6 Questions To Help You Avoid Repetitive Scenes

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It takes a lot of scenes to make a author of acclaimed writing guides, such as
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be a novel. (Or the movie can be a
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scenes?
At a certain point, most writers will receive critiques or edits in which whole
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already had this conversation” or “this doesn’t advance the plot” or “feels like
you’re padding the word count”—all of which are code for “repetitive scenes.” SIGN UP FOR K.M. WEILAND’S E-LETTER
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Recognizing repetitive scenes can be tricky for authors (hence, the big red
circles from critique partners and editors). Our deep immersion in our own
stories inevitably causes a certain lack of objectivity. We may think a scene is
full of new info when really the characters have already been there done that.
Readers may not think too much about one or two repetitive scenes. But at a
certain point, they will grow increasingly restless and frustrated with the
story’s lack of progress.
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A while back, I received an email from Wordplayer Sarah K. with an insightful
question:
I’m working on a novel that seems to be lending itself to a lot of “talky”

scenes, scenes (in the scene structure sense) where the conflict is Email
typically interpersonal and expressed in dialogue; think lots of parlor

arguments, gossip while hunting, etc. I know that not every novel needs
to have car chases and sword fighting, particularly in certain genres. But
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I can’t help but worry that this is a function of something going wrong.
My concern is that these scenes are starting to feel repetitive and that
this is a symptom of me “telling” the conflict, or even having
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protagonists that aren’t quite right (i.e., just aren’t witnessing really
interesting things firsthand).
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Is this something you’ve seen often in unpublished writers? Do you have Authors?
any insights into varying scene conflict and ensuring that conflict is
dramatized in an interesting way?
My response was that there’s nothing wrong with keeping the conflict mostly CATEGORIES
interpersonal and expressed in dialogue. Many novels operate this way (and,
indeed, I’d argue this is often the most interesting type of conflict). But Sarah Select Category
still raises an excellent point: how do you know whether the scenes you’re
(affiliate link) writing are simply leisurely and character-driven scenes or whether they are
truly repetitious?
Today, I’m going to dive a little deeper into this subject and examine what
defines repetitive scenes, as well as strategies for recognizing and avoiding
them in your own fiction.
When Repetitive Scenes Are Okay—

And When They’re Not
As per Sarah’s example, it’s inevitable that many scenes within a story will be
(affiliate link) similar to one another. For instance, in a cop story, there will be many scenes
of investigating clues. In a romance, there will be many dates between the
leads. In an action story, there will be many action scenes. And so on.
Additionally, every scene in the entire story will ultimately have the same
overarching goal—to find the murderer, resolve the relationship issues, defeat
the bad guy, etc. In some respects, every scene is repetitive simply because
every scene is a small piece in a larger (and hopefully) unified whole.
Particularly, it’s fine to include “repetition” in the

form of thematic motifs or running gags. The latter
is particularly obvious in serial works, such as TV
(affiliate link) shows. Many shows, especially comedies, will open
with an isolated scene that stands apart from the
main plot but which features a standard running gag
of some sort. (The Andy Griffith Show and Gilmore
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which the characters exchanged a funny
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link)
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Thematic motifs also require repetition to become effective. For instance, one
2014-2022 confrontation with authority does not a rebel make. But if your character has
repeated run-ins with authority figures, then the entire story begins to take
on a specific thematic shape. This is not only okay, it’s necessary to the
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formation of a cohesive and resonant story.
What is not okay is plot-oriented repetition.
6 Questions to Help You Prevent

