Fiction Writing
Why Does Fiction Need Scenes?
Scenes, Part 1 of 4: Reader engagement = page turns
Whether you’ve written the story in a flurry of a first draft, or you’re still planning the story you want to write, the quickest way to take your writing to the next level is to focus on developing scenes.
“But I have scenes already,” you reply.
You might, but it’s also likely that they aren’t doing as much for the story as they could.
Scenes are much, much more than locations where something in the story happens.
And until you have a fully developed all of the elements critical to a fictional “scene,” the story is missing out on crucial reader engagement. The reader won’t feel the scene, and if enough critical elements are missing, the readermight even be confused about what is happening in the story and give up.
This is the first in a four-part article series on building strong scenes. Scenes go far deeper than most new writers realize, so let’s start with the basics, the elements of a scene.
Elements of a scene
The following elements are critical to a scene:
· Where are we?
· What time/day is it?
· What does the protagonist want? / What is the protagonist trying to do?
· Who is in the room with the protagonist and what are they doing?
· What details about the setting can evoke the place in the reader’s imagination?
· How does the protagonist work toward getting what they want or accomplishing what they set out to do?
· In real time, show conversations through dialogue as well as their behavior toward each other through action beats.
· Does the protagonist get what they wanted in the beginning of the scene or was the plan thwarted?
Let’s look at each of these elements in detail.
Where are we?
Let the reader know as soon as possible where we are.
The reader needs this at two levels: 1) Where does the story take place, and 2) where specifically does this scene occur?
Where the story takes place informs everything from the setting to how people interact with each other. The more details unique to this setting, the better, but readers need one explicit detail at the beginning of each scene: spatial orientation.
We must know within the first few lines, as soon as possible, where we are. State the name of the town, the venue, room, or land feature. Then, within that location, where specifically are they and with what items are they interacting? Only a few details are needed for the reader to fill in the rest.
What time or day is it?
Let the reader know what time/day/season it is, or tell us how much time has passed since the last scene. Setting details about the environment can help develop the sense of time, but a single “the following morning” can go a long way toward keeping the reader oriented in the story.
What does the protagonist want?
From the very moment the reader enters a scene, we need to know why we are there. What does the protagonist want? What are they trying to do? (Think: Why are we here right now?)
Who is here and what are they doing?
How busy is this place and who is here with the main character? Who must they work with, and who is working against them?
It’s a common foible for authors to be so focused on the main character that all others in the room fade away or disappear. We don’t go through life in a vacuum, so neither should fictional characters.
Plus, each additional person in the main character’s vicinity is a chance to introduce more conflict in a story. (For more on story conflict, see my previous article here.)
Setting details
As a scene progresses, the character should flow through, work with, or fight against the setting. Setting details bring the scene to life. Think of what is in the room with the character, along with the temperature, weather elements, and physical obstacles.
I always encourage writers to try to include all five senses in a scene. We often write what is seen and heard, but smells evoke memories and feelings in readers, the touch of certain fabrics can bring other feelings, and everybody loves reading about food.
(For more information on setting details, see my previous article on using the five senses to build a scene.)
How protagonist works toward getting what they want
Since the reader knows from the start of the scene what the reader wants, we need to see what they do to try to get it. How do they act? What decisions do they make?
And most importantly, what consequences befall the character as they try to get what they want? We want to see characters face failure and find another way to get what they want.
Show conversations
Readers are looking to for a vicarious experience. We want to live through scenes and moments. So, show us in a play-by-play how conversations happen.
Dialogue should move back and forth, like a tennis match, as characters react to each other (or not, depending on the dynamics).
And with that back-and-forth dialogue, show the reader how each charater reacts physically to the conversation. Bonus points for action beats that betray an emotion that the character isn’t saying out loud, creating subcontext.
Thwarted Plans
In many cases, the protagonist should not get what they want, forcing them to try a different tactic.
Maybe they partially get what they wanted, but now they need a new plan to finish the job?
Or, perhaps the character got what they wanted at the end of the scene, but it turns out that something didn’t fill their need. Let the reader know what about this thing fell short, and what they need to do now.
Setting a scene
Now that we’ve covered the elements of a scene, it’s easier to see why scenes are so important. Stories don’t work unless all of these elements flow together.
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll break down how setting details build strong scenes, complete with details on what to be sure is in a scene to ensure your story has the depth it needs to engage readers, play with their emotions, and make them fall in love with the stories you create.
Happy writing!
If you found this information helpful or have a topic you’d like to hear more about, let me know in the comments.
For a full archive of articles related to writing and other writing-related resources, check out my Resources tab at www.editsunderway.com.
Think I might be a good fit for your project? Let’s find out!
Elizabeth Russo is an editor and author with a passion for helping new writers navigate their way through the process of taking a good story and turning it into a publishable manuscript. Elizabeth is a 2023 and 2019 Florida Writers Association Top Ten Short Story winner, a 2021 Royal Palm Literary Award Finalist, and a returning Royal Palm Literary Award judge. She’s an active member of the Florida Writers Association, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, ACES: The Society for Editing, and the Editorial Freelancers Association.
