5 Questions To Ask Before Writing A Scene
Get your computer ready… pen and paper… whatever you write with.
Seriously, try this out.
We are going to give you a handful of questions to help you write… right now.
Hopefully you’ve been brainstorming, cooking up scene ideas… outlining. And now you are ready to begin your writing scenes (or have already begun).
Here’s the first question…
(Question 1)
*Why are you excited to write (or work) on this scene?
Or if you are not excited to write this scene…
*What is holding you back from writing this scene?
Note:
We are counting this as one question. Pick the question that feels most appropriate at this time.
Think about this question and write whatever comes to mind. Be honest. Don’t judge. Don’t edit. Just write.
Write for 3 minutes
Thank you for participating! We appreciate your willingness to test this for yourself.
Did answering either of those questions give you clarity?
Let’s take another step forward…
(Question 2)
Here is the next question we’d like you to answer.
*What is the central conflict in your overall story… in other words… what is the main character trying to achieve and what is standing in their way?
Examples:
Whiplash (2014) - A young drummer faces extreme pressure from a ruthless music teacher in pursuit of greatness.
The Karate Kid (2010) - Dre Parker struggles to overcome fear and gain self-respect in a hostile new environment through learning kung fu.
Finding Nemo (2003) - Marlin, a cautious clownfish, must overcome his fear of the ocean and his overprotectiveness to find and rescue his son, Nemo
Men Of Honor (2000) - Carl, the son of a poor sharecropper, dreams of becoming the U.S. Navy’s first Black Master Diver in a time when racism, segregation, and rigid military hierarchy stand in his way.
Why This Matters:
Knowing the central conflict is one of the keys to knowing whether the scene you are working on belongs in your story. This is a simple tool that you can use as a guide.
Write for 3 minutes
Follow Up:
To further illustrate the point above.
If you watch deleted scenes with the central conflict in mind, it will be no surprise why the scenes did not make the final cut.
Here are two great examples.
Whiplash (2104)
The Karate Kid (2010)
We’ve grouped the last 3 questions into one section as they are all connected.
(Questions 3-5)
*How many characters are in your scene?
*What if you just spend a few moments thinking about each character and put yourself in their shoes… what’s going on with them right now… what’s happening in their lives… and what’s happening in this moment?
*What if you live out this scene with your characters right now in real-time?
Note
Write down whatever thoughts and feelings you have while you put yourself into the minds and bodies of your characters while exploring this scene.
Write for 10 minutes
We hope you got something positive out of that!
These questions are the first questions (Step 1 - Pre-Work) that we go through in our 9 Steps To Writing A Great Scene - Story Questions Workshop.
Please comment below if you found this helpful.
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