Repetitive Scenes
What differentiates one repeat scene of a character shoplifting and getting
arrested from another repeat scene featuring the same incident?
Currently Free at:
Amazon (affiliate The simplest criterion is: does the scene change something?
link) | Kobo |
Apple |
This change might be to the character and the plot itself (e.g., the character is
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Store let off with a warning the first time but arrested the second). Or the change
could simply be to the readers’ perspective (e.g., the character’s second arrest
provides the punchline to a joke or adds new insight into the thematic
context).
Of course sometimes what the author intends as thematic repetition will still
come across as boring and unnecessary to readers. Fortunately, there are
several questions you can ask yourself to analyze whether your scenes are
truly advancing the story or whether they are repetitive—and should probably
be cut.
1. Is the Character’s Goal the Same as in the Last

Scene?
Although not a catchall, this is the first and most important question you
should ask yourself. As noted, the overarching plot goal will remain
essentially the same throughout the story. But the smaller scene goals should
still show a progression. If the character’s plot goal is to become President,
then the smaller goals will arise in response to various obstacles along the
campaign trail.
And what if your story is more relational with a less obvious plot goal? What
if, like Sarah’s story, yours is primarily focused on lots of conversations
between characters with a vaguer destination of something like “coming to
peace with a complicated parent’s passing”? Ultimately, the same guideline
applies. Examine how well the characters’ goals are evolving from scene to
scene. Are they getting closer to what they want—or farther away? (Either will
provide a sufficient movement of the plot circumstances.) If the talking isn’t
achieving any movement for any of the characters then examine how you
might adjust that from scene to scene.
2. Are the Obstacles the Character Is Facing Different

From Previous Scenes?
If you find your characters’ scene goals aren’t changing much from scene to
scene, the next thing to look at is your scenes’ conflict. Specifically, how are
the obstacles evolving? How can you avoid your characters facing the same
scene-specific problems in every scene?
It could be that the character’s goal doesn’t change too much for multiple
scenes, and that’s okay, as long as the obstacles are changing. If your
protagonist is a detective trying to get a conversation with a mob boss, he
might have to try several different tactics before he gets what he wants. But if
he faces the same obstacle (or a familiar variation on the same obstacle) in
every one of those scenes, the action will quickly feel repetitious.
Sometimes realism and pacing demand characters won’t get what they want
on the first try. In these instances, you’ll need to evolve their goal subtly from
scene to scene by focusing on how they systematically work through various
obstacles on their way to the goal.
3. What New Information Is Introduced in This Scene?

Even when you find yourself in a situation where you need to include several
scenes featuring the same goal and perhaps even very similar obstacles, you
can still prevent the scene from feeling repetitious. All you have to do is make
sure every scene introduces new information.
This could be information that is new to the protagonist, but it could also
simply be new insights for the readers. For instance, the protagonist might
reveal a personal secret to another character. This might not directly advance
the plot or immediately change the scene goal or conflict, but as long as it
deepens the characterization context, it can serve to justify the scene’s
existence.
This is a tricky one, since writers must be able to accurately judge whether the
new information is truly adding something to the story. If the character’s
secret is about how he broke his brother’s bike when they were kids, that
secret must either become crucial to the development of the plot later on or
offer significant insight into the character’s own personality and motivation.
Additionally, if you’re asking information to carry a scene, that information

should be interesting in its own right. Examine it from your readers’
perspective. Why will this information matter to them?
4. Is This the Same Kind of Scene as the Last One (and

the Last One and the Last One)?
Even if you’re acing the boxes from the previous questions, readers can still
sometimes end up feeling scenes aren’t varied enough if all the scenes “look”
the same. If every scene is a conversation or every scene is a fistfight or every
scene is a make-out session, then the sheer lack of variety may weary readers.
Even genre books need variety. In fact, the contrast offered by varied scenes
can create powerful opportunities for thematic subtext. For example, one of
my favorite scenes in the Band of Brothers miniseries is one in which a
French nurse eats a chocolate bar with the company medic in a bombed-out
village. She dies shortly after and he never sees her again. But the quiet
relational moment within a heavy war story created both poignant contrast
and welcome variety.
5. How Is the Setting Different?

