Scene: ACCPT
Therese Walsh on Jun 17 2008 | Filed under: CRAFT
A friend of mine is working to shorten up her overlong manuscript. She has my empathy. I have yet to learn how to write short, only how to edit more efficiently.
When I was working to tighten my manuscript, I scoured books and online sources for the best tips, then found a way to make it all easy. I developed a quick acronym, based on some of Holly Lisle’s principals, called ACCPT.
I’d accept that a scene (probably) had a place in my story if it offered:
A: Action
C: Conflict
C: Character Development
P: Progressive Elements (moving the story forward)
T: Thematic Elements
Lisle’s one-pass manuscript revision is more complex, and worth digesting, but the ease and memorability of ACCPT worked for me.
Another valuable tip came from Robert McKee’s STORY: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting:
For a typical film, the writer will choose forty to sixty Story Events or, as they’re commonly known, scenes. A novelist may want more than sixty, a playwright rarely as many as forty.
A SCENE is an action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a character’s life on at least one value with a degree of perceptible significance. Ideally, every scene is a STORY EVENT.Look closely at each scene you’ve written and ask: What value is at stake in my character’s life at this moment? Love? Truth? What? How is that value charged at the top of the scene? Positive? Negative? Some of both? Next turn to the close of the scene and ask, Where is this value now? Positive? Negative? Both? Make a note and compare. If the answer you write down at the end of the scene is the same note you made at the opening, you now have another important question to ask: Why is this scene in my script?
There are probably hundreds of techniques you might use to decide if a scene is working for your story. Which do you use and why?
Kathleen Bolton
Therese Walsh
Ann Aguirre
Porter Anderson
Brunonia Barry
Carleen Brice
Sarah Callender
Keith Cronin
Anna Elliott
Jane Friedman
Robin LaFevers
Donald Maass
Juliet Marillier
Sophie Masson
Jael McHenry
Jan O'Hara
Debbie Ohi
Barbara O'Neal
Crystal Patriarche
Ray Rhamey
M.J. Rose
Chuck Sambuchino
John Vorhaus
Yuvi Zalkow
Sharon Bially
Anne Greenwood Brown
Tracy Hahn-Burkett
Suzannah Windsor Freeman
Kristan Hoffman
Jeanne Kisacky
Erika Robuck
Lydia Sharp
I just ask myself if the story can survive or make sense without the scene.
If not, then I look at the text and try to find where I’ve been inefficient and took to long to get to the point, or think of a quicker way to get to that point.
I’m finding this is actually a lot harder with a screenplay. When you need say, your catalyst by page 12 or 13 and every scene that comes before is essential or the reader won’t be glued to the story… then all you can do is shorten existing scenes.
When it comes to that, you just have to omit every single unnecessary word until there are no more unnecessary words. Then see where you stand as far as pacing. If after all that the pacing is still way off, you might have to kill a darling.
Like?
0
Aah, this is an apt post for me, because I’ll soon finish my first draft. I’m still learning how to evaluate my WIP objectively — it’s definitely its own skill!
I don’t have a technique to share — just a thanks for sharing yours! But, I do believe in trusting my gut. If a scene or series of scenes is/are bothering me, I pay attention even if I can’t pinpoint the flaw right away.
One thing I’ve noticed is that a problematic scene might be problematic because of a lack of proper set-up and character development. The scene itself is fine; it’s what’s came before that’s off.
Like?
0
Excellent, Teri. I need to re-read “Story” soon. It’s full of good insights like that, technical stuff that it’s hard to think of when in the midst of rewriting.
Like?
0
Sometimes the scenes I love most are the ones that need to be dumped. Great reminder!
Like?
0
Eric, I was thinking of diving into a screenplay next. I might benefit from the change. You and Kath are right about killing the darlings. Still hate it, though.
Lisa, congrats on being so close to completing your first draft! My gut is one of my best editorial gauge’s, too. If I feel bothered and can’t put my finger on what’s wrong with the writing, I usually hit a block…which ends up being a good thing in the end.
Ray, STORY is great, isn’t it? It’s so dense with information that I can only absorb a little at a time, then I have to think on what I just read.
Like?
0
http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000445.php
Therese, cool to hear you’re interested in trying a screenplay. It changes the way you think. When I get back to noveling I’ll be working very differently, closer to screenplay method at least when I write out the bones. A novelist is like the screenwriter and the director, and cinematographer, etc. so fleshing out the elaborate details will make more sense from that perspective.
Like?
0