The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 13 July 2008

TECH: Make a Scene #12: The First Scene

We're about to start into Part Three Scene Types of Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. In case you're just coming in, we've already gone through the functions of a scene, including a mixed salad of complex characters, a point of view, memorable and significant action, meaningful dialogue, plot information that advances the story and enriches the characters, conflict and drama, a rich physical setting, and a bit of narrative summary here and there. We've talked about launching the scene, complicating the middle and raising the stakes, and scene endings full of emotional weight.

Then we looked at an array of core elements, including setting, senses, character development and motivation, plot, subtext, dramatic tension, and scene intentions. Which brings us up to date as we plunge ahead into the first scene.

The first scene opens the significant situation of your plot. It has to introduce your plot in the form of the significant situation, introduce the protagonist, establish the setting and evoke the senses, and set up dramatic tensions that suggest complications and conflicts ahead. The best first scenes have an air of mystery, pose a question or problem that needs an answer, or plunge the protagonist into a crisis. Through action and plot information, the first scene needs to compel the reader to keep reading without getting confused without backstory or narrative summary.

"Your significant situation should happen within the first couple of paragraphs. If you force the reader to wait too long for the event that they hope is coming, you stand to lose them before ever getting to it." Where does your first scene start? In media res, in the middle of the action, or at least so close to it that you fall into it immediately. Or should I say the protagonist, the main character, falls into it, dragging the reader along with them?

Successful first scenes involve:

• a significant situation that challenges the status quo of the protagonist
• a catalyst with whom the protagonist interacts
• a quick introduction to the immediate intentions of the protagonist
• a glimpse of the personal history and personality of the protagonist, suggesting motivation
• a decision or action by the protagonist that leads immediately to more complications

So how do the core elements stack up in the first scene? I'm glad you asked, because Rosenfeld has some answers.

-- unless setting is a dramatic part of the significant situation, keep the setting light and suggestive. Subtle details, not great swatches of descriptive prose, no matter how much fun they may be for the writer. Sometimes you can unbalance normal expectations with an unexpected significant situation in a familiar setting, so that the setting and the action play off each other.

-- subtext and dramatic tension. Don't overdo, suit it to your readers and the genre. Set your tone, and suggest the plot direction and themes. The first scene should make the readers worry about the protagonist -- raise the dramatic tension by showing that things can go wrong. Then keep the potential for conflict and consequences open.

-- the pace of the first scene should match the emotional content. Typically they start with a bit of an emotional bang, simply because you want to let the reader know what is happening. First scenes usually move fairly quickly, with actions and introductions to get the reader hooked. Later you can slow down and fill things in.

(Interesting. Rosenfeld didn't run down the whole list of core elements. And I don't exactly recollect pace being in his list of core elements. Oh, well, consistency is a hobgoblin, right? Onward!)

Ending the first scene. Leave the reader with the feeling that trouble, conflict, crises, or a dilemma has only just begun, and you help the reader move on into the next scene. Four ways to do this are [1] to leave the consequences unresolved (the police have just found the protagonist standing over a dead body -- do you want to know what happens next?); [2] end the scene before a major decision by the character, or possibly just after a bad decision; [3] let your protagonist find out something disturbing that could change everything (you mean you've been working for the CIA all these years?); and [4] let your protagonist react without thinking through the significant situation, so that the reaction makes everything more complicated.

Rosenfeld's checklist for first scenes

1. Are the protagonist and the significant situation introduced immediately and clearly?
2. Does the pace match the emotional content?
3. Do thematic images foreshadow the outcome?
4. Does the setting unbalance reader's expectations? Does it play against the significant situation?
5. Keep the pace. Too much exposition or description slows things down, while long passages of dialogue or action may push too fast.
6. Does the scene end with the protagonist in trouble or at least uncertain?

Next, suspense scenes.

The fun part here is to take something you've been writing or a book that you are reading and look at the first scene. How well does Rosenfeld's prescription work? Are there things that you want to change in the scene? Are there parts of Rosenfeld's guidelines that just aren't quite right for you? Go ahead, put this description of a first scene and the pieces and parts to work. See how well it works for you, and make the changes that you need to make.

The thrill of creative effort grows from the mud of spelling and grammar.