Save Your Scene

How many times have you finished writing a chapter or a scene and are unsure of its importance? Or better yet, maybe it’s a critical scene, but it lacks the tension you were hoping for. Can you save your scene?
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Before completely deleting the scene, which I never suggest doing (if I remove a scene, I save it in a different document), brainstorm different ways that can make it matter to the plot or to introduce conflict if it’s boring. In the end, if the scene falls flat, then maybe it’s best to remove it. But before you make the final decision, try these three tips to save your scene.

​3 Tips to Save Your Scene

1) Have you introduced new information vital to the plot?

• Maybe the scene ran away from you, and you lost sight of why you wanted it in the book in the first place. In this case, look back at your outline (if you have one) and remember your goal for that particular section. What did you want to reveal to the reader?

2) Is your scene boring?

• If you received a comment from a critique partner or editor that says a scene is boring, then chances are it is. There are many ways to make a scene more intriguing to read. The first one is to make sure your characters in the scene aren’t always agreeing or that the situations don’t magically work out for your main character. If it’s too easy for your main character, then the reader is likely to become bored.
• Two blogs that give ideas on how to create conflict and tension in your story/scene/chapter are: Four Ways to Create Conflict Between Characters and How to Write Compelling Conflict: Create Conflict in Stories.

3) Does your scene feel robotic?

• A great way to add substance to your scene is by adding physical signals into your dialogue and action. Don’t tell the reader how someone is feeling, “show” the reader through body movements, facial expressions, internal sensations, and more. For this particular tip, I suggest purchasing “The Emotion Thesaurus” by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

Overall, after if you’ve tried all three tips, if you still need to delete the scene, then feel free. If the scene isn’t moving the plot forward or developing the character or revealing something new for the reader, then ask yourself if it’s essential to the story. But I urge you to save your scene in a separate document just in case. Deleted chunks can be a great “behind the scenes” view for your readers down the road.

If you feel this blog post was helpful, then please share it! If you’ve finished writing and revising your book and need an editor, email me. I provide free sample edits for the first 500 words.

Author

Dawn Husted progressed into offering her editing services to clients in 2016, eventually opening Yaupon Berry Press LLC. She's constantly learning new ways of helping clients stay relevant in today’s market, whether by using an SEO strategy targeting high-trafficked keywords or simply editing their content. ​Dawn lives in central Texas with her husband, two energetic kids and an adorable golden retriever.

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