This one isn’t crucial. After all, some wonderful stories take place all within
the same setting. But if you’re worried your scenes still “feel” too much the
same even after examining the previous questions, a comparatively easy
tweak is that of changing up the settings.
This can be especially handy in a dialogue-heavy story. Don’t set every

conversation at the protagonist’s office or in the same restaurant. Mix it up.
Have the characters talk in the car, talk in a pool hall, talk in a church, talk
while helping each other move. Although settings should never be random,
mixing it up can add surprising new opportunities and dynamics to your
stories.
6. Are New Characters Adding New Dynamics That Are

Different From Previous Scenes?
Finally, examine how well you’re varying the different pieces available to you.
Within any given story, you will have a set number of puzzle pieces that you
can mix and match. Particularly, you’ll want to shuffle your supporting
characters to allow different people to be present in different scenes.
Not only will this change up the “scenery,” it should also give you the
opportunity to deepen any given scene’s complexity by bringing in the
motives, desires, goals, grudges, etc., of many different personalities. A three-
way conversation between your protagonist, her mother, and the local vicar
will be a completely different conversation from one between your
protagonist, her father, and the local sheriff—even if the topic under
discussion is the same.
***
Sometimes recognizing repetitive scenes is the toughest part. After that, the
solution (although not fun) is usually pretty easy. Either delete the scene you
don’t need and/or combine its important bits with a more comprehensive and
important scene. The result will be a much tighter and more interesting story.
Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Do you ever

worry about repetitive scenes in your stories? Tell
me in the comments!

Ep. #568: 6 Questions to Help You Avoid Repetitive Scenes
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K.M. Weiland is the award-winning and internationally-published author of
the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel,
and Creating Character Arcs. A native of western Nebraska, she writes
historical and fantasy novels and mentors authors on her award-winning
website Helping Writers Become Authors.
Comments
Eric Troyer says

OCTOBER 25, 2021 AT 8:37 AM
Ooo. Good post! I was just reading Robert McKee’s “Story” over the
weekend and have been pondering his take on Scenes and Beats. I
found the passage below enlightening. Your post helps expand on
that.
A SCENE is an action through conflict in more or less continuous

time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a
character’s life on at least one value with a degree of perceptible
significance.
Ideally, every scene is a STORY EVENT. Look closely at each scene

you’ve written and ask: What value is at stake in my character’s life at
this moment? Love? Truth? What? How is that value charged at the
top of the scene? Positive? Negative? Some of both? Make a note.
Next turn to the close of the scene and ask, Where is this value now?
Positive? Negative? Both? Make a note and compare. If the answer
you write down at the end of the scene is the same note you made at
the opening, you now have another important question to ask: Why
is this scene in my script?
REPLY
K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

OCTOBER 25, 2021 AT 1:12 PM
Makes me want to read Story again. Such a great book.
REPLY
Amy says
Yeah. Me too!! Such a great book. Fabulous post K. M.

and excellent comment Eric.
REPLY
Miriam Harmon says

Great post! I have a question but I don’t know if it’s related to this or
not.
I’ve read about scene structure and I think I understand it, but it’s
always very difficult for me to figure out when one scene ends and
another begins. I can make a goal, conflict, and disaster to some
extent, but I always get stuck when it comes to the decision part. I
can show in Action the goal and conflict and disaster occurring, but
how do I “show” the decision that leads to the next goal? And how
does the sequel come in between? You may have already answered
this somewhere, but I’m just not sure I fully understand how to
execute the scene-sequel stuff in my stories.
Thanks for everything!
REPLY

It’s not always necessary to dramatize or “show” every piece of

the scene structure. Often, the Decision, particularly, will be
implicit in the the subsequent Goal. You might also find it
helpful to look at scene structure through another model, such
as those I talk about here:
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/scene-
structure/
REPLY
Miriam Harmon says

Okay. Thank you! Your tips have helped me so much in

my journey to become an author. I haven’t finished a
book yet, but I’m close now thanks to you.
Keep up the great work!
REPLY

Yay! Go you!
REPLY
Jackie Morris says

I’m reading Roy Peter Clark’s The Art of x-ray reading. He makes the
distinction between redundancy and repetition – redundancy is
unintentional and adds nothing, repetition is intentional and builds
an effect, or a theme. That fits well with your post, I think, and both
have been a useful clarification.
REPLY

I agree. Great distinction. Thanks for sharing!
REPLY
Grant says
OCTOBER 25, 2021 AT 10:05 AM
Great post, Katie! I’m adding these questions to my editing checklist.

