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What is a Scene?

Since this book is all about writing a scene, it would be a good idea to discuss what it is before we begin talking about how to build one. I am sure that you already have many ideas on how to answer the question above but please humor me for now.

Lets look at a scene in this manner:

As an episode.

As a segment of an episode.

Some episodes are short and some are long, it really all depends on how they are made. Also an episode is the medium in which a portion of a series plays out. A scene also can be viewed in the same manner, as a medium in which a portion of your story plays out. On that notion, some may be short and some may be long but either way they still fulfill the same purpose. They provide the boundaries to contain all of the myriad of things that will take place at that point in the story.

Consider that within an episode that there are segments in which very particular things happen, such as a robbery at a bank, a high speed chase along the highway or even a ship being boarded by pirates on the high seas. All of these segments placed into a written format would actually be the scene itself. I hope I am not confusing you but am just trying to convey the fact that a scene in a story fulfills the purpose of both episode and segment combined.

The purpose of this book is to look at the pieces that go into creating the segment, so that you can create the most dynamic episode possible. Another very important factor about a scene is its continuity factor. Whether one scene directly spills into the next or it is briefly interrupted as you transition to something else for a few scenes and then you pick back up where you left off, you still want things to be seamless. One of my goals is, through the use of these elements to empower you with the ability to do so with ease. You can think of each element as a layer on which to build each scene in your story and as your story evolves your use of each will shift as some may not be needed and others will be essential. I will help you to realize how they all tie together to bring out the best in your scene creation.