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Every scene, from the opening of your novel to the final scene at the end, should move your story forward. Scenes may contain character introductions, descriptions of setting, dialogue, and action. In some scenes, characters reflect on what just happened or remember events that transpired far in the past. But fundamentally, each scene in your novel should result in some kind of change that pushes your story forward.
To get technical, a scene is an action that takes place at a particular time in a particular setting. A scene is bound in time and place, though characters can enter and exit.
Set the Scene
It's important to give careful thought to the point, in the ongoing action, when you want to start writing a scene.
"The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel" author, Hallie Ephron, offers a good rule of thumb: Start as late as possible. Basically, start the scene when things begin to happen. Often writers do this by jumping right into the middle of some ongoing action.
To set the scene, you need to think of the following:
• When and where does the scene take place?
• Which characters are in the scene?
• How does the scene open?
• What is the main thing that happens/changes?
The Essential Change in a Scene
Throughout each scene, some change should occur to move your story forward. It's not enough for a scene to just introduce a character or convey lots of interesting information about the setting. In every scene, something has to change. This means that something has to happen that changes the situation.
The change might be a big change caused by some external cataclysmic event like a bomb or zombie apocalypse, or it can be a subtle change caused by a small event like the discovery of a disturbing letter or the realization that a loved one is behaving oddly.
Kinds of Changes
The change that occurs in a scene can be a change in a character's emotional state, or a change in a relationship among the characters, or a change in a situation.
Changes in Emotional State
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A scene can also contain a change in the relationship between two characters.
Changes in Relationship Between Characters
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