Scene It:

By: Julie Daines

Hopefully, most of you are in the thick of NaNoWriMo!  This is my first NaNo, and I’m finding it a unique and challenging experience. 

Contrary to everyone’s good advice, I set off on this great adventure without a road map.  I just sat down on November first and started typing.  Not a good idea.  With so much emphasis on word count, I’m finding it easy to let other areas of the writing craft slip. 

So here’s a little reminder to myself, and anyone else wandering aimlessly through their plot, or lack thereof. 

The Basics of Writing Scenes:  Scenes are the story within the story, where the actions and emotions that forward the plot take place.  To create great scenes, follow three simple steps:

1- Open each scene with a hook, something to grab the reader’s attention and peak their interest in the events waiting to unfold.

2- Create conflict.  As we all know, it’s conflict that drives the story, whether emotional turmoil or impending peril.  As I’m working on my NaNo project, I’m finding it convenient to build my word count by writing easy scenes where not a lot happens, but my characters have interesting conversations about food, love and life.  Yeah, I’m setting myself up for a lot or revising.  So remember: conflict, conflict, conflict.

3- End each scene with a hook to keep the reader wanting more.  As each scene concludes, drop a hint of something even more intense lurking just around the corner—or in our case, on the next page.

Good luck to you all in your quest for the 50,000.  Stay tuned in December for tips on how to clean up your mess.