How To Write A Scene For Any Novel

An Unapologetically Stupid Question... What Is A Scene?

A scene in a novel is usually the most basic unit of storytelling in which a specific moment of narrative unfolds, usually in a one, defined location and time, featuring a single or interrelated set of interactions or events. Each scene should have a clear identity and purpose—whether to develop the plot, reveal character, build tension and control pace. A scene may be less essential to the plot than a whole chapter but it should at least contribute to some development in the character’s emotions, understanding or place in the Quest.

Each scene should have a beginning, middle, and end, and should include a clear point of emotion, tension or conflict that might be delivered through action, dialogue or interior reflection. Scenes can be connected by exposition, and certainly can include it, or even be a device for ‘telling’ but a chunk of exposition is rarely in and of itself a scene. A scene should feel purposeful, engaging, and essential to the development of the plot, even if once the book is over, the reader no longer remembers it.

Structuring A Scene

Scenes can have a structure similar to that of a chapter, but on a smaller, more focused scale.

1. Establish the scene, with the reader either having some or no knowledge of what is about to happen. (Either is fine: a young woman suddenly and unexpectedly encounters a lost love, with whom she had a difficult break–up and to whom she has not spoken for several years, who the reader did not even know existed before; a spy is going through an office full of files knowing the secret document is in there somewhere but she has to get it in under five minutes, what is called a ticking clock.)

2. Introduce obstacles or challenges that the characters face. (Such as those just mentioned.)

3. Climax: Build up to a moment of peak emotion, tension or action or a reveal of information that affects the plot. (The ex–lover reveals that he has married someone they used to know; the spy finds the document just as someone opens the door.)

4. Conclusion: End on a resolution or a new question, pushing the story forward. (How would you end the two situations outlined above?)

You can use these four points to test scenes you propose for your novel.

Additional Considerations For Scenes

– Faster–paced genres like thrillers or quite elegant, traditional writing may benefit from chapters with few, focused scenes, while literary fiction or fantasy may have longer chapters with more scenes.

– Consider what each scene contributes to a chapter. How is it advancing the plot? You must always think of the purpose of the chapter and its constituent elements. How does the scene impact and help achieve that?

– Always consider the reader experience. Long chapters with many scenes, and indeed long scenes themselves, can be a deep pleasure and a sign of sophisticated writing, but they can also tire or confuse. Don’t let the reader drift. If in doubt, consider cutting long, multi–scene sequences into shorter chapters or editing down.

Questions To Help You Give Scenes Purpose

What does your protagonist want in the scene?

What does their antagonist want?

How does the antagonist block the protagonist?

How does the protagonist succeed or fail?

What does the protagonist feel?

What are the emotional stakes for them (and for the world)?

What change does it bring in them (and for the world)?

What are the obstacles? Are they robust enough?

What new information is revealed, how and why?

What effect does this have on the plot?

Who reveals the information?

How does it impact all the significant characters involved?

What moral or ethical point does the scene make?

What does the world look, sound, and smell like?

What is the tone and atmosphere you wish to achieve?

How much detail does it need?

How can you make the scene more tense/evocative/surprising/meaningful?

Go ahead and print this out/save this list to use in your writing - it can be tested to develop and strengthen any scene.

Developing Ideas For Scenes From Scratch

– Brainstorming helps you to generate scene ideas. Find a comfortable and distraction–free environment where you can focus on brainstorming. Allocate a specific amount of time, perhaps 20–30 minutes, for your brainstorming session. Research and use broad prompts, found in this book or online and relating them to your basic premise to trigger ideas. What are key events that must happen to advance the plot? What conflicts or challenges will characters face? Where and when should pivotal moments occur, and how? How do characters evolve or change at this stage of the story? What ideas for scenes in the list above do you like, and how can you adapt them to your novel? Just write. Write anything, without fear or trepidation or shame. At the end, see what you have. There will be good ideas there. These ideas can be refined further.

– Free Writing: Begin by writing freely about your basic idea. As above, allow your thoughts to flow without worrying about structure or coherence. You can order and refine them later.

– Create a mind map with your basic idea at the center. Write down all the plot points in the novel, taken from Classic Novel Structure: Opening Image/Hook, Inciting Incident, etc. Write some scene ideas to achieve each plot point. Branch out with related concepts, characters, settings, twist ideas, set–piece scenes you also want to include. Think up more scenes. To help you, think: ‘What kind of scene can help me express/achieve this point?’ Think also: ‘What kind of scene would I like to write (a battle, a stroll in the country, a sex scene, a robbery) and where would it fit in Classic Novel Structure and its plot points?’ Connect scene ideas that naturally link together. Draw out the links and see if you can generate other scene ideas from what you need to connect the parts. Again, do this freely. Don’t worry yet about whether it all works perfectly. Just get the ideas down.

– Consider scenes from different characters’ perspectives. How might each character experience and drive key events differently? Think about the emotional journey of your characters. Develop scenes that evoke specific emotions and promote growth.

– Build scenes around the list of questions earlier in the chapter.

– Use AI to generate ideas for scenes but be aware of the risk of using AI in developing novels.

AI And Brainstorming Ideas

You should not use AI (artificial intelligence) programs to write any part of your finished novel. Apart from affecting the quality of your prose, or alternatively producing prose requiring so much rewriting that it serves no purpose, the rules about using AI as part of your finished book are very clear on Amazon and other platforms: do not do it. However, you can certainly use AI to generate ideas, although you should be aware these will tend to be more formulaic than completely original thoughts. Nonetheless, it can be a great way to work up scenes, as well as generate plot structures, character ideas, twists, all sorts of literary effects and devices.

– Use AI to generate story prompts or develop and redevelop different scenarios.

– Input personality traits and dilemmas and let AI help you brainstorm character arcs and scenes.

– Ask AI to outline plot structures or solve plot holes.

–Use AI to find whether similar ideas to yours exist in other novels (not a problem!) or to suggest further reading.

This is an excerpt from How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Novel-Chapter-Outlining-ebook/dp/B0DJ8TMVWL?ref_=ast_author_mpb

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