How to write a scene: Nailing purpose and

structure
Understanding how to keep a scene interesting is a crucial skill for writing a novel or screenplay. Scenes
are the basic building blocks of a chapter or act. Read on for tips on how to write a scene, plus analysis
of story scene examples:

 Post authorBy Jordan

 16 Commentson How to write a scene: Nailing purpose and structure

Understanding how to keep a scene interesting is a crucial skill for writing a

novel or screenplay. Scenes are the basic building blocks of a chapter or act.
Read on for tips on how to write a scene, plus analysis of story scene
examples:

What is a scene exactly?

The word scene broadly means ‘A place or setting regarded as having a
particular character or making a particular impression.’ (Oxford English
Dictionary).
In stories and writing craft, a scene is also defined as:

 ‘A sequence of continuous action in a play, film, opera, or book’

 ‘A representation of an incident, or the incident itself’

How do these definitions combine?

Scenes show us sequences of actions and incidents in place and time,

 revealing characters’ choices, reactions, emotions, decisions and
dilemmas.

How to writes scenes: A checklist

To write exciting and interesting scenes:

 Understand what scenes in stories do

 Study scene examples to learn story structure
 Connect scenes to their sequels
 Brainstorm goals, conflicts and disasters
 Plot reactions, dilemmas and decisions
 Organise scene ideas visually
 Write scenes with purpose using the 5 w’s
 Find satisfying ways to begin and end scenes

Understand what scenes in stories do

In a story, scenes:

1. Move the story forward: They keep us engaged, asking ‘what happens
next?’
2. Establish cause and effect: This links to the first point. For example, a scene
might begin with a character missing a train. As a result, the character may be
late for a meeting.
3. Reveal consequences: A subsequent scene following the missed train, for
example, might show the consequences for the character when they are late
for their meeting.
4. Make a story easier to follow: Scenes divide what could be a narrative
mess into digestible units of actions and events. They allow us to play with
how we release information to the reader (for example, a scene resolving an
earlier subplot might only take place much later in a novel).

What is hard about writing scenes? Structure, for one. And knowing what to
include, and what to leave out.

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Study scene examples to learn structure
A scene contains significant events along with any relevant
background that helps us to understand at least some context for
characters’ actions.

The greatest scenes wrap your imagination in memorable actions,

descriptions and/or conversations.

Study scene examples in books you love. Note down where scene-setting
(describing the place in which the scene occurs) starts and ends.

Which part is backward-looking exposition? What part moves forwards? What

do you know at the end of the scene about place, character, or situation that
you did not know at the start?

Scene structure example: Dickens’ Great Expectations

Charles Dickens is a great author to study for understanding scene structure.
Despite having written over a hundred years ago, his stories stand up today
and continue to have many film and TV adaptations due to their rich
characterization, efficient structure and compelling drama.
 Let’s dissect the opening scene in his thirteenth novel Great
Expectations (Project Gutenberg has the full public domain text).

The child Pip comes face to face with an escaped convict in a graveyard:

Beginning a scene: Exposition

The opening lines of Great Expectations introduce us to the hero and how he
got his nickname (being unable to say either his first name or surname and
saying ‘Pip’ instead).
My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant
tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip.
So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.
This exposition or scene introduction helps us already begin to understand Pip
and get a feel for his voice as a narrator and main character.

Developing a scene: Further expository detail

From this simple yet specific introduction, we read further details about Pip’s
backstory:

I give Pirrip as my father’s family name, on the authority of his tombstone and
my sister —Mrs. Joe Gargery, who married the blacksmith. As I never saw my
father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them (for their
days were long before the days of photographs), my first fancies regarding
what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones. The
shape of the letters on my father’s, gave me an odd idea that he was a
square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair.
Further details revealed include:

 Pip’s parents have died

 Pip’s sister is married to a blacksmith named Joe (we soon meet the sister
who is his guardian in a sequel to the first scene)
 Pip has no memories of his parents, implying they died when he was an infant

Anchoring a scene in place/time: Surrounds

Until the third paragraph, there is no specific scene yet. The first scene
‘proper’ has not yet begun, as Dickens has mainly given us important
character introduction, context for understanding approaching scenes
easily.
The third paragraph is a skillful transition from talking about place
generally to where Pip is now at this moment in the story. It is a
smooth transition into action:

Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound,
twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of the
identity of things seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw
afternoon towards evening. At such a time I found out for certain that this
bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip,
late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and
buried…
We get a fuller sense of where Pip lives and he remembers a specific incident
tied to place; visiting the graveyard where his father and mother are buried.

The end of the paragraph leads from general description of the graveyard to a
specific occasion, emotion, and encounter:

[I found out for certain…] that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard,
intersected with dikes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on
it, was the marshes; and that […] the distant savage lair from which the wind
was rushing was the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid
of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip.
The scene has launched into a specific moment: Pip, alone and scared, crying
in the graveyard.

