🎨 Your Challenge, Should You Choose to Accept it ...
Imagine an upcoming scene in your novel as though it is set on a stage. Draw a rectangle on a blank sheet of paper to represent the stage. Then define where the major "set pieces" would be. Stage directors often create diagrams such as this, from a bird's eye view, so they can sketch out a staging plan for their actors.
Ask yourself:
- Where will each important moment of the scene take place in your setting? (Often we call these moments "beats." One beat might be "ignoring one another on the couch." The next might be "pillow fight.")
STEPS:
- Create simple symbols and labels to plan out the big-picture movement in your scene.
- After you have sketched your plan, look for opportunities.
- What areas of your "set" haven't you fully used?
- How might you surprise your readers by using an object or area in an unexpected way?
- What "props" would probably be in this setting that you haven't yet considered?
- Add any new ideas to your sketched-out plan.
PS: You're all prepped, so if you want to, now's a great time to write a draft of your scene!