The Anatomy of a Book - Making Scenes

So far I’ve talked about where story ideas come from, naming characters, dramatic story situations, title choices, character charts, brainstorming, chapter charts and organizing the writing. Scroll down for more of this blog series on how I put a book together.

You know that books are written in scenes, right? That it’s amateurish and boring to catalog everything a character does, so you must choose the most useful or exciting moments? That every scene should have a purpose, whether to illustrate character, develop the primary relationship, establish or escalate conflict or drive the story forward with action and reaction?

Great.

 

If you’ve read this far in this series of posts on how I put a book together, you won’t be surprised to hear that I often outline the scene coming up in my WIP. I do this not because I’m OCD - well, not completely! – but because I have a vivid picture of the scene in my mind and want to be certain I capture every bit of it, painting that scene with words. My notes include some, if not all, of the following:
 

• The information that will carry the story forward.
• The season and time of day if it has bearing on the action.
• POV character and her/his goal and motivation.
• What the characters are wearing and how they appear.
• Conflict that arises between the characters and their attitudes toward it.
• Brief outline of any specific dialogue exchange I’ve heard in my head.
• Effect on the romantic relationship as a result of this scene.
• Snippets of backstory that might have bearing.
• Subtle, or not so subtle, hint of what might happen next as a hook.

My notes for the first scene of Book 3 in my Italian Billionaires series look like this then: 

• Cop Heroine is in a hurry, resents the traffic jam she comes upon, decides to fix it.
• Describe Amalfi Coast Road, its beauty, problems and dangers. Early evening. Rain. Fog.
• Heroine rescues the cat named Trouble in Italian. Describe cat.
• Enter the hero, describe him, his clothing in heroine’s POV.
• Explore in dialogue their different ideas on how to fix the traffic jam.
• Their mutual cooperation to solve the problem.
• Sensual tension between the two main characters.
• Hero’s POV, describe heroine; his exasperation with her take-charge attitude.
• His backstory of why he has the cat, why it’s important that no one knows he has it.
• Describe heroine’s rental car going over the cliff -- and his satisfaction at the sight.

I’m more likely to do detailed outlines at the beginning of a book. Once I’m immersed in the story I can usually segue from one scene to the next without pause. But I still jot down scene ideas that may come to me while driving, showering, just before going to sleep, etc. Sometimes my computer screen has so many sticky notes attached it looks as if it might fly away! It really hurts to lose a great idea that might have made my scene come alive for the reader.

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Since publishing her first book at age 27, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Blake has gone on to write over 65 historical and contemporary novels in multiple genres. She brings the story-telling power and seductive passion of the South to her stories, reflecting her 8th-generation Louisiana heritage. Jennifer lives with her husband in northern Louisiana.

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10 Tips for Productive Writing

1.      Create goals. Decide how many pages or words you can comfortably produce in a day, then mark these potential daily totals on your calendar. Be realistic. Allow for rest days, also days when life may intervene—since it always does.

2.      Set personal deadlines. Example: You have a six-month editorial deadline, but know you will need a major read-through for author revision, plus another for polishing, in order to turn in your best work. Mark your calendar with a two-month deadline for completing the rough draft, and two months each for the author revision and polishing.

3.      Establish a daily routine. Doing the same things in the same order (shower, eat breakfast, exercise, check email, make a cup of tea or coffee) prepares your brain for work in the same way any engrained habit produces mental readiness.

4.      Make certain your writing area is comfortable. Invest in a good office chair and follow ergonomic principles. You need to be relaxed and pain free in order to concentrate.

5.     Put on music. Whether you create a playlist that reflects the theme of your story, opt for classical pieces such as Mozart that’s said to encourage concentration, or choose something that jars every brain cell in your skull, music can tune out distractions and put you in the mood to write.

6.      Read over the last 5-10 pages of work done the day before. This will allow you pick up the threads of the story and/or do minor polishing. Avoid reading back over too many pages as this can eat up working time.

7.      Brainstorm the scene coming up. Jot down four or five points that need to be made at this point in your story, and then arrange them in order of occurrence. These notes will give your brain something to work with as you face the blank computer screen.

8.      Start typing something, anything. Make a diary entry, a grocery list, a collection of things to be thankful for, or just rant about the last idiot who annoyed you. Segue into random thoughts about your characters, their motivations or upcoming actions. Something will usually appear that’s useful for the book. Delete the garbage and go.

9.      Set a cheap, portable kitchen timer. Challenge yourself to do your personal best number of words or pages in an hour. The time ticking away acts as a goad, and speed writing permits you to by-pass your internal editor for better creative flow.

10.      Reward yourself for goals met and/or work completed. The prize can be as minor as a piece of chocolate when you make your daily page total, or as major as a trip to Europe when you finish a multi-book contract. Any incentive for your muse will encourage her to show up and lean over your shoulder, whispering, “You can do this. Yes, you can.”

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Website Facebook Twitter

Since publishing her first book at age 27, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Blake has gone on to write over 65 historical and contemporary novels in multiple genres. She brings the story-telling power and seductive passion of the South to her stories, reflecting her 8th-generation Louisiana heritage. Jennifer lives with her husband in northern Louisiana.

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