What is a scene? A scene is an action sequence that directly moves the plot forward. When you are making progress toward answering your story question, you are writing a scene. Note the key word, “action.” All scenes have action!

What is a sequel? The sequel is the development that glues the scenes together. In a sequel the hero reacts to the previous scene, evaluates his position, commiserates with his sidekick and plans for the next scene. A sequel can (and in most cases, should) include action, but the action in the sequel doesn’t directly move the plot.

Example: Suppose we are writing a novel about Fred the Corporate Man. Fred’s goal is to be promoted (story question), but a nasty boss stands in the way (conflict). His storyline could look like this:

[SCENE] – Fred has a meeting with Mr. Scrooge. Scrooge assigns Fred the worst project in the company in the hopes that he will fail and be fired.

[SEQUEL] – Fred discusses this setback with Tom, his co-worker sidekick. Through his conversation with Tom, he plans to turn the disastrous project into a winner, leapfrogging his reputation over and past Mr. Scrooge and obtaining his goal of a promotion.

[SCENE] – The next day, Fred begins to assemble his project team. Mr. Scrooge interferes again by making Fred accept the worst performers in the company into his new project group.

[SEQUEL] – Fred goes home to his wife after a grueling 12 hour day. She comforts him and assures him that he can succeed.

In this way, each scene changes the status of the story goal, causing the hero to adjust his game plan and attitude toward the story situation. Scene and sequel work together to keep the story flowing toward a satisfying conclusion.

How does scene and sequel affect story? The length and frequency of scenes and sequels have a direct impact on both the speed and the tone of the story. Action and adventure stories tend to have long scenes and short sequels, making a fast plot. Romance and mainstream novels may have short scenes and long sequels, making the story more introspective and emotional. For example, in a romance novel the heroine may have a luncheon with her lover that lasts for only two or three pages, and then have a ten page sequel in which she reviews and analyzes everything that her lover said and did during the meal.

Should I plan scenes and sequels beforehand? If you are a plotter type of writer, scenes and sequels can be outlined beforehand, but it is not necessary. What is important is that you are able to recognize the scenes and sequels after you have produced your first full draft. By lengthening or shortening the scenes and sequels you can produce the desired effect and keep the plot moving smoothly.

Should scenes and sequels always be in order? Often you can juggle scenes and sequels to add mystery and suspense to your plot. Often you can open your story with a scene that leaves a lot of mystery, providing the accompanying sequel later. A prime example would be a murder mystery. Here we show the aftermath of the murder, deliberately leaving out the murder commission scene and the sequel that shows the motive and premeditation of the crime. The mystery writer gives the reader the story out of order to hide facts and add the mystery component. Here is another example:

Chronological Order

Scene 1: Bob has an affair with his secretary.

Sequel 1: He starts planning to leave his wife.

Scene 2: Bob’s wife June finds out about his infidelity through a mutual friend.

Sequel 2: Unwilling to let Bob get away with this, June plans to leave Bob.

Scene 3: Bob decides to buy two tickets to Hawaii for his lover and himself.

Sequel 3: Bob discusses his plans with his lover.

Scene 4: June goes to the bank and empties out the bank accounts. She packs everything into a U-Haul truck and leaves town.

Scene 5: Bob tries to buy the plane tickets. His debit card is denied.

Scene 6: Bob finds out that June has taken all of the money and left.

Now, if we want to make this fairly straightforward plot a bit more interesting, we can move a few scenes and sequels out of order. Perhaps we will show Scene 1 and Sequel 1, skip to Scene 3 and Sequel 3, then move on to Scene 5. Like Bob, the reader won’t see the surprise of the empty bank accounts coming. After Bob has had his shock, we the writer can go back and reveal Scene 2, Sequel 2 and Scene 4, allowing the reader to see exactly how Bob ended up in this unfortunate situation.

The Bottom Line: Understanding scene and sequel gives you an added amount of control over your story’s pace and timing!