: How do I get from the plot outline to an scene-for-scene summary? My first milestone in writing a story is to have a complete, start to finish description of the sequence of events and character

Vote Up Vote Down

This seems to have sparked the age-old plotting or not debate. Personally, I have to plot. I am not able to take an idea and a beginning and just go. Especially since I write crime thrillers, I have to be leaving clues throughout, and, to me, there's just too much rewriting if I don't include those clues first. There are some people that are great pantsers. More power to them. One writing/planning style doesn't work for everyone. You have to find your own process and work with it.

My process is: first, I get an idea and write it down. Second, expand as much as I can on the idea and sub-plots in a general notes form (not an outline). Next, I notecard - this is my scene by scene outline. On each index card, I write the main point of the scene, any dialogue I want to remember for when I'm writing, the POV character, the time/date, and the location. Finally, I write the darn story.

Something to remember when you're writing from an outline/scene cards is that you can deviate from this while you're writing. In fact, you most likely will. I haven't had a book yet that I've written exactly as my notecards are laid out. I usually think of some other trouble my characters can run into along the way and roll with it. But I usually go back and fix any notecards that are ahead of where I am to accommodate the change.

To actually answer your question, each scene must contribute something to the story. Don't have any "filler" scenes. Use those to reveal something, even if it's character revelation. There also should be some kind of conflict in each scene.

Personally, I start at the beginning and work my way through to the end (unless I have one scene that is just burning in my head, then I'll write it ahead), because I visualize my books as if they were movies in my head, so I make sure those transitions would feel right and I have to go in order for that. Again, find out what works for you: some people can jump around; I can't. And if you're writing something like a mystery where you have to leave clues, it might be helpful to keep track of what they are, who knows about them, and when they find them on a separate document.

Good luck writing your scenes.

(0)

Vote Up Vote Down

So far this has veered into a plotter/pantser debate, with pantsers expressing their disagreement over plotting instead of trying to answer the Q.

Plotting will make you think up a story. It will be constructed, flat, stereotypical.

That is just bad writing, plotting is not to blame, the writer is. The other side of that coin is pantsers whose story have no head or tail and go nowhere. It is a lot more likely to get utterly lost without plans. I am always amazed when a pantser is able to finish a coherent story.

I suspect that they are only able to do so because some order emerges from the chaos of their numerous drafts. They stumble in the dark till they start to see a light in the end of the miasmatic abyss they plunged themselves in. They self-mutilate, auto-enucleate, and chain themselves to a rock.

Though, given that some major authors are pantsers, I accept this blindly faltering "method", or more accurately lack of any method, as a valid alternative approach to plotting.

---------------------------

Anyways, for you main Q, it depends. My approach is that the events need to be fleshed out. When you have your sequence of events you need to see it like a dream sequence. You need to live your scenes, feel the emotion, and perceive what yours senses are telling you. When you have that you should have your POV character, if you didn’t have one before. The more you advance, the more the POV character will come to life, that in turn will determine the scenes.

A possible approach is a hierarchical scene construction. Start with major scenes, the beginning, the act turns, the climax-resolution. Then flesh out the secondary plot points scenes. Then minor points, or scenes that are needed to fill in, or give context, to a plot point or character trait.

Yes, there can be multiple ways showing the events, you need to find the optimal way. The best scenes need to achieve the most objectives in the least amount of space. They do not follow one method but combine many. So mix up things like scene timing, action/reaction, MRU, rising tension, conflict in dialogue, subtext….

Each scene needs to be critical to the overall structure. I also think that the best scenes are original. Integrate all the needed elements, but surprise the readers. Take them in unexpected paths, show them something unanticipated, and dazzle your reader. This is how you avoid a story that is too linear, take some detour, garnish some sub-plots, and embroider some threads.

(0)

Vote Up Vote Down

Just get on and write it. If you have got a plot, churn out a first draft, or series of possible scenes. Over-planning just means you don't actually write it. Of course you need an idea about what to write. If you have got a sequence of events get on and write the story.

(0)