We did it! We brainstormed and Storydreamed and now we have an outline supported by a Character Spine and a Worldbuilding Touchstone. It might not be a fully fleshed out plot, but we are ready to write because we at least know where we are going.
So how are we going to get there?
At this point you should feel pretty ready to write, but for the next few days I’m going to share some things that you should be thinking about as you draft, and craft ideas that will definitely be important when it is time to revise. So, feel free to start writing your book (especially if you are about to start NaNo-ing!) but keep these next few lessons flagged for when you find yourself struggling.
First up, let’s talk scenes!
The scene is the basic building block of story. It is the smallest unit of storytelling that we have. But what is a scene? How do we know when to begin and end each scene?
Each scene should have a goal tied to your larger plot. That goal might be to illustrate for the reader your Worldbuilding Touchstone or the Character Spine. It might be to create on page conflict or increase tension, but whatever the goal of the scene you, as the writer, should know what the purpose is. Some scenes will tie directly into your outline, those big moment scenes that contain the big emotional beats in your story, but some scenes will occur because you need transitions to get characters from one story element to the next.
No matter what kind of scene you are writing you need to know a few important things before you can get started.
1. Where is your scene set and why?
2. Who is in the scene and why?
3. What does each character in the scene want? Will they get it or not?
4. What is the beginning emotion in your scene? What is the ending emotion?
Knowing these few elements before you start writing will help you craft a more coherent scene. We also want to remember that characters must have both a physical and an emotional response to things within a scene. I call this the Stimulus, Reaction, Response trifecta.
Every scene must contain each of these at least once: a Stimulus for your characters, a physical Reaction, and also an emotional Response. Without all three of these elements your scenes will feel flat. But this is also just a really easy way to make sure each scene contains a sense of physicality and emotional heft as well as story progression. We’ll return to these elements, physicality and emotional heft, in the next few lessons.
The Stimulus in your scene does not have to be an external threat or something physically challenging. It can be something like a piece of information revealed to the characters or another character making a decision that forces your main character to change a previously held assumption. No matter what it is, the Stimulus should move your plot forward and give the reader an opportunity to better understand your characters. Simple, right?
Exercise
Begin to sketch out or free write a scene for your story. It doesn’t have to be the beginning of the book, it can be any scene you’d like to start writing. Before you write consider the fundamental questions:
1. Where is your scene set and why?
2. Who is in the scene and why?
3. What does each character in the scene want? Will they get it or not?
4. What is the beginning emotion in your scene? What is the ending emotion?
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