I rediscovered an old link on my browser favorites list, it's by Randy Ingermanson, all about the function of a scene and the follow-up scene, which he calls the "sequel," the quasi-scene or narrative consolidating, cleaning up, and cogitating over what just happened in the "scene," and resting the reader a little in preparation for another high point, the next scene. It was an extremely useful article for me.
Judging from a lot of early drafts of good stories in critique groups that I've been involved with, understanding and applying this principle would be helpful for many B+ writers whose novels feel too monotone.
The story tension and stakes for the protagonist are akin to being on a roller coaster--this is my analogy, not Ingermanson's--where the scenes are the high points and the sequels are the necessary lower "valleys" to gather up steam again. But unlike a roller coaster, the general lay of the track tends, throughout the novel, to get higher and more precarious until the ridiculously high stakes and scariest conflict, the place on the track near the end of the ride that must be resolved via the climax. You (the reader following and rooting for the protagonist) have reached the awesome point where you see the whole city and you feel on the brink of plunging someplace you don't want to go or you feel like you're going to fall off, and then, the bottom falls out as you speed, out of control, downward.
Ingermanson says the scene ought to have a goal (for the protagonist), conflict, and disaster. The sequel should have reacton (to the disaster), a dilemma (makes the proagonist consider what to do next), and then a decision. Without the sequel, how is the character to grow? How will the protagonist ever reach her goal?
This decision (the decision to act, to actually physically do something) morphs into yor character requiring the goal for the next scene, a covenient way to make for action and an efficient, straight line story, instead of one, like some of mine, meandering from this place to that. Meandering is an unnecessary time-out from the story line, possibly fascinating stuff, but not the makings of a real page-turner, which is the bottom-line, elusive story characteristic publishers and readers are looking for these days.
Oh, I almost forgot, here's the link: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/scene.php
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About Me
- Richard A. Burns
- I'm a retired quality engineer, most of my 29 year career at HP. The Treasurer position of California Writers Club, South Bay Branch is a recent new (and time consuming) activity for me. I graduated from UCSB (1968) and spent four years in the Air Force. I had two kids (now adults) and two grandchidren.
