Scene Writing: What Changes?

Novelists concentrate on writing scenes to tell a story, and rightly so. I list the Eleven Elements of a scene for new writers to help them write more complete experiences. Readers want a scene to be about a character or two, at a time and place. Readers want action and dialogue and lots of CSD (Concrete Sensory Detail). Yet so often a drafted scene feels static. What’s the remedy?
Writing Tip for Today: The most essential ingredient of a scene is CHANGE. Something must change. Why else would we read about it?

  • The change must be an integral part of the larger story, an occurrence which moves the story forward toward a goal.
  • The change can be internal or external, but it must have something to do with the story and/or character’s motivation.
  • Change or the promise of impending change provides tension and conflict.
  • In the first and second acts of a story, most changes are better off being reversals or misfortune. By keeping the reader hoping for a change for the better, the writer is able to manage the reader’s reactions.
  • If nothing much changes in a scene, either rewrite it with “what’s at stake?” in mind or jettison.

About Linda S. Clare

I'm an author, speaker, writing coach and mentor. I teach both fiction and nonfiction writing at Lane Community College and in the doctoral program as expert writing advisor for George Fox University. I love helping writers improve their craft and I'm both an avid reader and writer of stories about those with wounded hearts.

2 comments on “Scene Writing: What Changes?

  1. Writing ability is crucial to anybody success and your future success. There are many organizations which offer their services online at less amount of time by hiring the professional writers who specialized in creating and delivering assignments varied in nature and content free from plagiarism. A well written article is necessary to grow a website in leaf and bounds. Thanks for sharing this tips with us.

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