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    Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction
    Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction
    Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction
    Ebook146 pages1 hour

    Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction

    By Mike Klaassen

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    About this ebook

    Are you thinking about writing fiction? Writing a novel? Trying to improve a manuscript? Then you need to know all about scenes and sequels. Scenes and sequels are the one-two punch of a story that make it page-turning fiction. If you don't know what they are and how they work, how can your tale reach its potential? Writing fiction isn't easy, but trying to write a novel without a solid understanding of scenes and sequels will fall flat. You can learn about scenes and sequels in three ways: (1) just start writing and hope you figure it out over time, (2) read lots of books and attend a bunch of seminars, or (3) study a book devoted entirely to the subject. Mike Klaassen has already read the books and attended the seminars. Combining his copious notes with his own writing experience, he's clarified and expanded the concepts of scenes and sequels. Save yourself a ton of time, money, and frustration with one comprehensive, concise book. Inside "Scenes and Sequels," you'll discover: practical definitions of scenes and sequels, the components of scenes and sequels, how scenes and sequels compare to other passages of writing, the nuances of using each, practical examples of how to use scenes and sequels, prototype scenes and sequels, how to control the pace of your fiction, how to troubleshoot a manuscript with scene-and-sequel analysis, and much, much more. Why spend countless hours doing your own research? "Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction" is a treasure of straightforward, practical information that you can use immediately. Unlock your full writing potential with "Scenes and Sequels" today!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateMar 29, 2016
    ISBN9781682229088
    Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction

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      Book preview

      Scenes and Sequels - Mike Klaassen

      ADVANCE PRAISE FOR SCENES AND SEQUELS

      Indispensable nuts-and-bolts advice for crafting successful fiction. Highly recommended. — Evan Marshall, co-creator of The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software

      "I am a huge fan of Jack Bickham’s classic craft book Scene & Structure, and consider it one of three essential books to a writer’s library. When I learned of Mike Klaassen’s new book, Scenes & Sequels, and its efforts to expand upon Bickham’s work, I looked forward to reading it with great anticipation. Well, it doesn’t disappoint! It’s a great addition to Bickham’s initial explanation of the two most important elements of story and delivers both an in-depth explanation of these elements and an important expansion of the principles it delivered. Highly recommended for serious writers." — Les Edgerton, Author of Finding Your Voice and Hooked.

      ALSO BY MIKE KLAASSEN

      YOUNG-ADULT NOVELS

      The Brute

      Cracks

      HISTORICAL FICTION

      Backlash: A War of 1812 Novel

      NONFICTION

      Fiction-Writing Modes: Eleven essential tools for bringing your story to life

      title

      Scenes and Sequels: How to write page-turning fiction

      Cover design by Toelke Associates

      © 2016 Michael John Klaassen

      Published by Bookbaby, Pennsauken, NJ

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      ISBN: 978-1-68222-907-1 (Print)

      ISBN: 978-1-68222-908-8 (eBook)

      Dedicated to two champions of the concept of writing fiction with scenes and sequels: Dwight V. Swain (1915-1992) and Jack M. Bickham (1930-1997).

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      My first exposure to scenes and sequels was through Scene & Structure: How to construct fiction with scene-by-scene flow, logic, and readability (Writer’s Digest Books) by Jack M. Bickham and Techniques of a Selling Writer (University of Oklahoma Press) by Dwight V. Swain.

      I also wish to acknowledge the contribution of my wife of thirty-five years, Carol S. Klaassen (1951-2012), who not only inspired and encouraged me in writing this book but was also the first reader of early drafts of the manuscript.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      PREFACE

      NOTE TO READERS: NAMES AND DEFINITIONS MATTER

      CHAPTER 1: SCENES, PART I

      CHAPTER 2: SCENES, PART II

      CHAPTER 3: SCENES, PART III

      CHAPTER 4: SEQUELS, PART I

      CHAPTER 5: SEQUELS, PART II

      CHAPTER 6: SEQUELS, PART III

      CHAPTER 7: SEQUELS, PART IV

      CHAPTER 8: OTHER PASSAGES OF WRITING

      CHAPTER 9: TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT, PART I

      CHAPTER 10: TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT, PART II

      CHAPTER 11: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

      A PRACTICAL GLOSSARY OF FICTION-WRITING TERMS

      BIBLIOGRAPHY

      INDEX

      ENDNOTES

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      PREFACE

      What do the following novels have in common?

