October 1, 2009
What’s the Point?
First, the good news. I’ve managed to hit my word goal every day this week. Woohoo! I’m also loving this chilly fall weather. In fact, to celebrate I dug out my slow cooker, dusted it off and made a stew. Oh, how I love meals that take fifteen minutes to prepare and are done by 9 am. Okay, now on to my blog post.
So yesterday, while I was writing, I ran into a bit of a snag. I had started a new scene and I could feel myself starting to stall out. Not because I didn’t know what was going to happen in the scene, I did. I needed for there to a confrontation between two characters. The problem really came from being uncertain about how the confrontation would move the story forward. What was the point of whole thing?
Every scene in book should work to move the story forward. A character’s action causes a reaction for another character, and in turn forces the reacting character to act. Ever read–or written–something that just sort of meanders along, but nothing really happens? That’s probably because it has no real purpose. Pointless scenes could be cut and have almost not effect on the over all story. Beware of such scenes in your own work. If you have them, either cut them or rework them so they keep the story going.
Now, back to me… So as I was sitting back in my chair, considering my problem–the fear of finding myself blocked again dangling over my head like a piano on a frayed rope–I asked myself does this scene need to happen. Yes. The confrontation is a logical reaction for the character. So with that decided, what then is the purpose of the scene besides giving my characters a chance to vent? Then a wonderful idea popped into my head, something that ties into another scene happening simultaneously, and that will begin a chain reaction for the remainder of the story.
Then I did a happy dance. 
Mood: Good
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Woo-hoo for bursts of inspiration! Love those.
October 1st, 2009 at 4:20 pmI love moments of realization like this…so glad it happened for you. Can’t wait to read it! POST!!
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 am