This is important in understanding how to write a scene: changing from

broad to specific, more concrete story details creates movement,
forward motion. It’s like binoculars or a telescope finding an interesting
subject.
Varying tension and anticipation in a scene:

Up until the moment Pip starts to cry in the graveyard, there has been little
tension. As soon as he begins to cry, Dickens introduces a new, unexpected
character in the scene:

“Hold your noise!” cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the
graves at the side of the church porch. “Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut
your throat!”

A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no
hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head…
The action and sudden intrusion of the man creates a sharp spike in tension.

The scene immediately grows more interesting due to the anticipation of

conflict.

Developing desire and motive in a scene:

The man asks Pip questions about who he lives with and his mother and
father.
Dickens uses this further dialogue to reveal what the man wants: A file to
saw through a manacle on his leg (suggesting his having been a prisoner),
and food to eat:

… he came closer to my tombstone, took me by both arms, and tilted me back

as far as he could hold me; so that his eyes looked most powerfully down into
mine, and mine looked most helplessly up into his.

“Now lookee here,” he said, “the question being whether you’re to be let to
live. You know what a file is?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you know what wittles is?”

“Yes, sir.”

After each question he tilted me over a little more, so as to give me a greater

sense of helplessness and danger.

“You get me a file.” He tilted me again. “And you get me wittles.” He tilted me
again. “You bring ’em both to me.” He tilted me again. “Or I’ll have your heart
and liver out.” He tilted me again.
The scene shows us clearly what the new character wants, and thus why
he has sprung upon Pip.

Note how well Dickens blends the threatening dialogue and the man’s
repetitive actions to build the scene’s tension.

Ending a scene: Creating a satisfying departure point

The end of a scene is a good place to bring an incident to some degree of

closure (yet with open, suspense-creating questions lingering).

Dickens does this simply by having Pip escape the man’s clutches after
promising to bring him what he wants:

I said that I would get him the file, and I would get him what broken bits of
food I could, and I would come to him at the Battery, early in the morning.

“Say Lord strike you dead if you don’t!” said the man.
 I said so, and he took me down.
[…]
The marshes were just a long black horizontal line then, as I stopped to look
after him; and the river was just another horizontal line, not nearly so broad
nor yet so black; and the sky was just a row of long angry red lines and dense
black lines intermixed. […] I looked all round for the horrible young man, and
could see no signs of him. But now I was frightened again, and ran home
without stopping.

How to write scene structure: Scenes and sequels

Many well-planned novels have some form of broader structure (such as
three-act structure) ensuring everything hangs together.

Yet individual scenes have their own structure as well.

Dwight Swain, who wrote the book Techniques of the Selling Writer, divides
scene structure into two separate approaches that he calls ‘scenes’ and
‘sequels’.
Both scenes and sequels as described by Swain are types of scenes, so his
terms are a little confusing. This aside, here is the gist of Swain’s ideas:

Planning story scenes: Swain’s ‘scenes and sequels’

Swain categorises the purpose of a scene and sequel like this:

 Scene: A story unit that introduces a goal, conflict or disaster

 Sequel: A story unit composed of a reaction, a dilemma and/or decision

A scene must always be followed by a sequel for pacing reasons.

You cannot have one goal, conflict and disaster after another without the
occasional breather. If Pip were to encounter another escaped convict while
sprinting home, the story might start to feel like a zombie movie more than a
varied, nuanced plot.

Having a sequel between scenes gives characters (and your readers)

time to catch their breath and process prior events.

The rigidity of this approach to creating scenes is one of its shortcomings. You
also might not work in such a linear fashion when structuring your own
scenes.
Despite this, thinking in terms of cause and effect and making sure you
balance both is essential for writing good scenes.

There is a clear sense of goal, conflict, potential disaster, as well as

reaction, dilemma and decision in the scene example from Charles
Dickens shared above. The overall effect is that we know Pip and his
suspenseful situation from Chapter 1.
Brainstorm goals, conflicts and disasters
 When you set out to write a scene (particularly the first scene in a story or
chapter), ask:

 What goals can this scene reveal?

 What current or impending conflict looms?
 Is there a worst-case scenario for how this scene could turn out? (For
example, the convict coming after Pip if he breaks his promise to bring the
items the man wants)

Plot reactions, dilemmas and decisions

Once you have an idea of what scenes will show your characters’ goals and
the obstacles (conflicts), you have scene ideas to work with.

Plot reactions, dilemmas and decisions stemming from these events. For
example, from this goal:

 Pip must bring a threatening convict who accosted him in a graveyard a file
and food

You could have several dilemmas, such as:

 Should Pip do as he promised or not? What are the benefits or dangers of

following through with this?
 How will his sister and guardian (who turns out to be very feisty indeed) react
to Pip asking for (or taking without asking) extra food and a file?

