Setting up a chapter

[Judg]

Seeing as sitting and waiting for inspiration has rarely been a productive strategy for me, I set up a cheat sheet, shamelessly borrowed from various writing gurus and adapted to my own mindset. When I have only the barebones idea of what should happen, asking these questions can really help move things along.

Disclaimer: I have no creds. I have found this helpful for me, so I hope it can be helpful for others. And, on the selfish side, I'm willing to bet a couple of brilliant ideas will get added if I throw this out for general consumption. So, without any further ado:

Chapter #___ Set-up
(Advance the plot, reveal character, support the theme or all three)
Basic events, author's goal

Scene
Time, place

POV Character - usually the one with the most to lose

Goal (preferably active and specific)

Scene question (Obstacle, preferably from a personal source)

Scene answer (Goal achieved? Yes, yes but, no, no and furthermore)

Twist, ominous ending, foreshadowing? What keeps the reader going?


Sequel
Reaction, immediate emotional reaction (present)

Rationalization, attempt to understand, deal with (past)

Anticipation, what are the possible futures as a result?

Choice (create an open door into the rest of the story)


I use this as a worksheet if I'm stuck. I don't feel obliged to answer every question, but by the time I've worked through a few of them, I'm usually scribbling plot ideas in the margin and getting excited. Sometimes I don't need it at all, because I really know where I'm going with something ahead of time. I've also used it to strengthen chapters that were weak. It makes me think things through, identifying motivations and consequences and places where the conflict is just too lame. The backside of the page is good for figuring out technical details, like the layout of a room, the names of all the people on the team, or whatever: things that might not get specifically mentioned, but make your life easier if you've figured them out.

So please, have at. Does this make sense to you? What would you add or change?

[ccarver30]

I could never use this (I don't even write an outline!), but I can certainly see how it could help many writers. Thanks for posting!! :)

[Kay_XX]

I couldn't use it for first draft, but for rewriting it does provide a neat check list of all the main things you need to have in your scene and what you need to cut. Seems like I'm all about cutting everything these days..

[NicoleMD]

Thanks! That's pretty useful. I kind of mentally do that when I prepare for a new chapter. I decide what I want to accomplish and pay a lot of attention to where the character's mindset is from the last chapter.

I usually do simple half-page outlines that are pretty loose, and the chances that I follow them are probably 50-50, but I like having them there...kind of like a safety net.

Nicole

[windyrdg]

This wouldn't work for me.

I defer to Stephen King who, when listing the components of a novel, asked where's plot? No where because there ain't no such thing.

My favorite quote: Plot is the footprints your characters leave in the snow.

[Judg]

Well, these aren't the components of a novel, these are the components of a chapter.

But these questions do include the conflict, the outcome of the conflict, how it is dealt with and decisions that are made as a result. Hm, sounds suspiciously like plot...

[Gillhoughly]

I'm slogging through my 20th-something novel and it looks like something I need to print out and tack over the desk.

Writing by instinct is great, but I'm all in favor of a time-saver device.

The only thing I'd add was stolen from B5's Straczynski: What does the character want, how far are they willing to go to get it?

[jdparadise]

This seems more like a "Scene" brainstormer than a "chapter" brainstormer; a given chapter may have more than one scene, of course. But it looks pretty useful for that...

[Judg]

JD, you're probably right. It can be used pretty much any way you want. It's not intended to be rigid or doctrinaire, just a tool to be used when useful and ignored when not. When I'm stuck, especially, I pull it out and do my best to think through each element. I don't always fill it all in, but it's pulled me out of the Slough of Despond a time or two.

[Writer2011]

Can't say this would work for me either. I just write it out and make notes along the way...If I don't like the way things are going, i'll change it.

[jdparadise]

I've tried using something very like this as a prompt for writing, and it's always failed me--though it's always looked promising just before it collapsed. I think it's something about needing to grow the story without worrying about what the story needs. "What the story needs" comes later for me, I think. When I get into these mechanics, I stop thinking about the characters themselves and start thinking about the author's needs.

Yet, these are all excellent questions to ask oneself when writing.

I think this could be useful for me as a second step. My first step--the couple of times I've been able to finish books--seems to want to be notecarding/outlining, a paragraph or two per scene of what happens. I think something like this could be well-employed after that--once I have all the cool stuff that I want to tell stories about down and figured out, something like this might well help me tell it better, letting me develop it further before writing the scenes themselves.

