A scene is a narrative block built from action and dialogue between characters. This is where your story unfolds, where your story moves from one beat to the next. It’s important to build your scenes with a strong structure so that they’re always both compelling and relevant to the climax of your story. Below are 5 essential parts to building a strong scene.

Have a Clear Purpose

The first and most important part to building a scene is knowing its purpose. If your scene doesn’t have a purpose to drive the story forward, then it probably shouldn’t make the final draft of your novel. Each scene needs to, in some way, directly move the MC closer to the climax of the story. Readers invest time and energy into reading your book, so they want to know that each scene, each chapter, each moment spent on your book is going to pay off in the end.

For example, if you have a scene about your MC walking through the woods, there needs to be something in those woods that correlates to where her story is taking her next.

To determine each scene’s purpose, follow the four W’s:

  1. Why is the scene important to your story?
  2. What actions in the scene are moving the story forward?
  3. Where is the scene’s setting?
  4. Who is in the scene with your protagonist?

Move From A to B

Next, you need what I like to call From A to B—the thing that has been altered over the course of the scene. Something needs to change from the beginning of the scene to the end, whether that is your MC’s thoughts or feelings, or your MC’s course of action. To put it another way, your MC should be forced into paving new paths for themselves.

Let’s say your manuscript has a scene where the characters are sitting around, talking and bantering with each other. A scene like this is usually fun to write and may even be a great writing exercise, but you’ll need to evaluate if anything has actually happened in the scene. If the characters are just hanging out for the sake of hanging out, then it’s not likely that the scene is contributing to the overall story—i.e., nothing has changed.

However, that doesn’t mean that dialogue-heavy scenes are not important. In a scene where your characters are chitchatting, it’s important for the conversation to have a clear purpose that leads your MC closer to their goals. Every character is always in a scene to do something (work toward a goal) and because of something. So in a scene that relies on dialogue to move the story forward, make sure each character is contributing in a way that sets the MC further along in their journey.

Here’s 5 signs that your scene isn’t moving the story forward:

  1. The MC hasn’t learned new information.
  2. The MC’s circumstances haven’t changed.
  3. The MC doesn’t change their course of action.
  4. The MC’s thoughts or beliefs haven’t been tested.
  5. The MC hasn’t been wounded (physically, emotionally, or mentally).

Stoke the Fire with Conflict

Stories are built on the progression of events that lead toward a climax. In the way that your overall story has an arc, so too should each scene—every scene should have its own mini conflict and climax. See above list for how your scene might have conflict.

Stories are born from the hard parts of life, so don’t make their journey easy on them. Each scene should complicate your MC’s journey a little bit more.

Think of a scene as an arrow, notched and ready to strike. With each scene, you are pulling the arrow back a little bit further, building the tension, until at last it is ready to propel itself into its mark. The tension, or conflict, is what drives the MC to make new decisions and carve out the trajectory for where the story is headed next.

If you’re having trouble creating conflict, ask yourself:

What is the worst thing that can happen to your MC in this moment?

In Media Res

To help make a strong opening for your scene, it’s best to start in media res—in the middle of things. One of the more common issues I see with openings is that the scenes start too early, which slows down the pace of the story. Oftentimes, authors start with details that aren’t vital to the story because they assume readers will need them to orient themselves in the scene. If a scenes naturally progress from one to the next, then readers will keep up.

If you think your scene may start earlier than is necessary, ask yourself these 3 questions:

  1. Does your scene start with an explanation for why/how your MC is in this scene? Unless it’s absolutely vital to the story, you don’t need to start with an explanation for why or how your MC ended up in a certain place or circumstance. If it’s not already implied based on previous scenes, then their reason for being there should unfold as the action plays out.
  2. Does your scene opening depend on interruptions? Oftentimes, authors will choose to open and end scenes on interruptions if they’re unsure how to transition from scene to scene. Interruptions are dependent on chance, but think how your transitions might be stronger if they’re based on your characters’ decisions. If your friends-to-lovers characters are about to kiss for the first time, would the tension be stronger if a) they’re interrupted by a phone ringing or b) one character pulls back because they don’t want to ruin their friendship?
  3. Does the beginning of the scene directly lead to the climax of the scene? As we learned, your scenes should each have their own high moment of tension. Therefore, the beginning of your scene should build up or lead directly towards the climax. If it doesn’t, consider if those actions are necessary for the overall story.

Diversify the Stage

In real life, people are not confined to the same setting or circumstances. They move from place to place, from event to event, and your characters should move throughout your story in the same way. Your setting should set your scene.

Let’s say your novel is a rom-com set in New York City, and your MC’s most frequented spaces are her loft apartment and the bookstore she owns. Try diversifying your scenes by setting major events in places outside those two spaces. Set a hard conversation in the middle of Times Square, where it might be hard to hear. Let your MC have an epiphany on the subway, where they’re confined from doing anything about it. Have their first date end in a quirky hole in the wall bar that they only just discovered.

Diversifying the setting opens up the scene for new possibilities, adds complications, and tests your protagonist.

Expand your MC’s circle beyond the same few settings. Ask yourself:

  1. How can setting complicate the scene?
  2. How does this setting serve the purpose of the scene?

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