Five Essential Elements of Effective Novel Scenes
And throw in these two extras for good measure
I was on a panel at a writers conference recently, and someone asked if I could offer suggestions on how to develop effective scenes. What a great question. Scenes determine how the reader engages with your characters. Yet, so often, it seems that this is left to chance. I can usually tell if this is the case when I’m editing a novel because there might be three or four high intensity scenes in a row or lackluster moments that could be summarized. So let’s tackle the essentials of a novel scene, but first, a definition.
What Is a Scene?
Scenes are the building blocks of story, creating the framework for your novel. A scene shows the reader your characters’ growth and puts them through their paces as they attempt to reach their goal. Scenes should have a cause-and-effect relationship.
Set Your Scene Intentions
Before you begin writing a scene, ask yourself the following questions:
• What is the purpose of this scene? What is the most important information that needs to be revealed to the reader?
•What is my protagonist's goal in this scene? (Note that this may be different than in the novel.) What is at stake for my protagonist?
• What is the main conflict in this scene?
• How does this scene further develop my novel’s plot?
Add These Scene Essentials
Once you have these basics in mind, now you’re ready to include these essential elements to create a robust, dynamic scene.
•Character(s): Your POV character should be an active part of this scene, and they should be trying to achieve something. It can be small or large, but it should be important to them.
•Setting and time period: A scene exists in a specific location at a specific point in time. Use sensory details to to immerse the reader in this time and location with your characters.
•Momentum: A scene should have action that allows the story to feel as if it is unfolding in real time. This doesn’t mean that the scene needs to involve a car chase or a bank robbery, but the characters should be doing things that feel part of the moment, creating energy in the scene.
•Tension: Without tension, a scene can feel flat and uninteresting because there is nothing at stake. Tension can take different forms — a character struggling with an internal conflict, two characters engaging in a heated argument, or a physical obstacle that your character must overcome.
•New information: By the end of each scene, either the reader or the protagonist should have new information, about the characters or about the situation they are in.
Bonus Scene Elements
Not every scene should have the following elements, but if you can include them, it will make your scene even more dynamic.
•Antagonist: Which character(s) are able to stand in the way of your protagonist reading their goal? Including these characters in your scene will immediately increase the tension and momentum.
•Dialogue: Often scenes contain conversation between characters. Dialogue is an important tool for revealing character and advancing the plot. And dialogue can be used to reveal new information.
Which elements have you used consistently in your scenes? Are any of these elements new to you? Reply and let me know!
If you’d like to learn more about how to craft dynamic and compelling scenes that keep readers engaged to the very end of your book, consider taking my class at GrubStreet on Developing Dynamic Scenes for Your Novel. Learn more at the link below.
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What I’m enjoying (ok, devouring): Smitten Kitchen’s Guinness chocolate cake is to. die. for. It is death by chocolate, which is not a bad way to go, imo.
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What I’m considering: As an editor, I spend a large chunk of my day sitting and staring at a computer screen. I’d love to be able to get a little movement too. Have you tried walking pads? Not quite a treadmill, these are smaller and foldable, without a lot of bells and whistles. I’d love some recs!
Hi, Jackie --
Again, your post has come at just the right time. I am working on improving a scene in my drafty draft novel. The pacing is off, and not enough happens until the end. The words of advice you shared will be a great help.
In answer to your question, I always include dialogue in my scenes. In fact, I don’t think I have written a single scene ever that didn’t include dialogue! Perhaps it’s my theater background that leads me to savor writing dialogue. From your list, the two pieces I struggle with most are momentum and tension. With your advice in hand I am ready to forge ahead!