1. Identify the Motivation

This one is probably the most critical for writing overall. As much as we would love to just write whatever scene comes to mind, writing scenes with a purpose should be our goal. Identifying what emotion we want to draw from the characters and the readers can help us to write dialogue or scene settings that play to that particular emotion. Asking yourself what drives your character’s actions in a scene is also helpful. If you know your character needs to obtain a certain object or introduce a certain topic then you can cut out the unnecessary dialogue that may sidetrack the readers, which brings us to the next tip.

2. Too Much or Too Little Dialogue

The amount of dialogue for each scene will change, but be careful to put in too much dialogue that distracts the reader from the purpose of the scene, and too little dialogue where it feels very monotone. If you are having trouble gauging how much dialogue to put in the scene, try describing the settings (such as time, place, weather) in which the characters are interacting. Don’t be afraid to put in fun scenes where the characters bicker or have fun because relationship growth between characters is great. Basically, try to find the Goldilocks between too much and too little dialogue.

3. Excessive Focus on One Character

This one may seem a little weird since most stories have one main protagonist, especially if you are writing that character in the first person. Think about it though, we are affected by so many things and people around us that if we were to tell our life story how could we only talk about ourselves? Especially in the hard times in our lives, we lean on our friends for support, so the characters in our story should have a fair amount of interaction with other characters.

4. Lacking Tension

A scene probably feels the flattest if it is lacking tension. You can up the tension several ways. Certain dialogue prompts are great for introducing very emotional dialogue such as “How could you do this to me?” “I can’t do this anymore.” “Just let me explain!” Combining powerful dialogue with a very clear motivation guiding characters is an opportunity for an amazing scene. You can also up the stakes your characters are facing. Make the reader believe there is no way for the characters to win before turning it around. The more emotion you pour into a scene, the more you are going to get from the readers.

Bonus: Change the Weather

It seems random and I’ve never actually tried this method but I am strongly tempted. In movies often times it’s raining during a sad scene so why not in literature as well? Changing the weather in a scene will force out different elements and dialogue of the characters. I think that weather is sort of overlooked in books so maybe this is something we should play around with more often. And not just rain. Snow, hail, or even tornadoes will definitely bring a new element to your story.

That brings us to the end of today’s post. Thanks for visiting and good luck to everyone facing exams and last essays for the school year! See y’all next time and happy writing!