Thank you for continuing to give generously to writers!
REPLY

So glad you’re finding it useful!
REPLY
Joan Kessler says

OCTOBER 25, 2021 AT 11:43 AM
Great questions to keep in mind to keep the story moving forward,

instead of in a circle. They can help clarify the purpose of the scene.
On the flip side, the movie Shaun of the Dead uses repetition
brilliantly throughout the film. For instance, the dialogue in a pub
scene when they are discussing relationships is repeated in the same
pub when they are discussing how to fight off the zombies. Same
lines, same location, completely different circumstances. Thanks for
the post!
REPLY

“…to keep the story moving forward, instead of in a circle…”
This is a *great* visual analogy.
REPLY
Sara K. says
OCTOBER 25, 2021 AT 12:40 PM
I have not run into this particular problem, probably because I’m
vulnerable to underwriting. I sometimes get feedback which is the
equivalent of ‘another scene needs to be added here.’ I’m still
repetitious at the micro-level, such as by overusing certain words.
Meanwhile, the essay which I mentioned a couple months back about

comparing reviews on a novel left in English and Chinese has at long
last been published, and I quoted Katie (thanks for that great blog
post!)
(I’m not Sarah K., there’s no ‘h’ in my name).
(I think Akismet ate my previous comment because I included a link,

anyone who’s interested in that essay can find the link at the top of
my blog. If that other comment went through and I didn’t notice, feel
free to delete this repeat comment).
REPLY

Congrats on your essay! And, yes, it’s definitely a balance

between overwriting and underwriting. It’s easy to swing back
and forth between the two.
REPLY
Usvaldo De Leon says

OCTOBER 25, 2021 AT 12:54 PM
Very helpful, as my stories always seem to have 3 scenes that could

be described as Sam goes to the post office AGAIN.
REPLY

Hey, as long as the post office is an interesting place…
REPLY
Mpho Keitumetse says

Hi there! Another great post. Another technique I’ve found useful in

my current novel is to present the same scene from a different
character’s perspective. It can work really well sometimes, especially
if you maximise on dramatic irony. It’s not always a guarantee
though (I can think of a one scene that became such a disaster using
that technique that I had to cut it completely and start from scratch),
but if you nail it, it really does wonders for creating intrigue and
deepening a reader’s insight into the story and the characters moving
through it.
REPLY

Never know what you’re going to find when you’re willing to

experiment!
REPLY
80smetalman says
What about similar scenes from different protagonists? In the novel I

am writing at the moment, the first few chapters are about different
people getting let down by the justice system and the next few are
about their revenge.
REPLY

If it’s a “variation on a theme,” or repetition on purpose as

mentioned in a previous comment, then the repetition can
certainly be used successfully to achieve a certain effect. The
only litmus test is whether or not the follow-up scenes keep
readers’ attention.
REPLY
Jobie says
Last night I started working through what to do with a couple of

scenes that are a little too similar, and then this morning there was
an article helping me solve my problem. Thank you.
REPLY

