In this post, when I say scene, I’m not referring to a setting but to part of a sequence of events. A scene in a book is marked by breaks. These can be a chapter break or just a line break. These symbolize a jump in the story to a different time, setting, or point of view character. Every scene has one of two functions: action or reaction.
Action
An action scene’s primary purpose is to show something happening to the character. This doesn’t mean people are necessarily throwing punches and having car chases (though those can happen). It’s any time a character is doing something that progresses the story forward. Maybe it’s going on a date. Or building a boat. Regardless of the activity, the character does something that gets him closer to his goal.
Here are a few action scene examples from movies. In The Avengers, Loki invades the team’s aircraft, creates chaos, and kills Agent Coulson. Ariel, in The Little Mermaid, makes a deal with Ursula and transforms into a human. In My Fair Lady, Eliza is up late learning how to speak like a lady, and she finally succeeds after many failed attempts. Each of these action scenes create tension and move the story forward.
Reaction
A reaction scene happens after an action scene when the character processes what happened. Usually, he has an emotional reaction in these scenes, which makes the character more relatable to readers. Reaction scenes give the reader more information, either by revelation or rationalization of what has happened in the previous action scene. Plus, it allows the reader a small break from the tension before the author escalates it even more.
Let’s look at some movie examples of reaction scenes.
After Agent Coulson is killed, the team (or those left) gather around a table discussing options. There is a sense of hopelessness, defeat, and sadness, but it’s in this section that they find their determination to succeed. They know they need to fix their faults and do better.
Once Ariel is in her human form and taken to land, she has a scene where she figures out how her legs work. Also, Scuttle and her other friends talk through what just happened, process the implications, and identify what’s at stake.
After Eliza speaks her first proper words, Henry boasts about how well he did teaching her, and Eliza floats on Cloud Nine with her new found love for Henry. They are both feeling good, but for very different reasons. It’s a well done reaction scene because it allows the viewer to feel happy for them while also realizing that more tension is coming when their conflicting reasons for happiness clash.
Final Thoughts
Every scene is either an action or reaction scene. I’ve heard it called Scene-Sequel as well, but I prefer Action-Reaction since it’s more straightforward. Regardless of what you name it, these scenes are important for pacing in a story. Too many action scenes, and your reader will feel tense and exhausted. Too many reaction ones, and the reader will be bored. Obviously, different genres require different ratios. A thriller should have more action than reaction scenes, but a coming-of-age book may lean heavily on reaction scenes since it focuses on internal conflict. Be familiar with your genre and the pacing requirements, and you can plan your Action-Reaction ratio accordingly.
Thanks for reading!
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