I know what I want to write, but I can’t write the scene.
Don’t you hate when you can see a scene, but you can’t write a scene?
Yeah, me too.
It is something writers face at all phases of drafting, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a random scene or the big finale. The frustration it causes can derail even the most dedicated of scribes.
You know what the book is about, and how it ends. Too bad you keep getting stuck trying to actually do the writing. Even when you manage to get something down, it lives in your head because something isn’t right.
You hate everything about those moments. So, you delete and revise over and over again, hoping the pasta will finally stick.
You are your own worst enemy and the harshest critic who is never satisfied.
It doesn’t matter if it is a random scene or the end of the book causing problems, it throws everything off kilter.
It’s not like there’s a crystal ball to predict what will trip you up. It is a part of the process, even if it pisses you off.
When you get here, every word you put on the page makes you cringe. You muscle through, make the scene happen, but something isn’t right.
And you are too deep in the words to see why you are hitting a wall.
Stop banging your head against the wall. Try some of these strategies to help you focus on something other than crafting a perfect scene.
Set a timer for 15 minutes. Write everything you know about the ending down. When the timer goes off, put the ending away and read it the next day.
Remove the scene you are having trouble with from the story. What is missing from the story without it? What has to happen in the scene to keep the story moving?
Write an alternate ending.
Look at the scene before the trouble scene. What circumstances happen at the end? How does the trouble scene have to begin? What has to change by the end of it?
It’s okay to cry as long as you don’t quit.
Every scene is change, moving the story forward. Or, ending the book and answering the story question.
You have to make each scene earn its keep, passing the torch to the next moment, forcing characters to act or make the decision to remain where they are.
If you are so close to the story, you can’t see what’s happening, I ask questions to help you see why it isn’t working.
The Stuck Scene and The Book End dig into different areas, figuring out the problem and making each scene pay its own way.
Read about them below.
-
The Stuck Scene
This session focuses on a single scene you just aren’t happy with. You understand what it needs to do, but it doesn’t work when you write it.
We talk about the moments before and after this scene, and examine the beginning, middle, and end. We’ll dive deep into what the scene needs to do and what is actually happening.
-
The Book End
This session looks at how the story ends. It takes feelings out of the equation and uses the text from the scene to diagnose what is causing issues.
We will look at the beginning of the story and ask the story question again and look for the answer in the final words. We’ll find the main character where they started and follow them to the end, examining how they changed.