How to Set the Scene [Writing Workshop]
Setting the Scene
Pacing your story so that the action rises and falls all at the key moments is difficult. An entire weekend long masterclass could be dedicated to this singular aspect of storytelling, because there are (simply put) a metric-fuck-ton of ways to screw up your story’s pacing.
Now don’t stress out if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer glut of information out there. I’m here to strip away the complicated and distill pacing down to its simplest components. By the time you reach the end of this article, you’ll know enough about the basic building block of storytelling to tell a riproaring page-turner.
So let’s not drag this out any longer. Let’s dive in.
The Basic Unit of Fiction
A story can seem unfathomably complex when taken as a whole. But then, the same could be said of all things.
The human body is beyond our current comprehension. So we must zoom in on the fundamental units comprising the human body (ie: cells). These little buggers are still quite complex, but understanding them is within our grasp.
So it is with story.
We must zoom in to the micro-level of storytelling if we have any hope of ever comprehending the whole.
If the human body is comprised of individual cells, then a story is comprised of Scenes.
Defining what is (and what isn’t) a Scene is a terribly complex task in and of itself.
Most definitions state something to the effect of:
A Scene is a unit of story that takes place at a specific location and time.
This definition is not without its exceptions, but for our purposes here, it’ll suffice.
Building Scenes
Individual Scenes follow the same structure as the story at large. That is, they have a:
1) Beginning (Hook)
2) Middle (Development)
3) End (Climax)
So keep that in mind and good luck on your journey. You are now equipped with everything you need to tell a good, well-paced story.
Nah, I’m just messing with you.
The thing is, we’re about to complicate things so I need you to buckle up and prepare yourself mentally.
Ready? Okay, here we go.
Individual Scenes are comprised of two smaller units called the scene (action) and sequel (reaction). Yes, that’s right. Scenes are comprised of smaller scenes, which is a lot like saying cells are made up of cells.
Le sigh.
Listen, I get it.
To make things easier I’ll be using a capitalized Scene when referring to the larger unit and a lowercase scene when talking about that pesky thing within a Scene.
Okay, so what is a scene (action) and sequel (reaction)?
Well, for starters, those words in parenthesis are dropping mad hints.
Scenes follow a natural ebb-and-flow. The ebb is what’s called the scene while the ebb is considered the sequel.
What is a scene?
A scene is where the action happens. Big stuff occurs. Plot points change the course of the entire story. Characters mess with shit.
What is a sequel?
The sequel is much quieter, though no less important. This is where the reflection comes in. After a big climax, there must be a moment of respite during which our character reflects on what has occurred.
Always remember that scene and sequel are different sides of the same coin. No less important than the other.
You can’t have a one-sided coin.
Though, I suppose you could have a one-sided story. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all read stories that are just scene-scene-scene-scene with little to no pause for breath. These are typically action stories a little too heavy on the action.
Then again, we’ve also read stories too heavy on the sequel, which is equally no bueno. These stories are characterized by the fact that nothing ever happens!
To tell a great, well-paced story it is imperative we understand the form and function of scenes and sequels. To that end, we’re diving in a little deeper.
The pattern of a scene
A scene is made of 3 parts:
1) Goal
2) Conflict
3) Disaster
A scene begins with a clear, specific, definable goal. This is your characters want and your scene absolutely must have one. If not, then we the reader are constantly wondering “Why does this matter?”
If your character doesn’t have a goal, guess what? It doesn’t matter.
Your character has to want something. Bad.
Conflict are the obstacles keeping our character from achieving their goal. They should by myriad and unrelenting.
Your story is instantly boring if your character easily surmounts the obstacles keeping him/her from their goal.
Conflict forces your character to dig deep and reveal parts of themselves otherwise invisible. The more difficult the conflict is to overcome, the more we learn about your character.
Disaster occurs when your character commits to a course of action. And make no mistake, at some point, your character must commit to a course of action. For the most part, it’s a good idea to have your character failing to achieve their goal.
Nothing bores a reader quite as badly as success. To keep your reader engaged, keep your character failing.
This 3 step process of Goal, Conflict, Disaster comprises a scene. Another way to describe these steps is as: Want, Plan, Action.
What does your character want?
What’s their plan to attain said want?
What action did they take?
What comes next is the sequel.
The pattern of a sequel
If your scene is any good, chances are it ended with an epic failure on the part of your main character. The sequel is designed to give our readers a break in the action during which we can look internally, suss out a new course of action, and recommit.
