To understand the basic unit of storytelling, the author must know the hidden secrets of engaging scenes. The novel simply doesn’t work without them.
The scene is the basic unit of story, not the page, not the chapter, not the three or four acts. The overarching narrative structure, character arc, theme and resolution are worthless unless each scene brings the reader along.
What is a scene?
The scene is a unit of story. By the normal rules of fiction*, the scene plays out in a continuous place and time; it has a specific cast, one Point of View, and a mini arc of change. A scene isn’t effective until something happens; that means the introduction and conclusion of some conflict within the scene. Remember, without conflict there is no story. So description and backstory by themselves do not make a scene.
Elements of a Scene
We can turn to any number of story structures to create a micro-structure for a scene. Essential elements include:
- An Opening Hook and/or Inciting incident to kick off the conflict of the scene.
- A Turning Point which presents a barrier to the Point of View character’s micro-goal in the scene
- A crisis point where the character weighs the competing stakes and comes to a decision
- A climax where they enact their decision
- A resolution where the character pursues the original goal in a new way, or a different goal entirely
The conclusion of the scene may be an action, an outcome, or a cliff-hanger that leads into a following scene; perhaps it’s deferred for a pay-off in a much later scene?
Defined Contribution
Whatever it’s shape, structure and micro-goal within the larger story, each scene has to contribute something.
How does each scene contribute to the overall arc? What is the relevance? How does it progress the main plot or sub-plot?
What does it set up, promise or foreshadow? What does it pay off?
If it doesn’t do any of those, you have a dead scene, and dead scenes have to go!
How long?
Typically scenes run for 1500-2500 words. That’s long enough to deliver those elements, but not so long the reader gets bored.
Can scenes run shorter? Mine often do. Short dialogues, flashbacks and flash forwards can deliver a meaningful scen in 200, 300, 400 words.
Can scenes run longer? It’s possible. Think of a long courtroom scene; lots of dialogue, conflict and tension. But a long scene has to earn it’s keep in terms of those structural elements. Analyse a scene that runs long and you may discover it consists of multiple short scenes in series. That long courtroom scene, for example, may have it’s own three act structure, marked by an opening duel between council and witness, an intervention by the judge, and a rematch that brings a resolution.
When does a scene end?
The obvious markers for a scene ending are
- A changes in cast – a character leaves or someone new joins.
- A change of time or location.
Less obvious markers are
- the end of a conversation that signals a change in the conflict or scene goal, or
- some internal reflection by a point of view character that achieves a similar end.
By any measure
And how do we measure the effectiveness of a scene? Against the point of view character’s original goal.
If that goal was to get through the morning’s work without interruption, can the character bat aside all the interruptions and distractions that beat at their door? Or do events overtake them and new goals emerge to take precedence? There’s conflict, crisis and resolution in changing the goal.
The test of a scene comes down to meaningful change: what’s changed in the scene? What is the character’s goal, priority and perspective, before and after?
That’s all the author really has to ask. We referred to the normal rules of story-telling* earlier. Yes, you can break these by including multiple times, locations, or points of view. But the scene elements remain; goals, conflict, crisis, resolution. You can layer these on, include multiples of each for multiple characters, so long as it’s clear to the reader what has changed from the beginning to the end.
In practice, the hidden secrets of engaging scenes aren’t so hidden after all.