Questions tagged [scene]
This tag should be used for questions about a scene in a written work, such as a [novel] or a [screenplay].
81
questions
1
vote
2answers
116 views
Should a scene break always be put in place when there is change in location, times, and dates?
I have read many books where the character is in one place at a certain time and, without a scene break being utilised, they are all of a sudden in a different place at a different time, but it works ...
1
vote
3answers
222 views
Examples of dialog beats and bookism
I was wondering if there is a list of ideas on how to add beats to dialog. For example:
"Listen to me!", John said excitedly. "We can sell all these coins now
and get rich today." He got closer ...
2
votes
3answers
125 views
How to write intercut scenes in a novel?
I wish to write an intercut scene for a novel, where two very contrasting things are happening at the same time. The technique works really well on the screen, but I think we can use the same ...
2
votes
2answers
152 views
How much uncertainity will the 'general (Non-YA) fantasy reader' tolerate?
In my current project my goal is to go for the following narrative style within scenes:
Show only what the POV-Char can see, hear,... sense.
Show their emotional reaction (through body-feelings, ...
23
votes
11answers
6k views
Don't look at what I did there
This question is about hiding from the reader the fact that I am skipping some steps. Worse, perhaps, I don't want to show them, and I may have no clue or intention of figuring out how these steps ...
18
votes
5answers
2k views
Spicing up a moment of peace
In the ever swinging tone of a novel, one may wish to show a moment of peace amidst all the chaos. In my novel it happens a few times, most notably when characters are travelling across vast natural ...
8
votes
5answers
269 views
My scenes seem too fast
I’m having issues ‘cause while I’m in the process of writing I think my style has enough length to it, but when I go back and read my work it feels extremely fast. A scene I expected to take me ...
20
votes
5answers
2k views
How to not confuse readers with simultaneous events?
In an omniscient third person, I have 8 (practically unrelated) events going simultaneously in different parts of a large mansion. I want to present these events as they happen, but I feel jumping ...
0
votes
1answer
77 views
What's the most humane form of ritual sacrifice? [closed]
Not sure if this is off-topic, sorry.
I'm writing a cult ritual to summon a powerful entity.
The ritual must include:
1. A willing sacrifice
2. Them being stabbed in the heart
3. Their death taking ...
-2
votes
1answer
44 views
Good recess scene screenplay [closed]
I'm wondering if anyone could tell me how to write some very short recess scene at a school? I'm out of ideas. P.S. this would be acted.
11
votes
7answers
2k views
Is it advisable to add a location heads-up when a scene changes in a novel?
In my novel, I have a scene at home which changes to scene at the office which is completely different. I have written it in a way that in a line or two the reader will understand the scene is changed ...
3
votes
5answers
184 views
How do I indicate that the next scene actually happens at the same time as the previous scene
I'm currently working on a script for a college project and there's one part of the script that sorta goes like this:
A character heard a scream from outside of the room they're in and decided to ...
17
votes
8answers
3k views
I wrote a scene that the majority of my readers loved. How do I get back to that place while writing my new book?
I wrote a scene that I put my heart and soul into. It was received well by most of my readers, but I'm struggling with crafting a new scene for a book I'm currently writing. Here's some comments from ...
2
votes
1answer
82 views
The concept of description and the structure of Mckee's view of story design
Consider the following text:
Tania is in her living room, in the summer.
She looks to the window and the street in front of her house, then she realized how dry and parched they are, this makes ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
How many blank lines before scene headings (and secondary scene headings) using Amazon Storywriter
Question : How many blank lines should be before scene headings and secondary scene headings in a screenplay? Note that I am using Amazon Storywriter.
Detail : I am writing a screenplay with Amazon ...
3
votes
3answers
92 views
Which techniques maintain reader interest when the POV is a spectator? (Sports story as sidequest?)
In my case, my character is literally a spectator. They're at a sporting event. There will be a major event which ramps up their plotline that occurs at this event, but I'm finding the event itself (...
3
votes
1answer
669 views
How to script two scenes happening simultaneously?
I am writing a movie where a character has an interview with a news reporter. The scenes segues into a character profile of the interviewee that features a voice over from the interviewer. How would I ...
4
votes
2answers
106 views
If the narrator of the story is a pet, can I still add some philosophical stuff into its narration?
So, the story is about the heroine of the book, but the whole thing is narrated by her pet. Initially the plot is light and easy, but later into the story, it gets a little serious. There's stuff ...
8
votes
3answers
268 views
Pre-modern battle - command it, or fight in it?
If I were to describe Waterloo from Napoleon's point of view, it would be very different from that same battle from the point of view of a soldier, or even a cavalry lieutenant in the front ranks. ...
asked Mar 23 at 12:20
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2
votes
1answer
66 views
How to describe a row of two different types of trees?
This may seem like a silly question (it definitely feels like it has one of those answers that I already know, but just can't dig up). And maybe this isn't the right place for it, but I am asking for ...
19
votes
6answers
1k views
Identifying and managing weak scenes during planning
I structured my plot, designed the path to the climax, listed my characters and even outlined some scenes. Then halfway through I got stuck: one minor transition scene just did not make sense. The ...
4
votes
2answers
183 views
How to fill novel if you have just some moments prepared?
I read some of my old novels and realized that I often filled them with unnecessary info and pseudojokes so I could quickly rejoin my favourite moments in the planned plot. I found those moments more ...
0
votes
2answers
83 views
How to show a short, sequential passing of time, without changing the scene [closed]
I was working on a story for practice; I have been putting it off for some time. I am extremely new to writing and honestly need to read more. I personally tend to think more like a movie camera, so I ...
2
votes
1answer
316 views
What is the average word count for a scene in a chapter?
Does the average scene-word-count lessen for a YA/children's novel and increase for, say, an adult thriller?
