A Rich Canvas @frenchdrop - Tumblr Blog

uhmuhummmuhhh

thanks man

melonramune

Japan Only PlayStation Disc Art

drakencloud

Back when shit was cool

nondelphic

"just write a little every day" ok but what if i write nothing for 3 weeks and then suddenly type like i’m being hunted by god

nondelphic

wrote a scene so intense i had to walk around my apartment like a medieval knight recovering from a duel

fefiemmanouil1

Santorini, Greece

writingwithfolklore

Scene Building: If you don't have anything interesting to say--don't say it.

The basics of building a scene is this: it should have a reason to exist. However, “reason to exist” is a bit more specific than 'it exists to fulfill a purpose'. A scene in which two characters go to the store to get eggs for a cake technically fulfills this brief—the scene exists for a reason; the characters need eggs for their cake so they go get some.

The problem here is that a scene in which two characters go to the store and get eggs and then go back home is… boring, or at least actually unnecessary.

So really, your scene needs to fulfill a practical function (characters reach or fail their goal) and a secondary function—character dynamics or development is explored, background is revealed, arcs are furthered, friendships are formed or tested or broken, etc.

If two characters are baking a cake but they need eggs and nothing new or interesting happens at the store, the scene can be skipped in a sentence or two:

“given the unfortunate lack of eggs present in the fridge, John and Hector took a short trip to the corner store, gathering a carton of eggs for too much money before they headed home. 'Time to get cracking on this cake,' Hector said.”

However, if there is something new or interesting to say at the shop—the clerk is John’s ex, all the town’s stores mysteriously closed at 2pm, Hector takes the walk alone to tell his friend something he’s been too scared to say—that makes it a scene worth your time.

So really, the basics of building a scene is: if you don’t have anything interesting to say—don’t say it at all. Or otherwise, a scene should always be doing at least two things, goal and character, character and goal.

What are some other rules for building scenes you’ve heard of?