Or I could be going down yet another false trail :~/

Thanks for getting me to look at this kinda stuff again, Judg!

[Jamesaritchie]

I'm slogging through my 20th-something novel and it looks like something I need to print out and tack over the desk.

Writing by instinct is great, but I'm all in favor of a time-saver device.

The only thing I'd add was stolen from B5's Straczynski: What does the character want, how far are they willing to go to get it?

Time depends on the writer, not the device. As I've said before, I do not write by instinct, and I doubt King or Bradbury or any other successful writer who doesn't outline writes by instinct, either. This is what people think who do use outlines, and don't understand the process of not using them.

And if you look around at the writers who write the fastest, who are the most prolific, you probably won't find anything like an outline. Such writers generally write novels much faster, and with fewer drafts. That's time-saving.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I don't outline, but this looks like it would come in handy during revision. Thanks for posting it.

[Chasing the Horizon]

I think this is really cool. I use a detailed scene outline when I write, but I don't follow it half the time, LOL.

Definitely something I would use when I get stuck or confused (like I am right now) particularly since I have a tendency to 'wander' when I write interpersonal scenes.

I'm going to play around with it. Maybe I'll even think of a few things to add.

Thanks for sharing :)

[Oliveman]

Ok, there is one HUGE piece you are missing. Do not only concentrate on the POV character. If the scene is to work sucessfully, you must analyze all the points of view of the characters who are a part of that scene. What is their "scene objective" in other words? You've got it right about a "goal" for the scene, but I'd prefer to call it the "value". Different characters may have different goals, but what value is up in the air in the scene? This MUST change during the scene. If nothing changes, cut the scene. It is a flat scene, and is unneeded in the story.
Also, who is the initiator for the action in each scene? What is the turning point at which the value changes and the aim of the scene appears? Analyze any scene in any TV show, and you'll find that, even if it is badly done, all these parts appear.

Remember that there is no formula for a great scene, but there is a form for any scene, large or small, climatic or not. Resisting this as if you have some greater insight is like throwing away paints as a painter. To write well, understand your art. I did not mention EVERYTHING I could in regards to scenes, so investigate those out there already for yourselves. The most crucial part, though, for all of you, is that each scene turns on a specific value. That is what defines a scene... the whole story can take place in one room, but there can still be infinitely many scenes played out between two people sitting in that room. It depends on what value is at stake at any given time, and that there is connection and progression through this process.

EDIT- I reread some of what you guys said, and I just wanted to add in the key idea of subtext. What is NOT said should always be being said. Show, don't tell. Scenes go along in an action-reaction back and forth driven by characters with specific motives and goals. Make them real people. No person says the whole truth. That is not a bad thing, as if we constantly spewed our minds we would go likely insane. The character drives their own subtext, along with their relationship to other characters. Remember, too, to trust your reader. They will get what's going on if you let them, and don't pull them out of the story by telling them what to think.

Do not let form stiffle your effectiveness. Do not let creativity stiffle the absolute need for form. Guard against these extremes or you're bound to fail from inconsistency of vision and understanding of this art form. Understand it and you will work wonders.

[Judg]

Oliveman, you're right, consciously thinking through the questions for the other characters could be productive, although it would start to get difficult to fit on a single page and leave room for noting the answers. I have done this very consciously on the "outline" level (it's ennobling my notes a bit to call them outlines), but not at the individual scene level. I'll mull this over.

How are you defining "value"?

[Oliveman]

By value I mean like.. what is at stake. Like "main character's pride", "the love between those two characters", or "the survival of the world" if it gets to that point. Values, even several different ones, must switch states over the course of the scene at the scene's turning point. So you must identify at the start of the scene "What value is at stake?" I.E. "Why does this scene exist?" in a greater sense. The way the scene plays out can reveal a number of things, but the action/reaction process within should have progress that brings the value to contention at the turning point- where it changes. Don't make the mistake, however, of thinking.. for instance, that a value like "survival" is at stake in a scene where the character is being attacked, and it starts and ends positive because at both ends... he's alive.. No, you must identify what's really at stake, and how it really changes. Not that this scene couldn't be drawn in a flat manner.. if the character is always in perpetual peril, people will get bored at your book, or perhaps laugh at the serious parts. Anyway, in that scene you could say the value is "hope for survival" which starts negative and ends positive, turning at the point when he has overcome the last obstacle and his survival seems evident.

Also, about the climax scene - the value that changes here is defined as being absolute and irreversable in its change.

