Questions tagged [scene]
This tag should be used for questions about a scene in a written work, such as a [novel] or a [screenplay].
74
questions
18
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
74 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
40 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 ...
2
votes
5answers
168 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 ...
18
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
76 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
60 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
86 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
123 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
100 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
262 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. ...
2
votes
1answer
55 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
166 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
81 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
135 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
212 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
159 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
96 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
289 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
459 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
332 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, ...
17
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
206 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
409 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
953 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
59 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
200 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
371 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
121 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
83 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
302 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
215 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
126 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
66 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
614 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
80 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 ...
1
vote
3answers
157 views
Length of a scene?
Really, just how long should a solid scene in a chapter be?
And what about when characters move setting but the topic is still relevant to the scene? How long would that be?
Currently my scenes in ...
0
votes
2answers
104 views
How can I improve this scene? [closed]
This is the second to last scene in the first chapter. It starts with Lisa hunting and getting a deer and ends with Lisa getting bit by a venomous snake.
Now you might be thinking "You can't carry a ...
2
votes
3answers
261 views
How to write a scene where the villain meets the protagonist?
The villain was, like the protagonist, a child soldier/mercenary, who served with him. The villain was captured, tortured, and snapped. He feels a burning hatred for the protagonist, believing that he ...
2
votes
3answers
541 views
Can you specify camera angles in your screenplay?
So I guess camera action is up to the director. Would I ever be allowed to pan if it is important? Would I not be able to pick certain angles?
If I can, what would be the best way to specify --for ...
9
votes
8answers
3k views
How to write a death scene without making it overdramatic?
Okay. In the story there's a flashback where one of the main protagonists loses his best friend in a battle where he was the only survivor. His best friend is a important character and, because of ...
2
votes
2answers
4k views
Film script - writing scene transition from TV Broadcast to story reality
I'm writing a script that has a news broadcast sequence to establish the background of the story, and then we see the main character is watching this news broadcast to transition from worldbuilding to ...
3
votes
7answers
1k views
Creating the goal of a scene when the main character is passive?
In my current writing, I've been having some trouble with the plot, specifically with going from an outline detailing what I need, to an outline detailing how I get there. I think the problem (or at ...
