There are many reasons for a writer to feel stuck in the
middle of writing a novel. I’ve discussed the Wall and the Cul de sac. But a
third seemingly insurmountable barrier can be paralysis in the face of writing
a Big Scene. There can be any number of important scenes in a novel. But there
will be a minimum of three pivotal scenes: a scene that introduces the
conflict, a scene that raises the conflict to its highest intensity, and the
scene in which the conflict is resolved, either happily or unhappily.
Since the first of these scenes comes in the first chapter,
if not in the first pages, it is unlikely to be the primary source of a block.
But it’s never wasted time to take another look at the first chapter of a
novel. It’s the equivalent of a contract with the reader. It should say: If you continue reading, you will want to
continue reading. Are your characters alive? Is the setting convincing?
Have you opened up sufficient potential for conflict and challenges for your
protagonist? Some writers continue to re-write the first sentence of a novel until
they are satisfied that it is as strong as possible. If you are halfway or
three quarters of the way through your story, you might discover that you know
more about the main characters than you did when you began, and you might want
to make adjustments to the first chapter accordingly.
I write Regencies, and it is hard to imagine a Regency
without social events such as balls, musicals, dinners, or house parties. These
are big scenes in both importance and number of characters, and the prospect of
writing one can be daunting. These scenes include multiple conversations and
multiple observations of multiple characters and their actions. If tackling
this type of big scene has you stymied, take some time to think about each
character who will be participating in the scene. Look at each character’s
motivation and relationship to the protagonist. What is the relationship of
each character to other characters in the scene? How do all of these elements
contribute to the dilemma or conflict? The challenge of “show don’t tell” is
particularly important in this type of scene. Is Agatha jealous of Henrietta? Rather
than just having Agatha cast dagger looks at Henrietta, have Agatha share a
juicy tidbit of gossip about Henrietta with Angela, the heroine. If that bit of gossip also intensifies
Angela’s conflict, so much the better!
Sometimes, a major social event will require a series of
important scenes. Think about the sequencing of the scenes in order to maximize
the conflict.
In contrast with a social event, which includes a number of
characters, some scenes are “big” because they are so intense. It’s understandable why it’s easy to postpone
writing these scenes. It’s a gloomy Monday morning. The dog has just chewed a
shoe that you should have remembered to put in the closet. Or, perhaps, you
just keep checking your email. Guess what? The longer you postpone writing that
scene, the longer the odds are that you will ever find the perfect moment to
write it. Do you usually write at a computer? Try writing with pen and paper. Set
a timer and write for twenty minutes. You might find that you don’t want to
stop writing, even to turn off the buzzer. The important thing is to get the
first draft of the Big Scene written. You can worry about revisions later.
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