Hope that helps

[Judg]

Why would the stakes have to change during a chapter and/or scene? Can you illustrate?

As for setting up the stakes immediately, that often doesn't work. Sometimes the stakes are imposed by circumstances or another character and need a little setup, for instance.

Actually, having the "scene question" (or value or stakes) answered with a yes is the least productive in driving a story forward. The conflict is resolved, which provides closure, which isn't what you want in the middle of a book. It can be a nice change of pace, if it's a small secondary conflict and the poor MC has been getting constantly clobbered, but it's usually better to have an ambiguous or negative or at least nuanced outcome.

Am I write in assuming you've taken some creative writing classes? At a university level?

[Oliveman]

I think you're missing the point. I'm describing a scene, which may or may not be a chapter.. A chapter may contain multiple scenes upon your preference/what the moment calls for. Non-flat scenes do not provide closure, they provide... nothing, speaking of the progression of the story.



Ok let's see... what's an example we all know of... well, can't think of a specific one without assuming we all watch the same movies, read the same books, etc... so I’ll be general. Assume it's one of those argument-between-lovers scenes.. Ok. So, you have two different points of view, each with their own scene objective. If they argue until the end of the scene with no inclination that the argument will end, then it falls flat. That is a non-scene. Cut it. What you really want is to put some value at stake, say, in this case "Their relationship". The scene may start off with them both having their objectives, perhaps before the argument, then someone begins the back and forth (a reaction may be silence, remember to use subtext to the max- in body language, unsaid words, etc.). While the argument continues, no matter how different each action/reaction is, the scene cannot end. It can only end when overtly or with subversion, the value changes. This can be in a smile (their relationship was "bad" then went to "shaky but back to normal"), or in one turning away in desperation and making the decision to end the argument and the relationship, consequently (went from "bad" to "over"). More effectively, though, a scene can reveal things about a character or the situation that they're in. These realities can exist in the subtext because it is in the knowledge of one or more characters and is part of their scene motive. Say, for instance, that the relationship ends at the end, but because of another lover the other didn't know about, which he or she does at the end. Then there is more than one value at stake or changes, that is, "confidence in the other's loyalty and morality", which begins positive then moves to the negative at the turning point, when the secret is revealed.

The key to an effective scene is to move the story in a progression that reveals character, story (/conflict), and outcomes of previous expectations. There are countless variations, but they all follow that basic structure. Exposition is superfluous, as I've said, and that is essentially what a flat scene is. It does not provide conclusion, but rather progression of the story, which is in large part due to the conclusions of characters coming into conflict with reality (in the world, themselves, or others- personally speaking) and the consequences that result from that.

Scenes are organized into sections which are organized into acts which are organized into three acts or more to make a full length story. That's the basic form to remember.

Have aimed scenes, or better yet, multi-leveled scenes. The least, however, is to have a "value" which over the course of the scene changes, whether or not someone has willfully put it at stake.. even though main characters are, except for rare, experimental cases, willful in their character.. in some respect or another. You can be subtle, but you shouldn't bore the reader, nor drill them in the head with pointless changes. Everything should have a purpose in your story... but not one that serves you... only the story.

I have had no professional training aside from a creative writing summer camp, and all else has come from my own efforts to delve into the heart of what a story is by examining how others view this subject, and how actual, successful stories (in book, theater, or film) are arranged.

[scarletpeaches]

I couldn't use this outline...because it's an outline. :)

[Judg]

Oliveman, I think all of that is pretty much included in the point "Scene answer (Goal achieved? Yes, yes but, no, no and furthermore)". In other words, what is the answer to the scene question? Please remember this is just a series of thought-provoking questions to help build a chapter or scene. There are a few key words to trigger the reflexion, but this is in no way an essay on how to write a chapter, or the be-all and end-all of anything.

Scarlet, it's not an outline. It's a worksheet to help construct a good scene. If it works for you, great. If it doesn't, also great. Like I said, I use it sometimes, and other times, I have such a clear idea I just run with it. Other times I've used it and deliberately left out the whole "sequel" part because I found it more powerful that way.

But since it has on occasion helped me, I threw it out for whoever might find it worth a try.

[Oliveman]

Ok, but just don't make the mistake of seeing the scene value(s) as goals. There is no single goal for a scene, as different characters bring different pieces into it.

That was my main point :) your outline is good. Thanks for putting it out there.

[BoyBlog]

When I get stuck, it's usually on the outline. I like to outline everything and then do backstory for it. I may use this sometime, though... Thanks! :)