7
votes
6answers
294 views
Writing a crying scene
Writing a crying scene makes me accidentally do repetitions like "the tears which were on her face broke down into a slithering stream..." and then putting the word tears again and again.
What ...
11
votes
5answers
1k views
A handful of gems
So I'm facing an issue after many years of writing, and several unsuccessful novels. In my own estimation, all my books contain a "handful of gems" --wonderful scenes that really come to life. But ...
2
votes
4answers
178 views
Having Trouble Writing An Opening Scene With A Shy Character
I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with the opening scene for a fantasy story I'm writing, about a mousy but passionate girl from a family of entertainers who inherits the entertainer's blood. She ...
2
votes
2answers
99 views
How do I make a repetitive element in a play interesting?
I am writing a playscript these days which includes various characters that are frequently related throughout the story. They all hold special orbs/keys that help the main protagonist progress further ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
Static Scenes that still Move the Story Forward
I've just read a tutorial about scenic techniques in novel-writing that recommends that a story should have a rhythm of static scenes and dramatic scenes. Here's an excerpt:
Dramatic scenes are ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
Sensory Information Overload
I'm reading The Book of Human Emotions by Tiffany Watt Smith (good stuff if you want to inform the use of emotion in your writing), and I've just come across Overwhelmed (feeling). It talks about the ...
6
votes
2answers
298 views
Scene switching and how to do it?
So I am writing a story that is in my head for millions of years already and it is finally progressing. I like how things going for a first draft and I am pretty happy to get things going.
But lately ...
6
votes
2answers
557 views
How to relate stormy weather to sadness?
Is it possible that stormy weather can be related to sadness? The weather could be related to gloom?
8
votes
5answers
339 views
Help with my story - elements of a scene
I’m writing a story where a vampire pulls a girl into a room so he can feed off her without anyone knowing.
What are the things I should consider when I describe her being pulled into a room by him, ...
16
votes
8answers
2k views
How do you assess the value of an individual scene?
Authors need to understand which scenes in their stories to cut in order to help the reader enjoy the story best.
Knowing what works for the reader and what does not is a key skill for authors. ...
3
votes
5answers
239 views
What is the spectrum of 'disasters' in 'scene-sequel?"
I'm looking at my project through the lens of the 'scene-sequel' model now. Scene=Goal/Conflict/Disaster, Sequel=Reaction/Dilemma/Decision.
My story has been through over a dozen various revisions ...
8
votes
6answers
664 views
How do I write and describe a room full of panic?
How do I write about a room full of panic? I have searched for the answer but all I get is how to write a panic attack.
I am trying to write a scene where there is a party. The party is to celebrate ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Do too many scenes exhaust the reader?
I'm now analyzing the scenes in my manuscript.
I broke my manuscript into scenes using the definition that a new
scene begins when a person, place, or time point shifts. This means
whenever a ...
4
votes
6answers
2k views
How does a person go about describing a place/experience that they never personally experienced before, like a circus?
I've never been to a circus, and all the shows and videos I've seen about them don't give off the full effect.
How does a person go about describing a place/experience that they never personally ...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
How should I write this scene heading? Let me explain
In my screenplay, I have a character that’s a 20 year old college student. He lives at home. His name is Brett.
Another character pulls up to Brett’s house.
Should the scene heading read:
EXT. ...
6
votes
6answers
207 views
Should my opening include a religious initiation ritual?
I am about to start my first novel set in a fantasy world I am designing, and am struggling deeply with my first scene. I have read in books on fantasy writing that the opening is the hook. I am ...
-1
votes
2answers
518 views
How to show crying through text? [duplicate]
How are you able to show crying in a text without using emoji or sentimentalism?
2
votes
1answer
128 views
How do I avoid making scenes feel rushed?
I've written several scenes and reread them silently. Most times they sound rushed, unnatural and uncomfortable. This especially happens with action or other fast-paced scenes. How do I avoid this ...
1
vote
1answer
4k views
How to Write a Bullying Scene? [closed]
In my newest story, the protagonist gets bullied constantly, and I'm planning for him to be driven to suicide later on the the story. But, I'm completely stuck on how to write a realistic scene, which ...
3
votes
3answers
95 views
Is it good to repeat the same form of event?
Background
So, long ago in my writing I wrote a chapter where a book housing a specific missing chapter was found in a treasury. As you can tell, it's super ultra convenient to just have it in the ...
4
votes
3answers
315 views
A written action scene, interrupted?
My comic novel has a scene in which the hero is battling a monster. And at a moment of tension, where he's losing badly, there's a scene break in which the narrator goes into a brief digression. After ...
2
votes
2answers
240 views
Is describing the scenery important in unfamiliar places?
I'm writing a futuristic light novel, in which the world looks really different than the world we're used to and thus I feel like I have to describe every single detail. However I won't really have ...
1
vote
2answers
135 views
How to stage a scene conflict that is not about the scene's narrator?
I'm working on a novel that is told from a single narrator in third person. A number of subplots detail the stories of secondary characters.
My problem: From their point of view, I could easily ...
3
votes
2answers
68 views
What is the difference between an ending scene and the end of a chapter?
I'm new to professional writing, and I've been brushing up on standard manuscript format. I bought Scrivener to help me format for direct publishing, and standard manuscript formatting. So, how do I ...
3
votes
2answers
645 views
Describing a large scale battle in a science fiction/fantasy novel
In my novel, there is a large scale battle involving several factions, tens of thousands of fighters, and is a defining part of the book, as it lasts for a good deal of the novel. As I wrote it, I ...
1
vote
3answers
81 views
Scene descriptons?
If one is describing a gala ball, what level of detail of the room is considered appropriate? For example, if the ball is a lavish one, is it appropriate to include the table settings (conical red ...
