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Topic : Re: Should I remove scenes that I myself find "boring"? Sometimes, I find myself writing a scene that does everything I think it should do: reveal details about the protagonist, drive the plot forward, - selfpublishingguru.com

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Yes, it's normal to find such scenes. And removing these scenes is perfectly normal too, although not always necessary nor the correct course of action.

Before anything, think what essential elements were added by that scene.

Think if other scenes could benefit from moving these elements there. If you find that the story can only benefit from reaping all the good pieces of the scene and using them to enrich the rest, kill it off without regrets.

If most essential elements can be moved out but there are a few that won't fit elsewhere, think of making a small, skeletal scene to put them in. Take the juiciest page out of the current one and condense them in there, or write one that summarizes the events or such. A kind of lifeboat for whatever would be lost. Reduce the whole scene to atomic dimensions, so there's no time for it to get boring.

If you find you can't really trim the scene and remove it without considerable sacrifices, it's time to think how to repair it. I asked a question about that and got a fairly fine answer how to do it. Create a story arc, a short story, something captivating and thrilling and simply overlay it on the boring part, make it a background for the new events. You still get to convey what was needed but the audience won't be bored.

...last but not least, you may keep the plot and the scene pretty much as-is. Rescue it by giving it proper framing. Make the neighboring scenes so rapid, so active and crazy, that the moment of respite becomes welcome, not boring but relaxing.


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