The Hidden Reason Why All of Your Scenes Feel the Same

Most new authors understand that every scene needs to justify its existence. The characters should learn important information, make a critical decision, surmount an obstacle, or otherwise move the story forward.

What many overlook at first is following that advice can cause another problem.

You’d be surprised how many novel drafts have eventful scenes that nevertheless start blurring into each other a few chapters in.

It’s easy to miss the culprit. Each scene reads just fine on its own. So the problem only reveals itself when you examine multiple chapters in sequence.

And that’s when you realize they all have the same level of intensity.

That problem can sound rather abstract, so let’s unpack what it means.

Think about a fantasy novel in which the hero gets wise to assassins on his trail. They spring an ambush he narrowly escapes. Afterward, he interrogates the traveling companion who’d been acting a little too friendly. What he learns sets him on a perilous search deep behind enemy lines.

You’ll notice that plot advancement isn’t the problem. Plenty of interesting stuff happens.

What you might have missed the first time is that in each of those scenes, the protagonist is angry, frightened, or desperate. Which makes the story come off as monotonous.

That sounds counterintuitive, right? Shouldn’t keeping the pressure on your characters maintain suspense?

Read the full post on Substack.

THE SOULDANCER LABOR DAY SPECIAL IS LIVE!

To celebrate Labor Day, I just added a limited reward tier to the Souldancer 10th Anniversary Kickstarter.

Get the Souldancer hardcover, The Other Side of Fear hardcover novella, all other Soul Cycle and Arkwright Cycle paperbacks, and a signed author note, all in one special bundle.

This reward only lasts until Monday. Claim the Labor Day Special on Kickstarter.