Dramatic summary the fastest mode, the storyteller condenses what's happening into its most dramatic elements, the speed is very fast. In becomes words, the passage whizzes along at breakneck speed rushes the reader forward with the impression of practically no time passing. For the reader that is, the example that follows is taken from chapter 10 of my book The touch of love. First, I'll orient you to where we are in the story with a few notes on why I used various strategies. I've ended chapter nine in Scotts viewpoint in the midst of a raging storm. He's on the heaving deck of the icebreaker he captains with a seven ton anchor that's broken loose, sliding across the deck towards him.
There's no way he can get behind the crash rails before the anchor hits. Leaving chapter nine on that cliffhanger. I open chapter 10 Several hours later with melody in a Calgary hospital, waiting for news of Scott who is still in surgery in jumping ahead in time like this I'm using a technique I read about many years ago and a wonderful book by mystery author Lawrence block. The book is called telling lies for fun and profit and that technique is spring ahead fall back. block is an expert with a strategy ending a scene on a suspenseful note, then springing ahead in time and the next paragraph or chapter, and often springing ahead, springing across the globe in place to the next interesting event. Having sprung ahead, he then falls back, filtering in any details the need or reads to know.
This strategy is a great way to keep the reader moving forward without boring him with irrelevant details when moving from one scene to another using blocks tech I opened chapter 10 on page 162 of the of the printed book, with melody in the hospital corridor waiting for news of Scots condition. This passage is in SQL. We're in maladies viewpoint and she's naturally worried. Most of the sequel is written in narrative mode, slowing down the pace and giving the reader a break from the urgent drama of chapter nine. Towards the end of the sequel on page 163. I increase the pace a little by shifting into dialogue mode to deliver the news that they're airlifting him to Calgary.
They took him to tuck Diack by helicopter, a doctor met him at talk and is accompanying him to Calgary. The next paragraph after the after that is written in exposition mode, it's a short paragraph. Still in Melody's viewpoint. This is information for the reader who has no idea where tuck tuck actually is. Tucked I have talked to Calgary three hours from the Northwest Territories port to the modern facilities of Calgary. Then I move into dramatic summary, pushing a lot of the action into a small amount of time.
Heightening the emotional tension with words and phrases like wait two hours forever news, surgery rushed, hemorrhaging critical. save his life. Dramatic summary is not appropriate for a full scene. There's too much missing. You get only the high points like one of those recklessly paced movie trailers. Dramatic summary works best when you want to maintain intensity, while telescoping a series of events creating the sensation of breakneck speed.
He arrived in Calgary long before melody could get there. She had to wait for morning and the jet to Vancouver then another two hours for connection to Calgary, then the hospital and it seemed forever without news. Scott had been taken directly to surgery hours before melody arrived. Then about the time she landed at Calgary airport, he was rushed back into surgery a second time hemorrhaging. She had not seen and would not be able to see him for hours. Critical the nurses said and the doctor was too busy trying to save his life to talk to anyone.
I end this dramatic summary passage with melody in hospital and the doctor offstage fighting for Scott's life. Next, I'm going to slip into dramatic action for a scene in the hospital waiting room. We'll take a look at that in the next video. Thanks for watching.