Grammar Punk Blog

Write with purpose! Especially when it comes to writing your scenes.

Your scene might be in a short story or something longer; doesn’t matter, a scene is a scene. And every scene should have a purpose. And every scene should move the story forward in some way. And every scene should blend with the one before it—and the one following on its heels.

Scenes are the building blocks of your story. Think of scenes as what happens between the commercials of a television show. Remember, scenes should have a beginning, middle, and an end. Scenes should be like wee little mini-stories that when put together form the story as a whole. Don’t worry, that’s not as daunting as it sounds. Actually, I’ve always found that to be sort of comforting. Tackling a story—or gulp—a novel one scene at a time makes the journey much more manageable. And fun. I promise.

Begin at the beginning. Have an idea for a story? Something longer? Can’t seem to get past the idea of getting that idea down on paper and letting it do its thing? Think of it one scene at a time. How does your story begin? Write!