This craft analysis will provide an overview of the scene, the fundamental component of a story’s structure. A story can be broken down into either many scenes or few scenes. Scenes consist of settings, characters, dialogue, and actions.
A story scene is analogous to a scene in a play or a movie. In order to visualize a scene, play one of your favorite movies or think about one of your favorite plays. Focus on one part of the movie or play, a period bounded by cuts or transitions. At the beginning of the scene, the director provides the viewers with a setting. The setting is the environment of the scene. It may be as large as a stadium or as small as a closet or dormitory. Oftentimes in a story, the scene is likewise introduced with a setting.
Establish Setting
Story settings can be established in different ways, but usually provide major details before minor details. Major details are typically provided at the start of the scene, and minor details are provided as the scene advances. For example, if you construct a scene occurring in an amusement park, first describe the park itself, the weather, the rides, the crowd, and the shops. Then as the scene progresses, establish the minor details. Fixate on a particular shop, or on a particular prize at a shop – a teddy bear, for instance. Start big, and then go small.
The Characters
Let’s return to the scene in your movie or play. A scene wouldn’t be complete without characters, which are portrayed by actors in movies and plays. They possess features associated with their namesakes. Some characters will be short, others tall; some male, others female; some heavy, others thin. Those descriptions are character-associated descriptions and help to advance characterization, which will be covered in a different craft analysis.
The characters can do two things: take action and exchange dialogue.
Dialogue
Dialogue does many things for a scene, but the most important things it does is develop characters and plot. Dialogue consists of spoken and unspoken content. Spoken content refers to anything a character openly says, whereas unspoken content refers to things like physical reactions, feelings, and thoughts. Our focus here will only be on spoken dialogue.
Spoken dialogue exists on two planes of meaning. Dialogue on the superficial plane transfers meaning directly. What is the character saying? But dialogue can also transfer meaning on a deeper level. What is the character implying? You must be careful when constructing dialogue to be able to understand both the superficial and deep meanings.
Dialogue will be discussed more thoroughly in a separate craft analysis.
Action
In addition to talking, characters can also take action. The action that the character is initiating can also be considered a form of communication. If a character covers her mouth in reaction to another’s statement, this is action, but it is also unspoken dialogue.
Action is closely connected to plot. You must be careful that the action your characters take in a scene is always connected to that character’s agenda, what the character is trying to achieve.
Putting It Together
Like a story, a scene typically possesses an introduction, middle, and an end. The introduction typically includes the setting, the middle includes the actions and dialogue of the character, and the ending includes a very subtle conclusion. A scene could be considered a little story, as it possesses all those basic components.
Now that we have studied the separate components of a scene, it’s time to put it all together. Scenes are continuous and fluid. That is, there are no breaks. Practice writing a scene now. Who are the characters? What are they doing? What is the meaning of the dialogue, both superficial and deep?