The great thing about good scene structure like this is there is cause and
effect – a satisfying state of connection and consequence, scene to
scene.

Organize scene ideas visually

In deciding how to write a scene, it’s often useful to have a visual aid to see
how your story’s pieces connect.

Try approaches such as:

 A) Mind mapping

This is a staple in working out how to write a scene in a novel, screenplay or

short story.

You can mind map in a notebook, on a whiteboard or using a design program

such as Paint, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator or the equivalent.

To create a mind map for a story scene:

1. Start with a known element written in a circle, centre page. For example,
you might know that your scene starts with a couple arguing about something.
Write ‘argument between [characters’ names]’ as your starting point.
2. Add more circles branching out from your central scene event. Sketch
out ideas about what happens next, the emotional mood of the scene or
anything else you think is relevant.

B) Index cards

Vladimir Nabokov (who wrote Lolita entirely on index cards) was a fan of this
approach.
You could write individual actions or events on individual cards. This is a
useful method for organizing different events of a scene or chapter.

For example, you could create an index card per scene for each chapter.
Each card could describe the scene it covers in a sentence or two, along with
the purpose it serves. The format of Now Novel’s Scene Builder is similar:
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Novel subscribers get easy tools that show how to write scenes in easy
prompts.

C) Storyboarding

This is a common approach to story creation used by those who work in visual
media primarily (e.g. scriptwriters and comic book artists).

You literally sketch out the big moments of your scene in sequenced panels.
Don’t worry if you can’t draw: this is for your eyes only, and it’s fine to use
stick figures to represent your characters.

Sketching out what happens in a scene frame by frame can really help you
get a cinematic sense of your story, of what details are essential and what you
can happily leave out.

Write scenes with purpose using the 5 w’s

When writing a scene, ask these questions to keep focused on your scene’s
purpose:
1. Where does the scene take place? Have I made it easy for the reader to
visualize this? What role does the setting play in how the scene unfolds?

2. When does the scene happen? Is it in chronological sequence with preceding

events? Or is it a flashback?

3. Who is in the scene? Do you need more or fewer characters?

4. What happens in the scene? What is the scene about? Keep in mind that
these are not necessarily the same question. Example: a couple working
together on an overwhelming home renovation project might be what
is happening in a scene but it could actually be about the widening cracks in
their relationship, either literally or symbolically.

5. Why do the characters behave as they do in this scene? These questions are
all related to cause and effect, and this is an important aspect of creating
narrative drive.

These are the 5 W’s crucial for a good story that has depth.

Find satisfying ways to begin and end scenes

Knowing how to start a scene is important.

When crafting a scene opening, think about the purpose of the scene, how
long you want it to be and the kind of mood you want to convey to the reader.

The hook is important in a novel, but to craft a real page turner make every
scene have a lesser or greater hook of its own.

5 ways to begin a scene

Here are 5 effective ways to begin a scene:

1. Start a scene with action. You can’t start every scene with an explosion,
interrogation or car chase. Yet try to make your scene openings share active
character desires, choices and dilemmas that make us want to keep reading.
2. Start scenes with a summary. Sometimes, it’s better to tell, not show.
Sometimes starting with the specifics of characters’ actions gets too deep into
detail, too fast. A general expository statement (something telling the reader
what’s happened before the start of the story) can have a strong impact. For
 example, “He’d been dead three days before they found the body.” There’s
still mystery and tension in the telling.
3. Begin by revealing a character’s thoughts. Many character-driven novels
begin by introducing us to the mind, the world view, of a single character.
Salinger’s cynical teenager Holden in Catcher in the Rye, for example.
4. Start with strong setting. Many authors set the stage with striking
setting. Setting descriptions as openings are particularly effective if the
setting is integral to impending plot developments.
5. Begin with bold dialogue. Plunging the reader into a conversation between
two characters can be immediately compelling.

5 ways to end a scene

Ending a scene well can make the difference between your reader putting
your novel down or carrying on into the small hours.

Here are 5 ways to end a scene with intrigue:

1. End mid-action. Cliffhangers are a time-honoured way of wrapping up a

scene. For example, in his novel Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell ends one scene
in the middle of the action as a heroine is rammed off a bridge while driving by
the antagonist’s henchmen. The scene ending lures us on to learn her fate.
2. End with a character’s epiphany. A character’s important realisation makes
us wonder what action they will take because of the dilemma or motivation
new information supplies.
3. End with a major obstacle uncovered. We want to know, as readers, what
solution they’ll discover and attempt.
4. End with emotional turmoil. The events of the scene may be over, but not
the fallout for your character(s).
5. End with the promise of more revelation.The scene ends, but it leaves the
reader anticipating what is ahead. For example, in a mystery novel, a scene
might end with one character telling another the local constable has been
hiding something major from the force.

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