      •Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

      •One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

      •Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

      •American Assassin by Vince Flynn

      •Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

      •The General’s Daughter by Nelson DeMille

      •The Client by John Grisham

      •A Cry in the Night by Mary Higgins Clark

      •The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

      •The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

      These novels share many attributes: memorable characters, engaging plot, interesting setting, resonating theme, and appropriate style. Each is a page turner that grips you from the opening lines and commands your attention until the end.

      A closer look also reveals that these books include both scenes and sequels. Full disclosure: I have never communicated with any of the authors listed above; I have no way of knowing whether they support the concept of writing with scenes and sequels or if they intentionally use them when they write. I just know that my analysis reveals that both scenes and sequels are an important part of the structure of the novels listed above. To me that raises the question of whether the rest of us are making optimal use of scenes and sequels in our own writing.

      The value of scenes in fiction is widely accepted, and for good reason. Scenes propel the story forward, and they include the exciting, sexy, explosive parts of a story. You may be less familiar with the concept of sequels, so let’s take a closer look.

      Imagine you have written two great scenes that nicely move your story forward. In the first scene the focal character attempts to accomplish a short-term goal that he hopes will bring him closer to achieving his primary objective in the story. He encounters resistance that knocks him so far back that he is even farther from achieving his goal than when he started the scene. The second scene shows the character pursuing an entirely different course of action. This raises numerous questions:

      •How did the character react emotionally to the devastating setback of the previous scene—or is he an emotionless, cardboard character?

      •What was the character’s thought process for determining his new course of action—or did he make a thoughtless snap decision?

      •Did the character consider alternative courses of action—or did he impulsively go with the first solution that came to mind?

      •Among several potential courses of action, did the character weigh the alternatives—or did he conveniently pick the one that the author needed to write the next scene?

      You may be writing great scenes, but if they are not coupled where appropriate with sequels, you may be missing up to half of your storytelling firepower. If you are not intimately familiar with sequels, you may also lack sufficient understanding of scenes and how to unlock their full potential. This book provides you with the know-how needed to fully develop both scenes and sequels.

      Who should read this book? If you are a beginning novelist, this book will help you build a foundation of practical knowledge that might otherwise take many years of self-study or trial and error to accumulate. If you are an experienced writer, the information in this book may provide you with information that helps you take your writing to new heights or sustains it in the face of ever-increasing competition.

      Fiction writers tend to fall into one of three camps: (1) outliners, who plan their work in detail prior to writing, (2) free spirits, who like to jump in and see where inspiration and instinct lead, and (3) tweeners, those somewhere in between. Each of these styles has merit, and all three have drawbacks. Regardless of which style you use to create your first draft, you still face the challenge of polishing your manuscript into a seamless story. That’s where a thorough understanding of scenes and sequels can really pay off: turning a mess into a work of art.

      I’m the author of two young-adult novels, a historical novel set during the War of 1812, and a nonfiction book about the craft of writing fiction. I’ve been a student of the craft of writing fiction for many years, have read dozens of books on the subject, and have written many articles about writing fiction. My experience as a novelist and my study of the craft of writing fiction have given me a great appreciation for the value of writing both scenes and sequels.

      If you’re like me, sometimes you feel overwhelmed by the challenge of writing the kind of fiction that stands out in today’s highly competitive market. I have over a hundred books about the craft of writing fiction in my library, and I’ve studied each one thoroughly. What I found was a huge amount of information, but much of it is incomplete, disorganized, and inconsistent. As I gained a better understanding of how the parts fit together, I found that writing about fiction helped clarify my thinking. I’m pleased to share what I have learned.

      Of the many books I’ve studied, only two paid much attention to scenes and sequels: Techniques of a Selling Writer (1965) by Dwight V. Swain (1915-1992) and Scene and Structure (1993) by Jack M. Bickham (1930-1997). I encourage you to read both. Swain and Bickham provide a solid base from which to build an understanding of scenes and sequels, but much has been learned about fiction since each wrote his book. I used Swain and Bickham as a starting point, gathered concepts and terminology from others, and added to that body of work from my own research and observation.

      My goal in writing this book is to present to you the most comprehensive and concise analysis of scenes and sequels available anywhere. That information puts you a giant step closer to bringing your writing to its full potential.

      This book is like no

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