“I feel like it’s been forever since we’ve last talked.” Sally said as she came into the coffee shop. “And with Memorial Day today, and the fact I haven’t written in about four years, I feel like I’ve lost all momentum on my chapters.”
Outside, Anne was planting geraniums in the coffee shop planters. The sun glinted off the lake, and the smell of lilacs hung in the air. I had a tan from the weekend Memorial Day and couldn’t wait to get home to our family barbeque.
“Oh, I hear that.” I said. “I haven’t written for five days and it can be frustrating when you walk away from your novel with your ideas still trapped in your brain. One of my biggest frustrations in writing a novel is that I can’t write it all in one sitting. Seriously. I’ve tried. I once wrote a novel in 10 days. It’s a good thing my people brought me food! I love being able to write a novel in a concentrated amount of time because the storyline is never far from me and while it’s exhausting, the story always seems to emerge with fewer jolts in the plot. But life doesn’t work that way, does it?”
She shook her head.
“So yes, let’s talk about how to keep momentum going between chapters even when you have breaks in writing. First thing you do is to interview your POV character about the previous scene they were in.
Ask the following questions:
- What did you think about what just happened?
- What are your choices?
- What will you do next, and why?
- What is the worst thing that could happen to you right now?
- And, if it’s a romance –how do you feel about this person? What do you fear happening emotionally?
“It simply helps me get into his/her head and start mulling over the next scene as I go about driving my kids to football practice, or getting on an airplane to speak at an event.
“The interview also helps me put together the pieces of the next chapter and establish the next step by asking: What are my Action Objectives?
“The Action Objectives are the things that help me understand what I as the author have to accomplish. It’s all the movement, information, inner and outer journey steps and any hints of future trouble I need to insert.
“Once I understand these, then I go through the scene set up, deciding the Action/Reaction elements, Setting up the SHARP elements (Stakes, Heroine ID, Anchoring, Run, Problem (or Story Question), and then beginning with the 5 W’s to set up the foundation of the scene.
“I know it can be difficult to get back in the groove of a chapter after walking away, but you can do a tremendous amount of prework on your scene by simply asking – and answering – the right questions while you are doing laundry, shopping, driving, homeschooling and even exercising. Then, when you’re ready to write, you’ll have all the pieces you need.”
(For the purposes of momentum, here are the links to the previous Scene Setup Blogs.
Sally was busy scribbling.
“What are you doing?”
She looked up. “Interviewing my character of course.”
Of course. “I’ll just leave you two here for some privacy.”
She waved me away.
Truth: Momentum in a story is about picking up the threads from the previous scene and continuing them into the next scene.
Dare: Interview your characters after/before every scene to keep your story fluid and moving forward.
Have a great Memorial Day!
Susie May
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