Make A Scene Read Free

narrative summary, is a form of explaining. And while every narrative has some necessary summary, it must be used judiciously. Imagine yourself as the storyteller to a group of enthralled children gathered around and hanging on your every word. Say that right at the climax where Snow White bites into the poisoned apple (a juicy bit of action), you go off on a tangent like this: "Snow White thought about taking a bite of the apple, but she had been having trust issues since her stepmother had hired the woodcutter to kill her. Remembering her stepmother's betrayal sent her into a whirlwind of doubt. ..." Bored yet? You can bet those kids would be bouncing in their chairs asking, "But what happened to Snow White after she bit into the poisoned apple?!" Grown-up readers respond the same way to telling.
    Think about it another way: Most people read with their physical eyes and a handy little part of the brain known as the visual cortex. The brain is, in fact, considered more important in the function of sight than the eyes, and in the act of reading, this is even more true. The brain helps the reader with the most important organ of reading, the inner eye, meaning the eye of the imagination (not some mystical link to spiritual realms). This eye is responsible for constructing in the mind the visual images that are rendered only in text on a page. You want the reader to see what you describe as vividly as you see your dreams at night; therefore, you must give the reader as much opportunity to do so as possible. You must be detailed and specific, and provide enough sensory clues to make the task of seeing easy.
    Narrative summary, on the other hand, offers words only to the reader's inner ear, as if someone were standing off to the side whispering right to him. While the eye allows the reader to become emotionally involved, and activates the heart and the viscera, the inner ear seems to be linked more closely to the function of sound. Too much stimulation on the inner ear can temporarily lull your reader, or even put him to sleep. This is one of the reasons that narrative passages should be kept to a minimum.
    Scenes use the ingredients mentioned earlier to construct a powerful, vivifying experience that mimics life for the reader. At its best, powerful scene-writing allows a reader to feel as if he has entered the narrative and is participating in it, rather than sitting passively by and receiving a lecture. You know you're in a scene when your own heart is pumping and you're white-knuckling the pages waiting to see what happens next. When you fall into the story and forget the world around you, the author has done a good job of immersing you in a scene.
    Narrative summaries, when used in place of scene work or when used in excess, cause the reader to feel that the writing is boring, condescending, or lecturing—which will not win more readers. That said, narrative summaries, when used correctly, do have a place and a function in scenes, and we'll take a closer look at those functions throughout this book.
    SCENE LENGTH
    Before we wrap this chapter up, let's talk about another issue that's sure to rise up in your mind: scene length. One of the benefits of writing in scene form is that the ending of a scene provides a place for the reader to comfortably take a pause. You may wonder when to use a short scene versus a long scene. Once again, the decision rests with you, but we'll take a quick look at the benefits of using either kind.
    Long Scenes
    Generally speaking, if a scene runs to more than fifteen pages, it's on the long side. A scene can be picked up, read, and put back down (though not too easily!), leaving the reader with more information than he had before. Even the most avid reader wants to pause eventually, and scene and chapter breaks offer them chances to do so.
    Long scenes don't need to be avoided, but they should be peppered in sparingly. Too many long scenes in a row will cause your narrative to drag.
    Use long