The idea of not all sequels having to occur “on screen”, and that it isn’t necessary to always have scene, sequel, scene, sequel ad infinitum really makes the whole structure seem much more dynamic to me.

Thanks for this.

Just one request, if possible. Could you please show us an example from one of your books where you deal with one character’s Scene and another character’s Sequel at the same time? I’m a visual learner; I like examples I can study rather than just instruction.

What I found especially interesting was visualizing this structure. I began to write out my scenes by putting keywords on a timeline which represented my novel through the various acts. I then associated these scenes by writing down if they were Scenes or Sequences. What I saw was truly amazing. There was a definitely exciting plot in my story.

I started drawing arrows between my scenes. I drew them going up if the tension rose, down if it dropped and level if nothing much happened. Luckily, most Scenes had tension rising and a few Sequels had a somewhat level arrow (but still going slightly up). I actually added some elements to my timeline through quick notes that would make a scene be more exciting than the previous one, in an attempt to keep the suspense rising.

This timeline is going on my wall as a clear roadmap of how my novel should turn out once I start on my first draft.

Thanks, Randy. That helps answer my previous question.

Often when I critique new writers work, I notice their Scene and Sequel elements aren’t always clearly defined. A scene can start off as a Scene but end as a Sequel, or vise versa.

It obviously gets a bit tricky trying to balance the two in one scene.

If a writer is attempting to incorporate a Sequel into a Scene, how much Sequel detail should they get into?

On a side note: I’m also a bit of a mapper when it comes to writing. I love Randy’s spreadsheet idea and use my own version for my wips. Last week I completed a 10,000 Words in a Week Challenge and before I started a new scene, I looked at my spreadsheet, decided what scene I was going to write, then worked out if it was to be a Scene or a Sequel. I then noted down the key elements to keep me on track as I wrote. It really helped me write in a more organized manner.

I also have a separate form I’ve made up with all the key factors laid out for when I critique work, including a one line summary. It helps me to keep track of the important details and see how well the tension mounts throughout the wip.

It actually clears up much of the trouble I was having in clearly defining/recognizing those 6 different elements. I don’t know where I got the idea that there would ONLY be goal/conflict/disaster in one chapter, followed by ONLY reaction/dilemma/decision in the next. Probably the same place I got the idea that if you feed teenagers they’ll go away. Whew! I feel free now. I can even see some S&S’s properly at work in MY story, and I didn’t even know I was doing it.

Of course, now I’m tempted to take the 22 chapters I have so far and use each chapter like a textbook exercise, practicing everything I’ve been learning here. (I’ve been out of school way too long.)

And fear not… I was loosely using the phrase “cleverly disquising background info”. I understand there is no backstory dumping allowed. I was thinking more along the lines of sneaking in description of people or places, or pertinent memories of people you’re about to meet, during dialogue or mental monologue. But… maybe that still counts as dumping???

Probably the same place I did. When I first started reading about Scenes and Sequels, that’s how I read it to be. Things are much clearer now.