How sequel scenes shape story

Goal-focused scenes drive plot—but sequel scenes shape story. Find out how, plus more good ideas about writing fiction from my curation bucket.

Hey, y’all—

A book that reads like a race from one plot point to the next is all bones and no heart. It’ll get you from Point A to Point B, and you may even find a drop or two of lifeblood in a few key scenes.

But sequel scenes—the protagonist’s opportunity to reflect and arrive at the decisions that shape not only what happens next but how and why—are the connective tissue between those dry planks of plot points. Action scenes may create your novel’s plot, but sequel scenes are what turn the plot into story.

Join me in exploring sequel scenes, prologues, comp titles, and more, in our practice of The Writes of Fiction.

How a sequel works with a scene

Sequels are the glue that holds those scenes together and reminds readers why this is important in the first place. They tap into the emotional side of the characters and how these problems affect them, those they care about, and the world at large (if applicable).

…Sequels help readers understand why the character is acting as they need to act in the story.

They show what’s going on in the character’s head, how their decision-making process works, and how they solve their problems. Not only do they help connect plot points, they help readers better understand the protagonist and their motivations.—Read the rest from Janice Hardy at Fiction University.

More on scene techniques: Issue: Failing to directly relate the scene turning point to the scene goal. For example, if Camille’s objective is to covertly retrieve a secret code from her coworker’s files, it wouldn’t make sense for the scene’s turning point to be returning home to find her apartment flooded due to a burst water heater in the unit above. This is definitely a nasty setback for Camille, but it doesn’t have any bearing on the pursuit of the secret code; that plot thread is left dangling.

Instead, imagine Camille poised to steal the secret code form her colleague’s office when the receptionist rushes down the hall with word of an emergency call from Camille’s landlord. This turning point directly affects the scene goal of obtaining the secret code. Just as Camille anticipates snatching the code, she’s yanked away.—Read the rest at Scene Mastery: Navigating common goal-driven scene pitfalls.