Well, yay for good timing!
REPLY
theandyclark says
Ok, this is a bit bold of me, but I want to suggest a couple of other
things that might not kill particularly scenes, but might shoot a story.
If the story keeps repeating the exact same type of conflict, it will get
boring. So even in a dialog heavy story, it shouldn’t all be straight
argument. There can be false agreement, thinly veiled insults,
dismissal, interruptions, unwanted agreement, and a massive pile of
internal disagreements. Frankly, I try to have multiple types of
conflict afoot in each scene,
I’ve also looked at works were the scenes all end the same way, and I
get bored with this. Now, a fast action story can often get away with
this, but for most stories ending on exactly the same type of “OMG
the MC can’t get out of this one!” twist, gets to be repetitious,
particularly when the scenes are longish. There are interesting ways
to end a scene that don’t involve a cliffhanger (hint, hint: there might
be an article in there – effective ways to end a scene). Cliffhangers
are great, but they’re not the only game in town and your
plot/character/world should be interesting enough to end on a point
where the MC faces a non-life threatening dilemma or is upset about
something or even (shudder) has something unexpectedly good
happen to them.
These are my thoughts, which may be as on target as the first native

American who said, “ehh, these guys are too pale. They’ll never stick
around.”
May your words cascade off your fingers and bring you joy and
delight.
Andy
REPLY

“There can be false agreement, thinly veiled insults, dismissal,

interruptions, unwanted agreement, and a massive pile of
internal disagreements.”
This is a great list of conflict angles.
REPLY
Grace Dvorachek says

This came at a great time for me, as I’m currently working on the 2nd
draft of my WIP. What I’ve found incredibly helpful with
repetitive/boring scenes is similar to point #6 on this post. I already
had enough characters, so I didn’t want to create any new ones. But I
did have all of these characters with clashing goals and personalities
that I wasn’t utilizing nearly enough. So I took some of these minor
characters, and put them in the boring scenes.
The result was instant conflict. Sometimes these characters ended up

reshaping the entire scene into something way different—but even
better—than I’d intended. This also helped advance some subplots
that I wasn’t taking to their full potential. This method totally helped
my WIP in the areas it was lacking, and just made the whole plot
tighter.
(I think I pulled this trick from one of your blog posts from several
years ago… I believe it was “An Easy Way to Notch Up Your Scene
Conflict.” This post in particular really helped me fix boring and
repetitive scenes!)
REPLY

Nice! Giving minor characters goals that conflict with the

main characters’ always spices up everything, including the
characters themselves.
REPLY
MAL says
OCTOBER 26, 2021 AT 11:37 AM
As always Katie, very helpful advice. Repetitive scenes was an issue

flagged to me by someone who read a draft of mine and ever since I
keep looking out for them BUT your posting has made me think of
the opposite. I need more thematic scenes. I have a character who I
describe as impulsive but she’s only had one scene so far where she’s
done something impulsive. Whoops!.
REPLY

Dead on. Scenes in which characters demonstrate their

posited traits are often some of the most evocative and
interesting.
REPLY
strackdennis@yahoo.com says
OCTOBER 26, 2021 AT 12:31 PM
Such a great post, KM. Lots of great information to consider when

I’m writing my novel. Since the novel I’m writing is part fantasy,
horror, and a detective story, there are 13 descendants that curse an
ancient demon’s bloodline. That means they are murder/sacrifice
victims. 13th Descendant isn’t supposed to be killed, though. The
main character is supposed to save her. Although most of The
Descendants are supposed to be killed, I try to vary the amount of
people killed in each chapter, so it’s not just one person being killed
every time. I just have one question. Before the demon kills his
victims, he will say his bloodline is cursed by the victims’ bloodline,
so they’ll die. Is it okay for me to have the demon say that each time,
or should I change that up so it doesn’t come repetitive?
REPLY

Sounds like it’s more of a motif. Although this is completely

different tonally, it makes me think of the famous repeated
line from The Princess Bride: “My name is Inigo Montoya.
You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
REPLY
Dennis says
Thanks, KM. That makes sense about the motif. I didn’t

think about it that way. Montoya was hilarious in that
great film.
REPLY
Dana says
Way late comer to the party, but I wanted to pop in and say thanks
for this post! This was the perfect article for me this week; I have a
tendency for too many “coffee in the kitchen” moments in my
writing, and I’ve been working on ways to weed them out of my
historical WIP. You’re my favorite writing mentor, and I love reading
all the comments here and getting to hear about all the fabulous
stories in progress.
REPLY

Ah well, you can never have too much coffee.
REPLY
B.L.Albina aka Leilani Pearl Naida says

OCTOBER 30, 2021 AT 12:05 PM
I am reading some books by Deepok Chopra. My question is to you.

