Want To Write the Perfect Scene For Your Novel? Here's How!

Although, the characters you create might be the most memorable aspect of your story, scenes certainly have a major impact on what we remember from books, movies, and other storytelling platforms.

Think about the last time you stepped out of the movie theatre. Chances are your conversion will go something like:

• I liked/hated that movie! [scene] was the best/worst!

• Yeah! And what about [scene]?

• Or how about [scene]?

An audience loves characters because they identify with them, but they remember scenes because it helps to ground them into the story.

Even though you may have a fantastic plot idea – your narrative will go nowhere unless you create each scene with meticulous detail.  That is why after you plan your novel, you should spend time determining what scenes it will have in it.

However, writing a scene is easier said than done.

Some scenes happen in sequential, timeline order, while others are written in a nonlinear fashion. Others are meant to feed information while others work to increase the pacing.

Getting started can be a real headache, but it doesn’t have to be!

Here’s how to write a scene in fiction:

WHAT IS A SCENE?

A scene is each part of your novel in which a character, or characters, engage in dialogue or action. It can be short, or long, but it should help to move the plot along. A common theme throughout this book is that a scene should serve a purpose.

For instance, if you have an adventure story about 18th century pirates, then your story might have the following scenes:

• The pirates board a new ship to search for gold

• Two pirates confess their love for another

• A group of pirates get in a fight at a tavern in a new city

• One of the pirates decides they do not want to be a pirate anymore

As you can see, each scene is related to the core characters (the pirates) and serves some purpose. The search for gold shows what the pirates are after (wealth), the confession of love humanizes the pirates and may be a plot arc that comes up later. The same with pirate deciding to no longer be a pirate. It creates a human element to the piece.

What then of the pirates getting into a fight? Does this serve a purpose?

It can!

This scene might be relevant because it shows how merciless the pirates are or how prone to violence they have become. It also can show how society views the pirates.

The fight scene can also have more subversive elements, such as a look between two characters who will later meet, some shared information, etc.

Essentially, no matter what scene you are writing, you must ensure that you are thinking critically about what this says about your characters and how this scene contributes to the larger plot.

Consider the following scenes in a science fiction piece about robots:

• The robot is given new A.I. code

• The robot breaks out of the lab

• The robot finds and a strange animal (dog) and doesn’t know what it is

• The robot rusts during a rainstorm

What reasons can you give for the above scenes? Think about character motivations, sequence of events, and cause/effect while you craft your replies.

Spend a few minutes jotting down some ideas before moving on.

While scenes are all the moments that make up the whole story, you should consider how they work in tandem with one another. 

Scenes are separate in a novel because each one should have its story arc.

To illustrate the point, let us use the example of the pirates again. Specifically, we will go with this scene:

• The pirates board a new ship to search for gold.

At the beginning of the scene, the pirates might struggle to get on the ship because it is much larger, and the occupants of the other boat (let’s say another group of pirates) do not want their vessel boarded.

The middle is the action – the daring fights and almost deaths of the pirates while taking out all their enemies. Here, it would be important to focus on characterization so that each action the pirate takes is unique to their individual fighting/fleeing style.

The ending to this scene is when the pirates can completely board the ship, all their enemies are defeated, and the goal of the scene is either met or not. In this case, the goal was to board the ship to find gold.

Suppose the pirates do not find gold, but instead find a treasure map!

This would be a good setup for the next chapter, and if this was a beginning scene, it would be a good setup for the novel.

IDENTIFY THE PURPOSE OF A SCENE

As mentioned, each scene in your story should serve a purpose.

Let’s go back to the pirate story.

Some of the other reasons for the boarding ship may have been because:

• The ship has something other than gold on it (a captive, a map, etc.)

• The other ship was simply faster

• The pirate captain has a personal vendetta against the other ship’s captain

• The pirates need information that only this crew has

• They need a new crew and want to take over because of it

Regardless of the reason, there had to have been some s specific purpose for that scene to occur.

Before writing each scene, identify its purpose in the larger context of your story.

What might happen if this scene was not included in your manuscript?

If the answer is, nothing much would change, then the scene doesn’t need to be included.

Even if it’s a great scene, and even one that audiences would love, if it does not serve a purpose, then it will just slow down the pacing or drag out your story.

There are many reasons you may need to include a scene.

Here are some examples: 

• Transition Between Time or Location

• Introduction of Characters or Concepts

• Solving A Mystery

• Climax

• Deeper Understanding of Characters or Concepts

• Tie Up Loose Ends

• Sharing Information

Once you identify why your scene is in the story, you can then begin to think of what kind of descriptions you might have in it. 

USING A SCENE CHART FOR BETTER DESCRIPTIONS

Knowing the plot of your story, including each scene, is one of the elements of fiction writing. Thus, when you know the scene’s purpose, you can then think of all the elements that may go within it.

• What is the location?

• What smells, sights, sounds, etc., do your characters experience?

• How do your characters interact with one another?

• What changes during the scene?

• How fast/slow is this scene?

• Etc.

The more of the above information you can provide, the richer your scene will be for your audience. 

When I write a novel, I like to use a scene chart to help me pinpoint the sensory elements in the story. 

 Here is an example:

To start, I have included all sensory information that one character might experience in each location. Typically, you do this from your character’s perspective, but if you are writing a third-person omniscient piece, you want to include everything.

You can also have everything to determine what your character will/will not notice in the narrative. For example, if the pirate story is from the first-person perspective, I might notate some of the items in the room where the gold is kept. One of these items may be a book. If this pirate character cannot read, you can note the book’s title, but this is something the character does not know, but the reader does.

This may happen a lot throughout your narrative.

They may spell out the letters, if possible, to clue the reader into the information, but not the character. When completing this chart, you want to be mindful of the story’s perspective.  

Next, you want to include the characters present in the scene, even if they are only in reference (such as how I noted the person who sent the email my character received). Then, you list out the story goals or, as discussed, the purpose for this scene.

Finally, you can include any foreshadowing that takes place, as well as the timeline.

Here is a blank example for reference:

It not necessary to use a tool like the above to map out your scenes. It is simply helpful to have some thought behind each segment of your book. You could very well jot down the above on a sheet of paper or type it up in a word document.

The point is to spend time thinking of each scene in both detail and how it affects the larger story at play.

START WRITING THE SCENE

Once you understand your scene’s purpose and you know what kind of sensory information is present, it is time to start writing the scene.

Start with the beginning, ask yourself questions such as:

• Where are the characters at?

• What is different than the previous scene?

• What information does your reader need to understand what is happening?

• What is the main objective of this scene and how does each action taken by the characters work to meet that goal?

The middle part should be the most conflict-driven part of the scene.

This can be conflict through dialogue, action, or through internal/external pressure of your character(s). Again, you should consider how each action contributes to the specific goal of the scene, as well as to the larger context of the novel.

Finally, how does the scene end? Does it end with some resolution, or does it end with a new conflict meant to build up the next scene?

Remember to consider the changes for each character as well as the overall story. One character may have a different outcome than another in the scene.

In short, always be thinking about cause and effect when you write, especially when you map out your scenes.

Once you write a first draft of your scene you can then look out for areas of weaknesses and inconsistencies. In doing so you can ensure that each scene is not only contributing to the larger whole but is dynamic and memorable all on its own.

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