- In the outline, write down with 1-3 sentences the story purpose of the scene. Clearly state the viewpoint character, as well as the point of conflict and the antagonist if those are present. Look for ways to incorporate the viewpoint character’s goal for the scene and what the consequence of their actions are. Is there a decision to make? An emotional reaction? New information to be had? Focus on CHANGE: something will have shifted from the beginning of the scene.
- If a scene’s story role is a sequel, i.e. it’s in reaction to a conflict that happened earlier (like the character calming down after a quarrel), give time for the character to finish any unresolved emotional reactions from that, and then allow them to come to a decision about what to do next.
- In the outline, state with one sentence each any of the following, if they change during the scene: character arcs, overall mood, the character’s understanding of their own situation, the character’s plot goal, the reader’s understanding of the situation (like important clues or foreshadowing the characters don’t pay attention to).
- Edit surrounding scenes if necessary to account for the new changes. Pay special attention to plot holes, character arcs, pacing, turning points, and dramatic moments, as well as thematic cohesion.
- Write a rough draft of the scene, like you would tell it in your own words to a friend. Ignore proper grammar and gloss over as details as you need. Look for a beginning, a middle and an end, but otherwise put down whatever immediately comes to your mind and ignore the rest. Write down any questions that arise in the process, were they about plot, character or worldbuilding. IT’S OKAY NOT TO KNOW!
- Rewrite the rough draft if unhappy with the direction it’s taking. Try to limit the full rewrites to three, four at most. Go back and rewrite the outline if problems persist.
- After a short break, answer the unanswered questions left in the rough draft. Also answer any new ones that arise. Write down canonical answers to worldbuilding questions and store all important resources for later use.
- It’s time for the full prose draft. Taking inspiration, but not being overly bound by the rough draft, state what you need to say, as many times as you need to say it, until you have nothing left to say. Include any details or pieces of conversation you feel inspired to add, even if you aren’t sure you want to use them later. IGNORE CHRONOLOGY AS NECESSARY, duplicate events and jumbled timelines are fine.
- Let the text rest. Work on something else. Keep adding more ideas to the draft. DO NOT EDIT!
- Read what you wrote. Decide what you want to keep. Restructure as needed. Put aside anything you may want to use in other scenes.
- Edit for clarity and pacing. Make sure the ideas are all there like you thought they were. Make sure dialogue flows naturally from the action. Cut or add as necessary to retain focus on the scene’s role in the story. Tighten the conflict, watch out for emotional overreactions or underreactions. Make sure characters don’t stray from their story roles. If two characters play the same role in a scene, consider merging them. Swap dialogue or actions between characters if needed.
- Go back (or forward) in the story to check for consistency of details, foreshadowing you suddenly realise you need, hanging plot threads you can refer to, and other necessary bits that helps the story hang together. Watch out for clumsy scene transitions.
- Edit for voice and style. Add thematic flourishes, recurring symbolism, turn telling into showing, add the character’s internal monologue, backstory, casual dialogue and other ornaments. In other words, make the scene feel vivid and alive.
- Feel the existential dread of having finished a scene.
- DO NOT EDIT! Do not read what you wrote. Show it to a friend and watch between your fingers. Ask for the feedback in writing, but don’t dwell on it.
- Read through the previous scene(s). Edit them as necessary.
- Start on the next scene. Repeat until something breaks or the story is complete.
13th February 2019