Scenes

One of my favorite lessons in the CAN THIS MANUSCRIPT BE SAVED workshop is the lesson on scenes. I believe scenes are the place writers have the biggest opportunity to shine. They are the building blocks of story. So it's in scenes that you get to SHOW the romance, or scare readers, or fascinate them, or demonstrate the vagaries of life.

Your characters can't exist without scenes. Oh sure, you can put your characters in a sentence, but without the action of a scene, they're just words on a page.

Your story is nothing but an idea until you divide it up into scenes.  Scenes, their length, their order, create pacing. Scenes determine whether your story will be a breathless adventure or ... well, a journey walked through knee-deep oatmeal.

The unsung heroes of storytelling, scenes are like the organized assistant behind the successful businessman. They do most of the work in your book but get very little of the credit. LOL Characters hog it all.

Scenes blow me away. They are so full of power and potential.

So today, when you sit down to do your day's writing, don't just think about hitting your word count. Think about your scene/s. Think about the purpose of the scene or scenes you're going to write. Think about the best length for maximum drama. Remember, you're showcasing character through action. Remember that a scene poorly written slows down a book. Remember that the order of scenes determines how exciting, emotional or intense a book is.

Pause before you write. Think about the power of your scene.

And have a happy Monday. :)

susan meier