As a professional copy editor and writing coach, I critique and edit other people's words almost daily. This exposure to a variety of genres and writing styles allows me to look for common threads--similarities of weak and lackluster writing that transcend plot, premise, and voice. The most glaring of offenders is scene construction, so I thought I would explore what makes a strong scene.
We might define a story as a coherent account of a significant emotional experience, or related experiences organized into a cohesive whole. A series of scenes is constructed to relay this. Whether or not your book ends with a final resolution to the emotional problem or experience, at very least the action should be complete enough to reveal the underlying truth in the story.
Life cannot be encapsulated easily in all its complexity in such a small batch of words. The writer's task, then, is to pare it down to its essence, for in fiction the part stands for the whole. She removes the insignificant, the irrelevant, and preserves only that which serves her purpose--revealing character or advancing plot. Underneath that is the meaning of the event. Each scene should be examined, then, to this end. Sometimes it means we toss the scene out. Other times, all that's needed is to ponder on the purpose of the scene in light of our themes and premise, and then tweak the scene so that it reveals what is needed. Every word matters, and excessive unimportant words should cut cut out. Wordiness, it seems to me, is the trademark of a novice writer.
But, this does not mean every scene has to unfold some earth-shaking truth. Often it is the subtle revelation that holds the most power--a character's insight, realization, a moment of unexpected tenderness or grace--these are often the unforgettable moments in a well-written book. The perceptive writer looks for hidden meanings in human events and builds her stories around them. In every scene, the writer must ask: do I play out this scene, or do I summarize it? The decision greatly affects the pacing of the novel, and is easily answered. Just what would be revealed in this scene? How intrinsic is it to revealing the story and characters' motivations? Too many writers take pages to move their character from one location to another, when all that might be needed is one sentence.
So, the first step in stringing scenes together as you plot out your novel is to focus on what you mean to reveal. When I plot out a book, I have a list (often pages long) of the things I want to reveal. Characters' needs, fears, past experiences; plot elements (which include telegraphing events to come); and thematic points I want to get across. On each index card (one for each scene) I write the point of the scene, so that, when I hover my fingers over the keyboard, that is what drives my writing and leads my heart. To me, this is absolutely crucial. If I don't know why I'm writing this scene, it doesn't get written. And often, inspiration and spontaneity will kick in, and a scene appears before me that accomplishes exactly what I need at that juncture. But, that would never happen if I did not first know my goals.
I'll be going into more detail in coming posts on different ways you can structure a scene for the most impact, and how to determine how intimate or estranged you want your character's point of view to be, based on what you mean to reveal. Each scene should be a pearl, strung together with all the other pearls to make a beautiful necklace of words that does more than dazzle the eye. It should create a complete image or vision that moves the heart.
~Susanne (C. S.) Lakin
Someone to Blame (Zondervan August 2010)
The Wolf of Tebron (AMG/Living Ink Fall 2010)
The Map Across Time (AMG/Living Ink Spring 2011)
The Land of Darkness(AMG/Living Ink Fall 2011)
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