Dave's Writing Tips - Scenes & Chapters

STORYBOARDS – SCENES & CHAPTERS

Whether or not you’ve chosen to develop your entire plot, including a list of the scenes you plan to include, you will need to consider each individual scene. First a few “rules of thumb” about scenes and chapters. In short genre books, mysteries, short westerns, romances, ect.), it’s usual for all your chapters to have approximately equal length. In other forms of fiction, this is less observed. However, if you’re writing within a genre for a certain market, you probably don’t want to have chapters that are of wildly different lengths.

An average chapter will be between 18-25 ms. Pages (double spaced). There are probably TONS of exceptions to this, but this is the general rule.

Usually, there will be an average of three scenes per chapters. This is a TRUE average, meaning that in emotional sections of your book, you might have 2- or even 1 – scenes that take up a whole chapter. In others, where you’re presenting info and transitional material, you might have 5-6 scenes per chapter. However, if you have a lot of chapters with 5-6 scenes, you should consider the possibility that the effect will be one of choppiness. If you have lots of chapters with 1-2 scenes, then the effect might be rather slow.

What’s a scene? It’s a unit of time/place and (usually) characters. That is, the introduction of a new character can, in effect, create a new scene, whether or not the location and the tie change. Just because there is no scene break (skipped space in print) doesn’t mean that the scene hasn’t changed. A simple transition may do it. (After finishing her chores, Matilda strolled out to the coral.)
Scenes are the building block of your book. This is how you’ll want to think of your book – in terms of these individual units. Before you begin to write a scene, you should probably have an idea of its purpose (another obvious statement!)

Purpose List

* Forwards the plot (external framework), sets up subsequent events/ plants a clue or red herring
* Demonstrates something important about a character (i.e., shows him/her involved with profession, relationship to child, etc.)
* Reveals her to heroine or vice versa (or both).
* Gives readers new information about hero/heroine.
* Forwards the relationship/boosts emotion temperature and/or sexual tension between hero and heroine.
* Increases or (temporarily) diminishes internal conflict.

NOTE: Except for very short transitional scenes, each scene should accomplish AT LEAST 3 OF THE ABOVE.

In addition to understanding your purpose in writing the scene, you need to have an idea of WHAT happens? Where? When? What is learned? External consequences. Emotional consequences.

Before writing a scene – or afterward, either immediately, afterward, or during the revision process (depending on how you work) – you should consider the scene in light of the following questions

Can I pack more of the purposes listed above into this scene? (The more purposes accomplished, the stronger the scene.)

What else might I accomplish with this scene? (Description, ambiance, historical info, etc.)

Has it changed the emotional level or is it static?

Is the emotional result of the scene what I need it to be at this point in the book?

Do I have too many emotions in this scene?


Here's a helpful exercise. Take any small book (preferably less than 200 pages) then grab some paper clips and clip each chapter together. Within each chapter, note the scene breaks (blank line between scenes). Don't read anything just yet, not until you've noticed where all the scenes are. Once you've done that, then go to chapter 1 and read the first scene. What's it about? Sum it up in three words. EX: John buys gun, John shoots bear, John rescues sue. Do that scene by scene and you'll eventually start to notice a plot taking shape. When you're done, you'll have the outline for how that book was put together. This is generally what I've been doing for my story. I list each chapter and I sum up each scene in no more than one sentence.

Lastly, here’s some highly suggested reading for you guys. These books can be easily found on Amazon:

TECHNIQUES OF THE SELLING WRITER – DWIGHT SWAIN
SCENE AND STRUCTURE – JACK BICKHAM