Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The Obligatory Scene

Okay, first off, this rules. Go look. I'll wait.

Back? Good. After my Act II exhilaration, I'm now stuck in early Act III, writing The Obligatory Scene. I've read this term in reviews and things all my life, kind of understanding what it meant, but I'm not sure I've ever really understood it from a writer's perspective before (although I must've during Blue Falcon - it's just all such a blur now).

The Obligatory Scene for me now is one that I don't want to write, but that I feel I have to write. Not because it's good or entertaining, not because people will enjoy reading it, but because I'm afraid people will feel ripped off if I don't write it. Characters who were separated during the climax meet up and basically fill each other in on stuff the reader knows but the characters don't. Writing it feels repetitive and boring, but if I don't include it, people will be all, "Wait a minute, how did he know that?"

So even though I'm trying to write 25,000 words in six weeks, I'm lucky right now if I can grind out a page at a sitting. Rrgh.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

BWAAAHAHAHAAAA!!! That video fricking rocks. Thanks for sharing. *G*

Anonymous said...

Screw it. Don't be repetetive. Use the tools at your disposal. Just because it is narrative, doesn't mean you have to give it equal weight. Especially if the readers already know this.

"Jonas told Nehemia of the events that had occurred since they had last met."

Or something more appropriate within the style of your writing. But also use this as an opportunity to cast things in a slightly different light. Have Nehemia ask a pointed question, or react to the events. What would come out of their characters? Use it to underline the important bit. Or just have them drink a beer. Remember the pace does need to vary, even in break-neck-carooming-down-the-hillside action stories.

Just my opinion.