How to make every scene in your novel powerful
What brings them to life? what can you do to make your novel rememberable?
As a writer, you do not want to “write a novel.” Your goal should be to write “scenes.” Having them placed one after the other building up to tell a complete story. You want every scene having meaning, nothing wasted. But what does this mean? Shouldn’t all writers want to write a novel? What does it mean to “write scenes”?
in this blog, we will look at how to make every scene in your novel powerful…
HOW TO MAKE EVERY SCENE IN YOUR NOVEL POWERFUL
Table of Contents
When a new writer sets out to write a novel they might feel overwelled. The idea of writing a 300 to 500 page might seem too much. And there’s a chance by the middle it could wander without direction. However, when your goal is to write scenes it makes it easier for you. You’re breaking it down to simpler steps.
You see it at a distance. Stepping back and seeing the overall flow of the story. You’re aware of how each scene will stack up against the other. How they’ll build-up, one scene flowing into the next, telling a complete story.
WHAT IS A SCENE
But what is a scene? A scene is a small story in itself. It has a beginning, middle, and end. Where either one of two things happens, 1/ character is revealed through action, or 2/ important information is revealed that moves the story forward.
Every scene has an introduction of location. Letting the reader know where the event is taking place. Who the characters are involved in the scene, it could be one, two, or more. (However, not all characters have to be present right at the start. Someone important could enter at any point).
YOU DO NOT WANT TO WASTE A SCENE
The scene should have a point as to why it exists. Some type of rising tension or energy moving forward. Everyone in a scene should be wanting something. Either something physical or information. You don’t want a scene that’s dull and wanders with the reader confused as to what’s happening. At some point either through dialogue or action something new has to be revealed that makes the scene worthwhile.
What a scene is not, is wasted time. Where no character is revealed or information is not revealed. You do not want a wasted scene. Something the reader will be bored reading. If nothing new is revealed the reader will sense the scene was pointless. What is revealed could be minor or major, but at least something is revealed. So the reader knows more of the storyline or character than the previous scene. The scene then has an ending, moving on to the next.
WORKING THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
Each scene builds on the other. You should not be able to rearrange the scenes and have the story make sense. Writing scenes is like walking up a staircase, one step at a time. You can’t have any missing steps.
When writing a novel you need an introduction called “the first act”. Then the middle section of rising tension called “the second act.” Then “the third act”, the resolution. And all three of these acts are built on multiple scenes in which information is revealed each time.
THE SCENE WAS NEVER NEEDED
If you do not have information being revealed in each scene, that scene was never needed. If you can take out a scene and it does not affect the flow of the story it shouldn’t be there to begin with. All scenes need to go somewhere, a build-up.
Think of the movie “The Godfather” there is not a wasted scene in the movie. Each scene is needed to move to the next. If you take one scene out the rest of the movie does not work. The entire movie is character-driven. They do not stand around waiting for something to happen to respond to it. They take action. It’s their personalities that drive the story forward.
YOUR NOVEL IS LIKE A PUZZLE
The audience watches and listens to every scene knowing there’s a story being told. It’s like a puzzle, you need to pay attention as each scene as they play out.
The character’s arcs make the movie work. At no point does anyone act “out of character.” Each reacts in their own way to a problem they’re dealing with in each scene. And each scene stacked on top of the other makes the story believable. It does not wander, it flows straight forward like an arrow.
A SCENE IS LIKE A STORY IN ITSELF
Every great story has a rememberable opening scene and a powerful ending scene. The first and last scenes are what people remember. But how do you get from the first to the last and have it powerful? As a writer, you want to know each scene is like a story in itself. You have an intro, build-up, and conclusion. Some new information has to be revealed in each new scene. You do not want a wasted scene. You do not want characters standing around talking about something that has nothing to do with the storyline.
The last scene in the Godfather has Micheal Corleone sitting in a chair in his office. With two of his men standing at his side. His eyes are cold, he looks like the devil. As if he has no soul. He has traded his soul for power. It’s a power last moment. But the scene would lack power if it wasn’t for the scenes leading up to it.
