introduce other conflicts or new characters, resolve previous conflicts, etc. As an exercise, I sometimes try to describe the scene’s purpose in a single sentence. “This is the scene that introduces the princess and lets the hero fall in love with her.”
If I find a scene which does not advance the plot, I consider rewriting it or omitting it all together. Sometimes I’ll find a scene whose sole purpose is to introduce data (”infodump”) about the characters or setting. These scenes do not advance the storyline, so I like to rewrite or omit them. I want each scene to contain drama and emotion, possibly ending with a cliffhanger to keep the reader turning the pages.
What do you think? How do you construct effective scenes?
If you’d like to read more of my writing tips, you can find them at my website, http://www.DanielArenson.com
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Daniel Arenson is the author of the fantasy novel FIREFLY ISLAND, published by Thomson Gale. To read FREE stories, writing tips, and more, visit http://www.DanielArenson.com.
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July 14th, 2007 at 10:46 am
This tip brought a few ideas to mind. I think of a scene as location and time. In your description of “The characters walked along a seashore, ate lunch, discussed their quest, and went to sleep. In the next scene, they woke up and continued their quest.”, there could be four-six or more scenes here depending upon where they ate lunch, when they discussed their quest and when and where they went to sleep (obviously when they wake up is another scene, but when they left could also be another. For me, a description of the events without going into the story and getting into dialogue or specific time-constrained actions does not constitute a scene. It’s narrative. I come from a screenwriting background where each scene is described designated with a slug line: INT. SOMEWHERE - TIME and narrative is written into the action or covered in voice over dialogue. This makes it easier to analyze these elements, but in prose it’s basically the same idea–I think.
Just some thoughts. Thanks for yours.
July 14th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
It is interesting when thinking in terms of “scenes” to compare prose to screenwriting. You make good points, Dennis, but I would add that fiction can be more fluid in jumping in time or space than film can. Even in films, I’ve seen conversations between two characters that continue over a series of cuts that take us later in the day, to a different location, etc. These might, in the script, have separate slug lines, but don’t they really make up one scene?
My feeling is that it’s okay for different writers to have different definitions of “scene.” It’s sort of an artificial construction in fiction, really, but one that can be helpful. Making sure every scene has a purpose, however you define it, is just another way of making every word count.
July 16th, 2007 at 10:58 am
I see your point, Lisa. The construction is probably artificial in written fiction. I am advantaged in some ways and burdened in others with a screenwriting and filmmaking background. I still don’t see characters walking along a seashore, eating lunch, discussing their quest, and going to sleep, as a “scene”.
Using my fiction screenwriting knowledge I’ll say that conversations between two characters that continue over a series of cuts that take us later in the day, or to a different location, etc. ARE different scenes in a script or a movie. Yes they have separate slug lines, but they are different scenes in that although the location has remained the same, the time has changed and a gap in time allows for a subtext that wouldn’t be there without it. So a writer has to consider what that subtextual information is or what it implies. That makes the scenes link in a way they wouldn’t without the cuts. All editing choices are made with this in mind, so in film, the scene designations are perhaps less artificial. Beyond certain fairly rigid rules, example: no conflict / no drama, what we’re talking about are ways to see into the creative process and what makes sense for me may not be as helpful for you. That’s how I see it. I’ve adhered to “rules†that actually got in my way when I looked back on them.