You've read the scene over and over, you know it's not working, but you can't quite figure out why.
What's going on?
Well, it could be that 1) nothing is happening. There's no action or any kind of exchange taking place. The content just drags the reader along without offering any kind of real story value.
It could be that things are happening but 2) there's no change. The characters aren't working toward a turning point or make any concessions, and the state of the world is the same at the end of the scene as it was in the beginning. In other words, the scene is "flat."
Maybe the problem is that 3) the scene is an info dump of a character's thoughts/feelings or includes too much backstory (which naturally pulls readers away from the action).
Perhaps the content is okay, but 4) the rhythm is off. There are beats and turning points, but these don't appear in the best places--the scene is poorly structured.
Or maybe 5) the content is too predictable. The conversation and actions are full of cliches and there's nothing in the story to surprise the reader.
Every good scene will have a purpose as it relates to the overall plot. It will also contain its own mini-arc. Characters will actively do things and respond to things being done to them. Charges will change from positive to negative and back again, and *something* will be different by the end, whether it's the character's thoughts or feelings about something or a new decision that has been made that will lead us in some other direction.
Scene problems require us to think critically about what's happening in a small section of text and how it fits into the overall story. It requires careful consideration about character interaction and who's driving the narrative as well as the ways in which the story world changes from moment to moment.
If a scene isn't working, it's worth breaking the content down to its barest bones, determining its overall purpose, and pinpointing the problem so that it can be made better.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
