How to structure a scene

Some tips to find what works best for you and your current project

Technically, these two pages from Sightwitch are both scenes!

@Leslie asked:

Hi Sooz! Thanks so much for all of the honesty and openness that you continue to share. I was wondering what writing a scene looks like for you? I remember seeing an old post about starting with dialogue, but as far as balancing action, dialogue, description, weaving plot points through, etc. how do you look at a scene and consider it “done” for that draft? But also without doing too much in one scene either?

This is quite a question, Leslie, and one on which people have written entire books and teach entire classes. Because what does constitute a scene?

I’ve seen so many definitions myself, and frankly, I don’t agree with many of them. I think a scene can be long, it can be short, it can be nothing but exposition, it can be nothing but action and movement. The character could have a goal; the character could also just be thinking.

In fact, if you’ve read The Luminaries yet, then you’ll know I played with scene f…