Struggling to make a scene work
If you’re a writer, you’ve likely had the experience of struggling to bring a scene together. You probably had those frustrating moments where you just cant figure out how to make a scene work with your characters.
You’re certainly not alone. Listen to almost any author interview and you’re likely to hear them talk about their own writing struggles.
But what should you do if you find yourself in a scene with characters who just don’t seem to cooperate? How do you still churn out great scenes when it seems like the characters just won’t get on the same page? Or worse, they’re on the same page, but it’s coming out all wrong.
One solution might be to try a technique from filmmakers. In this interview with Bennett Pellington, award-winning horror short film writer and director, he talks about how important characters are and how he thinks about scenes. It got me thinking, what if we treated our characters like actors?
Here’s the relevant part of the interview
The 4 steps to getting through problematic scenes
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Cast your story well
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Have a goal
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Get what’s in the script
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Let your characters explore the space
Casting is key
When you’re writing your story, think about ways to really bring your characters to life. You might find it easier to write scenes where it feels like the characters are living and breathing. But how do you do that?
So there’s areas in writing I feel really confident in, and sometimes. And mainly I guess not areas, mainly it’s just like certain scenes I feel really confident…but 9 times out of 10 when I kind of just let the actor do their thing, if you’ve cast it well, then it’s going to be better than what you wrote anyway. — Bennett Pellington
So even if you don’t have characters talking in your head, that’s okay. But if you understand what motivates them, what they need, what they want, and what they’re willing to do to get it, that might be enough to visualize them and ‘cast’ them in your story.
Another way to do this is to actually cast the scene. Think about choosing an actor to play the role in your story. This can be a fun exercise to help you better picture what your character looks like. Because you don’t have a casting director, it’s your job to find the character!
Just so I’m clear, I’m not suggesting you know their favorite color and what they had for breakfast three weeks ago. Instead, I’m saying that you might need to know what makes them tick.
Answering some of the important questions about your character, and ensuring you can visualize them, might bring your character from letters on the page into fully fleshed out people standing in front of you.
What’s the goal?
When I’m writing a scene, I’m conscious of the goals I’ve set for that scene. Knowing what a character wants from a scene can be vital, too.
I try to ensure that if a character is in my scene, I know why they’re there. If a character gets screen time, but I can’t tell what they want, then I try to cut them entirely.
Writing has to be the number one…even if it’s not good dialogue when you write it, at least if you have a goal. That way when you express that to the actors, they can make it their own. — Bennett Pellington
Here, Pellington is reminding us that the most important part of any scene for him is finding the goal. Then, if he can articulate it, hed might just find that the characters (if they’re fully alive in your mind) take the scene where they want it.
And that to me is, again, it’s always about the script, always always always about the text, you know, or, again, at least having a goal with that text… — Bennett Pellington
By developing that goal in your mind, you can be utilitarian about each scene. After all, most stories are just one scene after another after another used to tell a cohesive story. So it’s worthwhile to think about what goal each scene has within your entire narrative.
Get what’s in the script
In my opinion, it’s important to go with your gut on this one. In the end, that’s what this whole writing thing is all about: always trying to write something you can be proud of.
So to take Pellington’s advice, we should use the first take on the scene you’re writing to get what we think we need out of the scene.
So, I think it’s more of like a development thing you kind of find what works for you. For me, I found that I like to make sure that we have what we have on the page, and then let the actors have a couple takes where they can play with it. And however they want to express the scene or if they don’t want to say dialogue…— Bennett Pellington
After getting the scene the way you imagined it, look back at it. If it feels real to you and you have everything you need, consider moving on.
But what should you do if you have that twinge in your stomach? Or you’re hearing alarm bells? Or whatever other feeling you get that tells you a scene isn’t working?
Let your characters explore the space
If you’re not happy with what you’ve gotten so far from your characters, then treat them like actors. If you have a fully fleshed out character in your story, and you have a goal for that scene, then let your characters loose on each other!
This isn’t to say that they should do something out of the ordinary (unless your character or story calls for that) but instead, consider letting your characters roam around a bit.
…let them [actors] do a take where you get what’s on the page or two takes or whatever. And then let them create from it what they want…doesn’t have to be word for word or whatever. Just let it, let it happen because then people aren’t thinking about stuff they’re just living, you know, and when you get those moments, that’s when, that’s when you stop looking at the cinematography and…you just get invested in what the character is saying. — Bennett Pellington
Pellington is suggesting that, by allowing your characters free range to say whatever they want, instead of sticking to your script, You might find something there. Even if it’s just a kernel of something. You can then develop that into your original script.
As writers, it’s easy to get three or four ‘takes’ on a scene and make it into one. Cut, paste, repeat. Sculptors need clay to make art. Writers need words. In this way, writing is a lot about rewriting and revising! So make sure you’re giving yourself enough clay and then slowly peel away what you don’t need.
By allowing your characters to live inside the scene, you might just find something better than what you initially planned for the scene. But don’t forget your goal!
So again, at least having a goal. That goal can change, but I’d rather have a goal and be prepared, and the actors then come up with something totally new that turns the scene this way from this way now. — Bennett Pellington
Conclusion
So if you’re struggling to write a scene, consider letting your characters drive the action and take the scene where they want to take it by following this 4 step process:
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Cast your story well
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Have a goal
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Get what’s in the script
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Let your characters explore the space
And you have got to be able to, you can’t hold it too close. You got to be able to kill your darlings a little bit. Because if you’re just holding on, you’re just going to suck the life out of it. — Bennett Pellington
