Before You Start A Scene...

At the end of January I made a quick list of the weapons I gather prior to starting a first draft. Today the focus is on scenes, because the plotter on me could not dive in without some preparation, at least.

Before I start that blog post (ah!), however, I'd like to point out that I am guest-posting on Tahereh Mafi's most awesome blog today. It's an incredible honour, and you should check it out! Especially since I rarely do 'funny' posts around here.

Now, to business! What do I need to know before I start a scene?

1) What is the conflict here?
Conflict is the driving strength behind a scene. Don't start before you know what your POV wants in this scene, and what stops him from getting it.

2) Who is your POV? Why?
I've blogged about the difficulties of choosing POVs in the past. Look for characters with high stakes, whether physical or emotional. Know your POV and know why he is the one narrating (even with a single POV story, you want to examine what your character brings to a scene that is unique).

3) How does this scene reflect the world?
I might care for this one a lot because I love worldbuilding, and enjoy watching details translate the world I created. Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile considerations even if your setting's a midwest town in the US. Every setting is unique. Not every scene will show it, but the more, the better!

4) Do you have HIP?
HIP in your scene is a concept taken from J.S. Bell's Plot and Structure book. In short: hook-intensity-prompt. Intensity is harder to think of in advance (it goes with conflict), but I like to have an idea of Hook and Prompt before I start.

5) What is the mission of this scene?
This one is from Larry Brooks, at storyfix. In a recent post he gave a small but solid advice: every scene should have a succint mission. (his words, not mine). What is the point of your scene? How does it move the novel forward? This is a great post to read, by the way.

So these are my basics. Also, wow, so many links!

If you are a Super-Plotter, I recommend you check out Margo's (from Urban Psychopomp) scene-building template. Tons of possible questions to ask yourself there!

Is there anything you think I missed? What do you always have at the ready before you start?

HIP In Your Scenes

The HIP system is something we all know about, on a different level, but it bears repeating because in my opinion, writing a good scene is hard. We know what we must strive for, but nailing it isn't so easy. It takes practice.

Again, all credit for this goes to James Scott Bell. If you want more, you'll have to pick up Plot and Structure.

What is HIP? An acronym (I think Bell loves acronyms, he has quite a few of them) of what you need in any scene: hook, intensity and prompt.

H for Hook. Start with something that raises questions. You need to grab your reader right off the bat and make him want to read on. All those tips for first sentences in a novel? Apply them to first sentences in a scene. Most of the time, location isn't your best bet. Be daring. Tease your readers before you describe the setting.

I for Intensity. Scenes need to be intense, or your reader will get bored. Pack them with tension and increase the intensity as the novel advances. This doesn't mean action; emotional turmoil can be just as intense. What you need is a simple thing: conflict. 

There should be conflict even in scenes between friends or allies. Play with their opposing agendas. Pit their opposing personalities against one-another. Make sure there are sparks flying. Turn every dialogue into a sparring contest. Make your scenes so tense the actual page is shaking. Or, well, maybe not, but you get the point.

P for Prompt. Don't end with something boring. Give your readers a reason to keep going, even if it's 4 am and they work early. Prompts can be impeding danger, mysterious dialogue lines, important announcement or vows... anything major, really. Just don't end with "Good-bye" or "He left the office."  End with something interesting.

Or, as Hitchcock used to say... "Cut out the dull parts."

Planning My Final Scene

My week has been spent trying to unravel the mess that was my final scenes. There were so many little things to think about. I had to keep track of where the characters were on "the set", what they were doing, if they could react, etc. I tried to do it mentally, and I spent hours turning the scene in my head, trying to see if everything fit. I wanted the scene to be consistent.

 I never managed it by myself. 5 hours in a car and little results. I had this character whom I was convinced was always in the way.

So what did I do? I drew a table.

I gave each of my characters a line, and put every 'key event' in a column. Every time something happened, I detailed where each character was and how they reacted, if needed.

It took four days of hard work to get through it, but I managed. The conclusion? Everything was actually working out quite nicely. That character I thought he was in the way? Not at all! He's right where I need him!

It was a great relief, and I learned one thing: sometimes, imagining the scene isn't enough and I need some organization. So to the others: take the time to sit down and write. If a scene gets as complicated as mine was (lots of little events happening), don't waste time trying to think through it. The pen is your best friend.

Oh, and here's the actual table, on Excel: