The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 3 October 2007

Slithering along in Plot and Structure (17)

So here we are again, with James Scott Bell and a fine book Plot & Structure. We're looking at scenes in Chapter 7, and have already talked about action and reaction, setup and deepening. Now we're about to charge on into Bell's advice for making sure that your scenes always give readers the best they can. What you need are hipboots!

Well, not exactly. Bell suggests that your scenes need to be hip -- hook, intensity, and prompt (HIP).

Hook? Yup, just like we used at the start of the story, you need to make sure that each scene grabs the reader's attention and pulls them into the narrative. It may seem logical to start with a lengthy description of the location and characters, but that's not really a good way to start. Instead, think about dialogue, teasers, action, or even careful mood setting description. Don't always use the same thing. Try different approaches, vary the methods, and keep the reader interested in what is going to happen next. Whether you call it hooks or bait, make sure that the beginning of your scene catches the reader's attention.

Once you've got them paying attention, that's where intensity comes in. Whether it's physical tension or danger or emotional turmoil, keep the tension climbing. The key to this of course is conflict. Characters with opposing agendas, environmental dangers, make sure that your scenes have intensity.

The last ingredient for scenes that sizzle is prompts. This is the ending of the scene, where you need to provide the reader with a hint of what's coming so they keep reading. Make them turn the page and stay up an extra hour reading your book. Don't let your scenes trail off, give them a twist that makes the reader keep going. It's a hint of impending disaster, a flood of emotional release, or a haunting image. A mysterious line of dialogue, a secret revealed, a decision or a vow, an announcement of something unexpected or disasters, new information that reverses and surprises us with a new understanding of the story, or even a question that's just left hanging. Any one of these can provide readers with a reason to keep reading, and that's the prompt. And if you're having trouble because the scene just wants to trail off, try cutting a paragraph or two. Maybe the scene ended before you stopped writing.

Okay. Bell is going to talk about The Intensity Scale next, but I think we'll devote a full posting to that, especially since he uses diagrams that I'm going to have to figure out how to describe in words. Not to worry, for now, practice taking a scene that seems a bit slow or flabby and making it HIP - tighten up the hook, wind up the intensity, and make sure that the ending has a prompt to keep the reader going.

And keep writing!