March 10

Inserting a scene

what is a sceneThis page is intended to provide some ideas about how to insert a scene in a novel or play you are studying.

  • Pick a character already introduced in the work. Imagine them overlooking the action or responding to a scene which they are not privy to. How would they react?
  • Add a ‘behind the scenes’ piece which shows motives for later actions.
  • Add a background piece that has been left out – dialogue between two or more characters, a clandestine meeting between two characters or a scene which shows one of them off in a different light.
  • Compose a prequel – a scene which takes place before the action begins.
  • Finish a chapter, or the novel or play with an alternative (or additional) ending.

Here’s a blog post by screenwriter John August on ‘How to write a scene’.

This additional site may also help: ‘What is a scene?’

 

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