Scene By Scene: The Art of Sequence In Your Story

To some, moving from one scene to the next is called scene and sequel. I tend to call it action and reaction. Whatever you call it, this is moving the characters and the story forward. It’s building on what has already happened and keeping the story growing from the first page to where the crescendo of the final confrontation occurs.

There are numerous systems to work this out. Plotters like outlines; Pantsers like working things out as they go. In either case, the sequence of everything must keep building. We’ve got the crescendo to reach, after all. Sometimes a glide down from it to the final word, too.

In four weeks, we’ll break things down to identify where the high points should be, how to build a stairway, if you will, steps to increase tension. How to work in “rest stops” for the reader – and possibly your characters!

Bring ideas, plots, characters, settings – the elements that will be organized from one scene to the next. You don’t have to be a Plotter to use the Art of Sequence. As a Pantser myself, I’ll attest that using Sequence as a guideline does help me sort out what should come next.