Would my book I am writing be more interesting with runes in it
because I am going to do that? Your thoughts? My character that I
am writing in first person has thirteen kids.
REPLY

If you like them, I’d say go for it.
REPLY
Oona Cava says

NOVEMBER 4, 2021 AT 4:00 PM
Oh, man. I like to spreadsheet each scene and note its type (where?
who? what activity is happening?) to call attention to my repetitive
scenes. By doing this I learned that my WIP has a meeting problem.
So many meetings. I’m combining as many of them as I can,
changing their settings, and of course eliminating as many as
possible. One of the remaining meeting scenes was refreshed by
moving it outside and adding a strutting, aggressive peacock who
screeches while my MC is trying very hard be taken seriously.
REPLY
tracivw says
NOVEMBER 26, 2021 AT 11:49 AM
This post is perfect for me right now as I just got an editorial letter
back from my agent explaining how many of my scenes are repetitive
with so much running away in a cat and mouse scenes of almost
getting caught and running again. You have helped me find a path
forward through my running quagmire! Thank you!
REPLY
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Home Start Here! Store About Contact Story Structure Database K.M.

Search this website …

PLOTTING YOUR NOVEL

Structure Welcome! I'm K.M. Weiland, the award-

Marvel certain word count so the book can

I’m working on a novel that seems to be lending itself to a lot of “talky”

typically interpersonal and expressed in dialogue; think lots of parlor

Love Helping Writers Become

When Repetitive Scenes Are Okay—

Particularly, it’s fine to include “repetition” in the

What is not okay is plot-oriented repetition.

6 Questions to Help You Prevent

1. Is the Character’s Goal the Same as in the Last

2. Are the Obstacles the Character Is Facing Different

3. What New Information Is Introduced in This Scene?

Additionally, if you’re asking information to carry a scene, that information

4. Is This the Same Kind of Scene as the Last One (and

5. How Is the Setting Different?

This can be especially handy in a dialogue-heavy story. Don’t set every

6. Are New Characters Adding New Dynamics That Are

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Do you ever

Click the “Play” button to Listen to Audio Version (or subscribe to

Love Helping Writers Become Authors? You can now become a

Enter Email Address

I'm not a robot

About K.M. Weiland |

Eric Troyer says

A SCENE is an action through conflict in more or less continuous

Ideally, every scene is a STORY EVENT. Look closely at each scene

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

Makes me want to read Story again. Such a great book.

Yeah. Me too!! Such a great book. Fabulous post K. M.

Miriam Harmon says

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

It’s not always necessary to dramatize or “show” every piece of

Miriam Harmon says

Okay. Thank you! Your tips have helped me so much in

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

Jackie Morris says

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

I agree. Great distinction. Thanks for sharing!

Great post, Katie! I’m adding these questions to my editing checklist.

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

So glad you’re finding it useful!

Joan Kessler says

Great questions to keep in mind to keep the story moving forward,

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

“…to keep the story moving forward, instead of in a circle…”

This is a *great* visual analogy.

Meanwhile, the essay which I mentioned a couple months back about

(I think Akismet ate my previous comment because I included a link,

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

Congrats on your essay! And, yes, it’s definitely a balance

Usvaldo De Leon says

Very helpful, as my stories always seem to have 3 scenes that could

K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland says

Hey, as long as the post office is an interesting place…

Mpho Keitumetse says

This is a great visual analogy.