THE LAST SCENE WILL MEAN NOTHING UNLESS…
It starts off at a wedding with Micheal smiling in his military uniform believing in his country and ends with him in a black suit looking like the devil. Every scene leading up to it is needed for the last scene to have power.
As a writer, you want to think of your last scene. Take time planning it in your mind. You want it powerful. You want people to remember it. All great stories have a powerful ending scene. Now you have to build up to it. The last scene will mean nothing unless you build a powerful story leading up to it. What scene happens before it that gives the last scene power? And what scene happens before that and so on. Until you come up with the first scene.
YOUR STORY IS LIKE A TRAIN MOVING FORWARD
It’s like your working backward. You need to look at your first scene and last scene and see how they mirror each other but yet are the opposite. How did you get there? What path do you have to take to get the first powerful scene to the last powerful scene? As a writer, you don’t want your story to wander leading to a pointless ending.
Your story should be a train moving down a straight track. Stopping at stations, (with each station a powerful moment in your story). You have little scenes building up to a big powerful scene. Until you get to your ending.
THE SMALLER SCENES WERE NECESSARY
In “The Godfather” Sonny’s death is a powerful moment. But it wouldn’t mean as much if it suddenly came out of nowhere. However, by us seeing a scene earlier where Sonny flies into a rage after finding out his sister was beaten by her husband we now see how impulsive he can be. How he lets his emotions get the best of him. This scene is necessary for what happens later.
Later when Sonny gets a call from his sister saying her husband has hit her again Sonny instantly goes crazy and takes off to find Carlo. But his security guards fail to keep up with him. When sonny reaches the tollbooth he’s alone. Then multiple gunmen stand up and shoot him.
SCENES ARE LIKE WALKING UP A STAIRCASE
The audience realizes it’s was all a setup. Carlo has beaten Connie knowing Sonny will come after him in a rage letting Barzini’s hitmen have a chance to take him out. All these scenes are necessary. They flow from one to the other, telling a story. A powerful scene likes Sonny’s death needed smaller scenes before to give power to it. Like walking up a staircase, one “step/scene” at a time.
As a writer, you want to know what powerful scenes you’ll have in your story and what smaller scenes are needed leading up to it.
IT WAS A SCENE MEANT TO HAPPEN
If Sonny’s death came out of nowhere it wouldn’t have had meaning. But the scenes before played out scene by scene creating a memorable moment.
You can tell “Mario Puzio” knew what he was doing. All the scenes leading up to Sonny’s death was intentional. It wasn’t luck. Just like seeing a scene with Micheal at the wedding in his military uniform outside in the sunlight in the beginning. And then seeing him in the black business suit in a dark office at the end. It means something, wasn’t a lucky shot in the book. It was meant to happen.
DO NOT LET YOUR STORY WANDER
As a writer, you want to think of powerful scenes in your story. Something that will be remembered. And what smaller scenes have to happen for the bigger scenes to have power. If you have a big scene happen out of nowhere it catches the reader off guard. It means nothing, but if you build up to it it will stay with the reader long afterward.
This is why you don’t want your story to wander while writing. This can happen if you don’t know your story. Or don’t know your ending. By having an idea of the ending you can write scenes leading up to it. It’s clear when watching “The Godfather” the director Francis Ford Coppola knew what he was going for when writing the screenplay. He knew he was writing scenes that built on each other, not writing a story that wandered all over the place.
EVERY SCENE MOVED THE STORY FORWARD
When you look at a movie like “Casablanca” you see a powerful opening scene and a powerful ending. But the ending would mean nothing unless there is a great story built on powerful scenes in between. It’s no wonder “Casablanca” won an oscar for best screenplay. Every scene was needed. Every scene moved the story forward. No one acted out of character. It was the character’s personalities that moved the story forward.
Anyone wishing to be a great writer needs to watch “Casablanca” and witness the dance of one scene moving to the next like artwork. Anything and everything unnecessary was left out. Every scene started late and ended early, nothing dragged.
