In a post on Writers in the Storm, Lori Freeland says creating a scene in your story is not unlike creating a painting – you add one element at a time until you have a complete picture. “Like crafting a painting, getting the movie out of your mind and onto the page works best in pieces,” she says. Freeland walks through her process for creating a scene to show her technique. In order, she creates:
- Dialogue. “I begin with a conversation,” she says. “No action. No setting. But you don’t have to be that strict.”
- Choreography. Next, Freeland adds the action beats: what her characters are doing and when.
- Setting and description. Next, she considers what her characters are wearing, the time of day and weather, and how they interact with the setting.
- Emotions. At this stage, Freeland adds emotion, subtext, body language, and expressions.
- Flow. Finally, Freeland edits for narrative flow. “Will the reader be clear on who is speaking and who is reacting?” she asks. “Do the actions make sense? Have I shown where everyone is and what they’re doing? Are they more than cardboard characters? Does the tension build as I go down the page?”
Freeland tries to get all this down in one sitting, so that her first draft is ready for editing. Then she lets the writing sit for a day or two so that she can come back to it with fresh eyes.
