Week 5

#NovelMaker
Week 5: Building Strong Scenes
I’m keeping up. I hope you are, also. This week we’re going to focus on scenes. When I taught sixth grade, many of my students didn’t know how or when to make a paragraph. We’d start with the basics of, if we change locations or jump ahead in time, let’s start a new paragraph. Sixth graders are lucky. They write entire stories in just a few paragraphs; we’re going to need a lot more.
Writing these emails every week reminds me of how intricate the craft of writing is. I love it so much and I know if you’re reading this, you do, too.

🔎 Last Week’s Recap

• Key Takeaway 1 → Voice is what readers fall in love with.
• Key Takeaway 2 → Voice makes the familiar feel new.
• Key Takeaway 3 → The only way to discover your voice is to write honestly. 

📚 Next Week’s Focus: Scene Structure & Micro-Tension
Scene Structure Basics – Think of a scene as a mini story with its own arc.
A strong scene usually contains:

1. Goal – What does the character want right now?
2. Conflict – What gets in their way?
3. Stakes – Why does it matter?
4. Change – What’s different by the end?

If nothing changes, you don’t have a scene—you have a placeholder.
Let’s take a closer look.
1. Goal
Every strong scene starts with something the character wants—it could be a physical goal (“Get the letter”) or an emotional one (“Earn their trust”).
Without a goal, your character just drifts—and your reader drifts with them.
Ask: What does my character want in this moment?


2. Conflict
Something (or someone) gets in the way of the goal. This doesn’t always mean a fistfight—it could be:

• A misunderstanding
• A delay
• Inner hesitation
• Competing desires

Conflict is where drama lives. No conflict = no tension = no reason to keep reading.
Conflict doesn’t have to be loud—but it should matter.


3. Stakes
Why does the goal matter to the character? What do they stand to lose?
The higher the stakes (emotionally or physically), the more the reader cares.
Big external stakes: “If I fail, the mission is lost.”
Personal stakes: “If I tell them the truth, they might leave.”


4. Change
By the end of the scene, something has shifted. The character might:

• Learn something
• Make a decision
• Lose hope
• Gain power
• Reveal a secret
• Be forced onto a new path

A flat scene (no change) feels forgettable—even if it’s beautifully written.


You can enrich scenes by adding:

• Setting with emotional resonance (weather, lighting, objects)
• Subtext (what’s not being said)
• Foreshadowing (hints of what's to come)
• Micro-tension (moment-to-moment unease)

How to Test Your Scene
After drafting, ask:

• What does the character want?
• What stands in the way?
• Why does it matter to them?
• What has changed by the end?

If you can’t answer these, the scene might need more structure—or doesn’t belong.


Scene Structure in Action 
Character’s goal: Confess love
Conflict: The other person keeps venting about their ex
Stakes: If they wait too long, the moment will pass
Change: They stay silent—choice made, tension unresolved
Even without action, the scene moves. Emotionally and narratively.


🗂 Additional Resources Related to Scene Structure & Micro-Tension
·      For some great ways to increase tension, check out “Writing Tension: 8 Ways to Ramp Up Tension in a Scene” on The Write Practice.·      For some tips on revision check out “5 Easy Tips to Strengthen Your Scenes” by James Scott Bell.·      Go deep with “How to Use Subtext and the Art of Dramatic Tension in Fiction” by Zeeva Bukai. (I love this article!)

🚀 This Week’s Challenge
Write a scene where nothing dramatic happens on the surface, but there’s emotional tension simmering underneath.


Setup:
Two characters are having a seemingly ordinary interaction:
Scene Option 1:
A parent picks their teenager up from school.
Scene Option 2:
Two coworkers make coffee before a morning meeting.
Scene Option 3:
Ex-partners run into each other at a dog park.
Your Goal:
Make the reader feel the tension, even if:

• No one raises their voice
• No conflict is directly stated
• Nothing “big” happens

Use tools like:

• Conflicting internal emotions
• Subtext in dialogue
• Hesitations, interruptions, or silence
• Shifts in power or control
• Uneven investment in the moment

Reveal something important through what's not said—a lie of omission, a loaded silence, a deflected question.
Tip:
When you reread your scene, highlight:

• Every moment of emotional friction
• Every sentence where you feel something’s off.
  If those aren’t there—you may need more micro-tension!

Well-structured scenes don’t just fill pages. They build momentum. They carry your characters (and readers) deeper into the story, step by step, change by change. Make every scene earn its place.
Big tension grabs attention.
Micro-tension holds it.
Don’t wait for your climax to build suspense--bake it into every scene, every line, every look. That’s how you keep readers turning the page, even when “nothing is happening.” I learned so much about subtext while writing a script. Those tiny gestures and what is not said are sometimes heavier than the action in the scene. I’m going to use this week’s focus as I revise the hot mess of words I’ve been getting down.
Enjoy writing this week!
Best, 
Eliza