THE SCENES ARE STATIC
When reading a book or watching a movie if you’re bored chances are you’re watching scenes in which no important information is being revealed. Just static scenes where people talk but nothing is being “said.”
As the audience, you couldn’t tell how Casablance was going to end, because little bits of information were only being revealed in each scene. You had to watch and collect the information from scene to scene and put them together. As a writer, you want to know, “what bit of information will be revealed in this scene.” Information that when stacked onto the others completes the puzzle. Tells a story.
EVERY GENRE IS MADE UP OF SCENES
Because in the end, all stories are a mystery. Even if it’s a comedy, ( A Fish called Wanda, Airplane!) or a romance movie, or horror ( The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby.) They all need solving. If someone reading a book can guess correctly how a story will end right away, it’s not fun to read.)
As a writer, you should break up the important information into scenes. Don’t give too much away all at once. Give them just enough information to keep them hooked. Get them turning the page. Great movies like “The Godfather“, “Chinatown“, “Casablanca” do this. Keeps you waiting and guessing.
AIM FOR A HUGE ENDING
As a writer, aim for a big powerful ending, plan it and see it happening. Something that will make the audience stand up and cheer. Now ask yourself, what smaller scenes do I need to have leading up to it to make it a reality.
Never plan on having a powerful ending with a boring story leading up. Believing the “big ending” will make up for it. No one will read your novel to start with, missing out on the “big” scene. How can anyone read the final scene if they stop writing halfway through?
FOCUS ON THE CHARACTER ARCS
Don’t forget to remember how character arcs can really impact the story. By knowing your story’s flow and character arcs you can create scenes that make that arc a reality. You can show the transformation with action. Not having a character change for “no reason.”
By knowing where the character ends up and where they start gives you a direction. They could go from bad to good or good to bad. Either way when the reader senses change in the character it has to backed up with certain scenes.
YOU HAVE TO JUSTIFY THE CHANGE
As a writer, you want to know what scenes will show the change, justify the change. You want to create smaller scenes that will lead to bigger scenes. So when the character changes it makes sense. So by the end of your story, the character is different in a believable way. With the reader believing the change. Not having the character change in the end suddenly out of the blue. Anytime someone changes for no reason the reader will not believe it. But if they see the change happen, it will make sense.
A new writer might get worked up over the idea of writing a novel. Overthinking too much. Believing it would be too much writing a long book. But don’t look at it as a long novel. See it as a collection of scenes leading up to a powerful ending.
AVOID STORIES THAT STANDSTILL
The reader wants to see the journey the characters go through. It’s like driving a car from New York to Los Angeles. You pass through small towns leading to bigger cities on the way. But the entire time you stay on the main road to your final major destination.
The reader should always sense movement in your story. No one wants a story that stands still or wanders all over the place.
EVERYONE IS JUST STANDING AROUND
Imagine a Sherlock Holmes novel where there’s no crime, no investigation. Characters just chatting with each other, no one doing anything important. The reader will wonder why they’re reading the book to start with. But what makes Sherlock Homes successful is how each scene is necessary. One flows into the next. Every scene is powerful in revealing something important. “A clue.” Everything about a successful Sherlock Holmes story is built on one scene leading to the next, until the big ending.
When he investigates a crime scene he will find something important that will lead to the next scene, in which something important is revealed. Until he finally confronts the villain. However, without each small scene revealing something important it would not move to the next. The story would come to a stop. If Sherlock confronted the villain out of the blue the reader would be disappointed. Nothing leading up to it, justifying it.
WHAT WILL BE REVEALED?
As a writer, you want to know what each scene is about, what will be revealed. How it helps move the story forward. Is it revealing information or revealing character? You want to analyze each scene and see how they build on each other leading up to a powerful ending.
you might be interested in these blogs…
THE GREATEST SECRET TO WRITING AN AMAZING NOVEL
THE TOUGHEST PART YOU’LL FACE WHEN WRITING A NOVEL
HOW TO HAVE THE PERFECT ENDING TO YOUR NOVEL
