In a post on Writers in the Storm, Joseph Lallo offers advice on writing efficiently. “Lessons that call for concise writing echo through the forums and across twitter threads,” he says. “They all boil down to: if you don’t need to write a scene, don’t write it.”
However, this advice rarely answers the question: What makes a scene worthwhile? Lallo suggests a few ways to tell.
- Does it move the plot forward? “Every scene should contain elements that advance the plot,” Lallo says. “If you can remove an entire scene and the characters and reader would still have all of the information necessary to solve the mystery, overcome the obstacle, or defeat the foe, then the scene doesn’t need to be there.”
- Does it add flavor? “A story without any flavor or indulgence would be an awfully dry account,” Lallo writes. The key is to ensure your flavor still moves the story forward. If your indulgent moment helps create tension or fill in backstory, that’s a good indication it’s more than filler.
- Does it feel tacked on? Adding a plot point to an unnecessary scene doesn’t help the plot or help the scene feel necessary, Lallo adds.
Fortunately, there are ways to justify your indulgent moments.
- Developing the Characters. “Character development is every bit as important as plot development, and it can serve as justification for including any number of things that simply wouldn’t make a scene important enough to keep,” Lallo writes. “An info dump becomes a charming scene that arms your cast with knowledge and skills.”
- Because the Reader Wants It. When you’re writing in certain genres, the audience might expect a self-indulgent scene or two. A reader of military fiction won’t mind that long description of a weapons system. A romance reader wants that extra page of steamy sex before you politely fade to black.
- Because The Reader Needs to Breathe. Sometimes the reader needs a break in the tension. A few paragraphs of description can ease them from one scene to the next, preparing them for the next big moment.
