Hello!
If you've got a scene that feels like it's not quite working, it's worth asking yourself what actually happens in that scene.
It's very easy to have scenes that are mainly internal reaction: characters deliberating on their best course of action, or remembering things from the past.
While it's great to have access to the character's mind (indeed, it's one of the things the novel form does best) ... this can also make for scenes where there's nothing physically happening.
Imagine filming your scene. What would the viewer see?
In some draft scenes that I've read (and written), the answer might be:
- My character sitting on their bed
- My character taking a long shower
- My character chatting to another character over coffee
- Um ... I'm not sure where the character even is
Could you have a bit more happening while the character is thinking or talking? Perhaps instead of sitting on their bed, they're packing for a trip. Perhaps instead of being in the shower, they're trying to grab breakfast while family members get in the way. Perhaps instead of chatting over coffee, they're catching up while playing golf.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a lot of action (unless you're writing a very action-driven novel, your characters won't be involved in car chases, sky diving, or fights in every scene). But there does need to be something that we can see taking place in this scene.
If that makes for a more complex scene, where the character is having to react to new things, or with tension between them and others, then even better!
This is important because, from a reader's perspective, having character just sitting around musing on life kills the pace. We want a sense of things happening: a scene that we can picture taking place, so that we feel immersed in it.
Your character's deliberations and decisions might be a crucial part of their arc. Your character's memories about their past might inform a major plot point. But if the reader is yawning and starting to skim-read, it's going to fall flat.
You don't need to cut your scene altogether. Instead, make something happen during it: you'll hold the reader's attention and have a stronger story as a result.
Happy writing,
Ali
P.S. If you've finished a first draft of your novel but you're a bit stumped on what to do now ... I have a free workshop this Sunday at 7pm UK / 2pm EDT. 🌟 Check it out below, or click the magic link to register:
👉 Auto-register for Where Next?! What to Do With Your Finished First Draft
You’ve made it through your first draft (possibly with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears) …
… now what?!
You need to redraft, but where do you even begin?
Maybe you’re missing some key scenes, you changed your mind halfway through about the plot, or your characters went off in a direction you didn’t expect.
So how do you take the wonderfully creative mess of Draft One and start the process of shaping it into a well-crafted novel?
That’s what we’re going to be tackling in this month’s free workshop.
🖥️ Free online workshop: “Where Next?! What to Do With Your Finished First Draft” (45 mins + next steps and Q&A)
📅 Sunday 17th May
🕖 7pm UK / 2pm EDT / 11am PDT
🎬 Recording available afterwards (but come live if you can!)
Sounds like just what you’ve been waiting for? Click the magic link to register:
👉 Auto-register for Where Next?! What to Do With Your Finished First Draft
Want to know a bit more first? Just keep reading …
In Where Next?! What to Do With Your Finished First Draft, we’ll be looking at the key steps to take after you’ve got a complete (ish!) first draft, covering:
- How to plan for Draft Two (the critical step that a lot of writers miss out)
- Different ways to keep track of the material you’ve already got
- Why you need to separate the big picture from the details when you edit
- What types of help and support are most useful at different stages of the process
- Whether you should carry on if you feel like giving up on your novel altogether
This workshop is for you if any of these sound familiar:
- You’ve just got to the end of your first draft and you’re feeling a bit deflated, like the fun bit is over
- You finished your first draft months (or years) ago … and have done little or nothing with it since
- You’ve done a lot of small edits but they don’t seem to be adding up to much progress
- You’re still on your first draft but you want to have a clearer idea of what comes next
- You’ve got a second/third/etc draft that feels like it needs substantial editing (very normal – I’m currently making sweeping changes at a second→third draft stage myself)
To join us, just click the magic link:
👉 Auto-register for Where Next?! What to Do With Your Finished First Draft
Use the password alinewsletter to get freebies at aliventures.com/newsletter-secret
Aliventures Blog | Writers' Cafe |
Find me on Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
