Easy Steps to Writing Sensational Scenes

A book is easy to write when it is broken down into pieces. No, I'm not talking about chapters. Look harder. Books are broken down into scenes. Before we can discuss it though, we must first understand point-of-view (POV). Sense this was covered in another article, I will only recap the different types of POV here:

1. First-person includes the thoughts and perspective on one main character who's telling her own story. (The "I" perspective.)

2. Second-person turns the reader into the character. (The "you" perspective.)

3. Third-person selective/singular only includes the thoughts, feelings and perspectives of one main character. (The "she" and "he" perspective.)

4. Third-person selective/multiple includes the thoughts of more than one main character.

5. Third-person dual includes the thoughts of two or more main characters and switches back and forth within the same scene. (Head-hopping.)

6. Third-person omniscient with an all-knowing narrator.

7. Third-person detached includes only actions with no thoughts.

8. Another POV is the author's insider information about the story and characters.

Here we will be discussing third-person selective/multiple which includes the thoughts of more than one main character. However, scenes and sequels apply to other POV writing as well.

Most fiction books are broken down into scenes, rather than just chapters. A chapter is usually broken down into scenes or may be a complete scene. By staying in one character's POV for each scene, you can avoid head-hopping between characters. Especially for beginners, editors look down on jumping from one character's POV to another during the scene. Head-hopping makes it difficult to follow and keep in voice. It is also hard to determine whose POV you should be in for the scene. Those darn characters all want to have their say.

When I look at a scene, I determine which character has the most at risk for the evolving situation. Ask yourself from whose POV can the information best be given? If you are keeping secrets, you may want to tell the scene from the other person's POV...or maybe not. Is there a back story for one of the characters? You may want to tell the readers what that character is thinking, and you can't do it from someone else's POV. Will the impact of the information on the reader be greater if told by the main character revealing it or surprised when another character reveals it?

When I first wrote Legacy of Lies, I used Katelynn's POV to explain when she meets her old flame, Walt, and hits him with her car. The scene was okay but when I reread it, it was flat. I couldn't tell all that Walt was thinking because it wasn't in his POV. However through dialogue and description, I could effectively express Katelynn's feelings and reactions. For Walt I needed to explain why he ran out into the road, his worry about being hurt when he had the whole town counting on him, and the reason he kisses Katelynn unexpectedly. Although they are both shocked when they realize who the other person is, it's Walt that has the most at stake in this scene because he is afraid she will try to possess an important silver mine. This is an example of choosing POV by what is at stake for the participating characters.

So now that you have established POV, voice, and focal character, you need to think about your scene. A scene has a beginning, an end and must have a goal. Not only yours as the writer but the character's goal. The goal needs to be important to the character (the more urgent the better) and, therefore, it must be specific. Don't let your characters just wander around aimlessly. Set them on a mission and then throw some conflict in their way. Think external, internal and relationship conflict which we have already discussed in another article.

By the end of the scene, the character meets with some kind of disaster - something that affects the original goal. It may be some kind of new information, a secret that is revealed, a threat, a change in relationship, a natural disaster - anything that changes what was going to happen and leaves the reader wondering, "What now?"

Lights, camera, action - the sequel! What is a sequel in writing? This is where the character or one of the other main characters expresses their view or reaction to the conflict. This is where the character considers all the possibilities they now face from the dilemma. The character could make a good decision or a bad. Either way the reader wants to continue to see what will happen with the decision.

Another reason to use a sequel is to be able to express one of the other main character's POVs about what took place in the last scene. This is where the character can state their feelings and thoughts. This is an excellent way to avoid head-hopping and can establish this character's next goal.

Who's ever POV you use in the sequel, you must make sure you run through all that character's options in handling the situation and also give a good reason for their decision based on their original goals, their personalities and their baggage.

At this point, you state their decision and this moves the story to the next scene and what happens with that decision. The whole process repeats. Isn't it exciting?

So there you have it. Scene = Goal, Conflict, Disaster. Sequel = Reaction, Dilemma, Decision. Continuing to write one brilliant scene and sequel after another, you will suddenly find yourself at the end of the book. As the readers read, they will be tempted to continue on just to find out how the character solves each of the situations until the reader is at the end of the book too.

So remember the importance of stopping your demanding characters from taking control of the book, and you logically decide who gets the next scene.