Sequels tend to be more introspective by design. Recall that this is the ebb. The “quick, catch your breath before diving into the next scene” portion of the day’s programming.
To that end, there are 3 parts to a successful sequel.
1) Reaction
2) Dilemma
3) Decision
Crazy how often story’s keep getting broken up into thirds. It’s almost as though the human brain is wired to see things in threes.
Oh…wait… no. That’s exactly what’s happening here. (Which is a topic all it’s own that we’ll leave for another day.)
Reaction occurs in the immediate moments after a failed action. There are two types of reactions: Physical and Emotional. And yes, it is absolutely imperative you describe them in that order.
Never put an emotional reaction before a physical one. Order of operations are important, and it’ll look more than a little strange if your character gets hit and immediately considers the emotional implications of their best-friend’s betrayal before considering how bad his nose hurts.
So, the sequel begins with a brief period of reaction. This doesn’t have to last long, but then, depending on the magnitude of the betrayal, it might.
For the most part, you don’t want to blow multiple pages on a physical pain. Emotional pain, sure. This is where we learn all sorts of juicy, important things about your character’s psyche, but be careful you don’t tread too heavy on this thin ice lest you lose your readers entirely to a self-reflective malaise.
Next up in the sequel is the Dilemma. This is where your character considers the plethora of dwindling options before him/her. As the story progresses, your character’s options must grow increasingly thin as they are backed further and further into a corner.
If done correctly, this adds inevitability and direness.
During the Dilemma your character must cycle through a list of bad options. There should be no clear favorite. All roads lead to hell, so to speak.
Turn the screws and make it so that there really are no good choices awaiting your character.
Now it’s time for the most important part of the sequel, the Decision.
Without an active decision on the part of your character, the story cannot move forward. Without forward movement, your story drowns.
Don’t drown. Make a Decision. It doesn’t even have to be a good decision. All that matters is seeing your character recommit themselves to the action. They are saying, “I’ve had my two front teeth knocked out, but I’m going back in for another round because I have no choice but to try.”
And this is why it’s so important to establish a clear, and powerful Goal at the beginning of the scene. The reader must understand that there is no choice for the main character to try.
A weak Goal makes everything that follows a lesson in, “Why should I care again?”
What comes next?
That’s right, you begin a new scene and repeat the process all over again. A story is nothing more than a string of compelling (ever escalating) scenes and sequels.
Master these fundamental building blocks to establish a solid understanding of pacing. If you really want to take your craft seriously, check out Dwight V. Swain’s The Techniques of the Selling Writer where he dives into the topic of scene and sequels more thoroughly than anybody else.
Tune in next week as we dive a bit deeper into the topic of pacing and structure.
[box] In the meantime, I want you to get down to the comments and tell me which part of a story is your favorite to read? The scene or the sequel?[/box]
The sequel, by far. In terms of writing, I far more enjoy the kind of scene where a character gets his head above the water he’s supposed to have drowned in and emerges as a lone survivor, and after a minute on the bankside it’s ‘Let’s go again motherfuckers’ but perhaps with more stealth and less all-out war….. not that I just spoiled part of my WIP or anything.
Worth noting: this whole post details the kind of thing I find much more useful on tweaking a final draft than in writing my way to it. On all drafts, I do this kind of thing instinctively, and try only to analyse like this when deciding what makes the final cut.
That’s a great point, Tommy. I’ve said it before in other posts (but neglected to do so in this one) that you should always write first drafts straight through without any thought or consideration to editing or structure. Just get the story out there. Once the first draft is vomited into existence, then you can put the editorial hat on and start molding the clay, so to speak.
Putting the editor’s cap on prematurely is a sure-fire recipe for disaster!
This was a difficult question. I’d have to say that I prefer the sequel; I feel that in general characters are best described by how they react to their current situation, not the situation itself. In my own writing, I tend to go a bit overboard on the sequel; I’m working on that.
However, I feel that the scene is equally important. There can be no action without an inciting incident.
I’ve an question for you, Vicino…this might seem a bit random, but is there any such thing as a story that is too original? That is, in your own professional opinion, do you think readers are looking for a new story, or just a new presentation of a story they’ve read before?
Oh this is great. There are so many complexities to writing a story and this has been helpful in picking out the important parts to look at and focus on. Thanks!