Today, I want to do something a little different. Instead of teaching a new concept, I’d like to revisit an old topic and focus on practical application. There is so much information thrown out for writers to learn, and often the application part of it is left for writers to figure out themselves. It can feel daunting so I’m hoping today will make one concept of writing clearer and simpler to implement. Let’s work on applying Dwight V. Swain’s concept of Scene-Sequel from his book Techniques of the Selling Writer.
Scene-Sequel
Scene-Sequel is the concept that every scene is made of two parts: Scene (a character going through conflict to achieve a goal) and Sequel (a character reacting to the conflict). Since I am not wanting to spend my time teaching this week, I won’t explain the Scene-Sequel concept in depth. If you need more information, please see my post on how to write Scene-Sequel. For this post, just remember that the cycle is divided into six steps: goal, conflict, disaster, reaction, dilemma, and decision.
What I do want to point out today is that this concept is not only for full scene arcs. While it can be used to create a whole scene, I want to show that it’s really just a natural way of writing every moment in the story. Every scene is really made up of micro Scene-Sequel cycles that make up one big Scene-Sequel scene. A paragraph or two can hold an entire cycle. Let’s look at some examples from novels to show this in action.
The Mask Of Mirrors
First, I’d like to look at how a micro Scene-Sequel cycle can be used to show characterization. I’m doing this to prove that these cycles don’t need to be daunting. They can be simple, yet still compelling. The following excerpt is from the epic fantasy The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick. Right before this passage, Donaia was told a stranger has visited her home to discuss a private matter, which she thinks means bad news. (Also, for context, Meatball is her dog.)
Donaia cleaned the ink from her pen and made a futile attempt to brush away the brindled dog hairs matting her surcoat. Giving that up as a lost cause, she tugged on her gloves and straightened the papers on her desk, collecting herself by collecting her surroundings. Looking down at her clothing—the faded blue surcoat over trousers and house scuffs—she weighed the value of changing over the cost of making a potential problem wait.
Everything is a tallied cost these days, she thought grimly.
“Meatball. Stay,” she commanded when the hound would have followed, and headed directly to the salon.
In this passage, the goal isn’t laid out in words, but we know she needs to get ready to meet this visitor. Then, in her interiority, we see her go through a full Scene-Sequel cycle before taking action.
Scene
- Goal: Donaia needs to get presentable for her guest.
- Conflict: She is covered in dog fur.
- Disaster: She is also in less than impressive clothes.
Sequel
- Reaction: She cleans up her surroundings instead of herself.
- Dilemma: Should she change or go straight to the visitor?
- Decision: She heads to meet her guest.
You’ll notice her Reaction (to straighten up the office) comes before the Disaster (she is in worn out clothes). While this cycle is best used in order, it can be slightly changed in micro cycles like this one. In a whole scene cycle, though, you want to keep to the logical order. This micro cycle works well to show Donaia’s characterization since we get to know her better by working through a small problem with her.
House Of Roots And Ruin
Next, let’s look at the beginning of Chapter 1 in the gothic fantasy House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig. I’d like to show that micro cycles don’t need to be huge points in the story but are just a natural part of storytelling. Let’s look at this opening sequence, and then I’ll dissect the micro Scene-Sequel cycle so you can see each working part.
“I’m almost finished,” I promised. “Just…” I flicked the brush across the canvas, capturing the gleam of impish merriment brightening my nephew’s eyes. “There. It’s perfect.”
“I want to see! I want to see!” Artie exclaimed, falling out of his carefully arranged pose and tumbling over himself as he dashed behind the easel. His eyebrows fell. “That’s not what I look like. Is it?”
I studied the rendering with a critical eye before glancing back to the little boy before me. Thick waves of dark hair like mine, like most Thaumases, but with his father’s button nose. “I think it’s a fine likeness.”
In just three short paragraphs (approximately 100 words), we have a full Scene-Sequel cycle. Here is a list of all six steps in this little excerpt.
Scene
- Goal: She wants to paint her nephew’s portrait.
- Conflict: He’s impatient and squirming.
- Disaster: He’s disappointed and doesn’t think it looks like him.
Sequel
- Reaction: She reevaluates her work.
- Dilemma: Is she a good painter or is the boy being critical?
- Decision: She stands by her work and says it’s a good likeness.
As you can see, not every cycle has to be a major point in the story. Painting her nephew’s portrait doesn’t matter in the overall chapter arc, and him not liking it doesn’t have earth-shattering consequences. These cycles can be small moments, but they all hook together to create an engaging story.
The Red Pyramid
Now, let’s look at the end of Chapter 1 in the middle-grade novel The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. This excerpt shows how to use a micro cycle to create one step in the major Scene-Sequel cycle of a plot point. Before jumping in, here’s a little context for this passage. A father and his two kids just got out of a cab, but their dad paid the driver to “take them” somewhere else, though they didn’t get back in the cab. As it drives away, Carter (the son) sees three people sitting in the backseat.
There was no way the cab could’ve picked up another fare so fast. “Dad—”
“London cabs don’t stay empty very long,” he said matter-of-factly. “Come along, kids.”
He marched off through the wrought iron gates. For a second, Sadie and I hesitated.
“Carter, what is going on?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure I want to know.”
“Well, stay out here in the cold if you want, but I’m not leaving without an explanation.” She turned and marched after our dad.
Looking back on it, I should’ve run. I should’ve dragged Sadie out of there and gotten as far away as possible. Instead I followed her through the gates.
It’s another 100 words and a complete Scene-Sequel cycle. There’s a goal, opposition, and a decision. Let’s lay out the six steps.
Scene
- Goal: Carter wants to know what just happened with the cab.
- Conflict: His dad throws out a flimsy explanation and moves on.
- Disaster: His dad walks away.
Sequel
- Reaction: Both children are confused and hesitant.
- Dilemma: Should Carter follow his dad with his sister or refuse?
- Decision: He follows them through the gates.
While this is still a micro cycle inside the chapter’s overall Scene-Sequel cycle, this part does play a big role in the larger cycle. It acts as the Decision step for the whole chapter. This shows that each step in the larger Scene-Sequel cycle should be its own micro cycle to keep the storytelling engaging.
Applying Micro Scene-Sequel Cycles
This may not be something you can use while writing your first draft (though we sometimes do this naturally), but these micro cycles can help editing. Each step is an important part. If you miss one, it could make the story feel off somehow. When looking for what needs to be fixed or when getting feedback from beta readers, consider this cycle and how it can help fix these issues.
For instance, if the protagonist doesn’t have a goal (even a small one) at all times, the story can feel directionless. If the conflict is absent, the story won’t pull readers in to find out what happens next. Missing the disaster step could make the story lack escalation and surprise, making the plot feel too easy. Without the reaction step, protagonists feel robotic. They need to respond to what happens to them, not just rationally move on. Without the dilemma, readers can feel disconnected from the protagonist and what he is thinking and feeling. If the cycle restarts without a decision, the protagonist will feel passive instead of active in his own story. Do any of these problems sound familiar? If so, make sure you have the corresponding step in your cycles.
Final Thoughts
The takeaway from this post is that you don’t have to think of Scene-Sequel as only major plot points. It can just be small things within a larger scene. Each step is the logical progression of anything big or small. In any given moment, we all have a goal. We can come across conflict and disaster, and we will naturally respond by reacting, processing (dilemma), and deciding on what happens next. This natural flow of things is what makes stories realistic, and facing a conflict where a decision must be made is what keeps the story interesting. Try not to overthink when using these steps, but if something feels off in your story, examine that part to see if you are following this simple Scene-Sequel cycle.
Thanks for reading!
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