| Scene? | Date of Scene: | Scene #: |
| “What if” Statement:
|
||
| Paragraph Summary:
|
||
| Location(s):
|
Description(s):
|
|
| Weather: | ||
| Characters Present:
|
Timeline: | |
| Purpose of Scene:
1. 2. 3 4 |
||
| Character Goal: | Problem/What Happened? This problem is typically precipitated by the previous scene… a string of causality that serves as a motor for the pacing of the story. Nice to have three attempts towards the goal in each scene.
|
|
| Prizes/Stakes:
|
Overall Conflict at the heart of the Scene? | |
| Opposition/Problem
1. 2. 3. |
Strategy
1 2 3 |
|
| Intial Conflict to be Resolved?
|
Turning Point/Disaster? Something to write towards.
|
|
| How does Character Feel at Beginning of Scene?
|
||
| What does Character Gain/Lose: | How does he Feel about it?
|
|
| How does Scene Move Character Toward/Away from Goal?
|
What is non-POV Character Thinking/Feeling during Scene?
|
|
| Conflict/Tension? Y/N
Sense of Place? Y/N Five Senses? Y/N
|
Emotion/Humor? Y/N
Begin Near Conflict? Y/N End with Shock or a Bang? Y/N
|
|
| Character Development:
What do we learn about the POV character in this scene?
What does he learn/experience?
How does he change?
|
||
| How does the scene advance the plot?
|
||
| Where does it lead in the next scene or the one after that?
Sequel Reaction: What’s the character’s reaction to what happened in the scene?
Sequel Dilemma: What problem does it create for them?
Sequel Decision: What are they going to do about it – this propels your story forward
|
||
One reply on “Scene Worksheet”
[…] I’m not much for worksheets. I keep most of my plans in my head. But this week, I’ve been struggling with a scene that just didn’t seem to want to pull its weight, and I decided to analyze it to see if I could figure out what was missing. I googled scene worksheets (to discover that most of them were for crime scenes), and then I combined the best of several to come up with this one that works for me.You don’t have to fill out every block. Just let the questions guide you to be sure that your scene justifies the space it takes and keeps the story and the reader moving forward.Some questions, like the date (that’s the date in the story–not today’s date) and the weather are more for you, so that you have a clear vision. And, of course, if you’re writing memoir, you are the character and should be able to articulate here what your perceptions and emotions were and how they changed during the scene. To view or print the Scene Workshop, click HERE […]