In this video we'll be looking at scenes sequels and pacing. The answer to where to add words and where to take words out when you're editing for pacing lies in the difference between a scene and a sequel. scene and sequel is a way of viewing story structure that mirrors the manner in which our human brains tend to structure our own life stories, and the way we react to events and challenges. A novel is made up of scenes with sequels between them. The bridge between one scene in the next may be as short as a double space indicating a break in time. Or it may be a sequel in which the viewpoint character reacts to the last scene and forms a new plan for what to do going forward.
This is what we do in our own lives. If we have an interesting, exciting or upsetting scene, in an interaction with someone later, we think about it. We We are in a quandary perhaps sometime What are we going to do? How are we going to deal with this? What What can we do the next time we see the person or should we just shut them out of our lives? All sorts of things but, but this is what we do we process things in life.
Some of my best resources for studying scene and sequel in storytelling, really, my major resources are Dwight v. Swain, his book techniques of the selling writer chapter four, particularly for scene and sequel, and jack Beckham's books, writing and selling your novel chapter nine, and seen in structure the entire book. If these three books aren't on your bookshelf or on your E reader, I highly recommend them. But talk about the bones of story. And that's really important. For our purpose in this course, we'll use the following definitions from swings techniques of the selling writer as seen as the unit of conflict lived through by character and reader, the big moments in your story or scenes or to put it the other way around. If you want some incident or bit to loom large on your, to your reader cast it in scene form.
A sequel is a unit of transition that links to things. So that's Dwight Swayze, page 84 techniques of the selling writer. Melody and Scott's first kiss was part of a scene. Seeing chews up a lot of words because important things are happening. And they're usually told in eyewitness fashion close up, showing the reader what's going on instead of telling her scenes contain heightened emotional intensity generated by using eyewitness testimony to immerse the reader in the viewpoint characters sensory, emotional and mental experience reading the signs of emotion intensity that the character feels allows the involved reader to experience that character's emotions. That's what fast paced is all about.
Sequels form a bridge to move the reader through a transition between times places or character viewpoints. Most novels are stories focused around a few important scenes. When reading the scenes, the reader should be able to see and touch and breathe the viewpoint characters reality. In the touch of love, the first kiss scene my objective was to give the reader the information her brains needs to fantasize that she is Melody. To imagine your melody being kissed by Scott. You need to see Melody's perception of the pattern of Scott's muscles and the way the hair on his chest grows.
The crazy thought going through crazy thoughts going through her head, there's lots of them. That sensation on her skin. I know Need you to be deep into melodies point of view. An interesting thing happens here. In a way time is almost stopped. That is storytime is stopped.
But if I did it right and the scene is working, the readers eyes are moving over the words more quickly. He was watching her seeing everything. The way his naked chest affected her her own awareness of his eyes on her, her body breast swelling and some mysterious woman's reaction to this man's chemistry. There were no words but so much said he was closer and in a second, his lips would take hers she felt it coming. Not as hands on her. She thought she would jump run away if his hands touched, but he held that back.
That whole paragraph, and the only physical action is that he moved closer and even that happens so slowly. That melody doesn't actually See him moving? If I did this right, my ideal readers heartbeat has increased and she's in that endless instant, on the edge of a kiss sheets dreamed of what wish tour and dreaded. She's breathing faster, she's reading faster, her fingers are tighter on the page or the reader. For my reader, the pace has picked up the emotional pace for the author. That's the confusing reality about the thing called pacing.
When you're talking about picking up the pace, you mean, making the reader feel he's moving fast, getting dizzy from the pace for that to happen. You as the storyteller need to use more evocative, well chosen words to describe less action. You need to show the reader your character's emotions not tell her I don't say. Melody looked at Scott and she got horny. I try to show it to you because this is a love story. And this is the hero and heroine and that first kiss changes everything.
It's no wonder writers often find pacing a confusing concept though. speed up the pacing. How do you do it? Spend more time writing the scene, show more sensory data move deeper into the characters viewpoint to involve the readers emotions more deeply. In the next lesson, we'll take a look at using pacing in sequels. Thanks for watching, and I look forward to seeing you in the next video.