Writers just starting out often end up with flat scenes. Characters stand around and state exposition or what they want. Then they get it, or they don’t – not because of actions they took, but because the writer wants to get to the next scene. What’s missing usually is objectives and tactics.
As Mike Nichols said, “There are only three kinds of scenes: negotiations, seductions and fights.” While not quite literal, this does a good job laying out the basics of how to make a scene interesting and dynamic. Of course there are other ways to make a scene engaging. This doesn’t make for a complete and total list. But it does give you a great way to think about how you write your scenes.
Each option comes back to tools in the actor’s toolbox – objectives and tactics. Characters have objectives – goals and desires that they pursue. The objective often drives why they are in the scene – they have arrived at this point in the story pursuit of something.
Tactics, meanwhile, are how characters go about achieving their objective. Nichols lists 3 big ones. Tactics help demonstrate who a character is. Different people won’t take the same approach to get something, so tactics become an expression of character.
Applying to Your Own Work
When writing a scene, identify what the characters want and how they plan to get it. Will they negotiate? Seduce? Or fight? Or some other option? Whatever you choose, make it an active verb. Go the extra mile by not just giving that to your main character but the other characters in the scene as well. Suddenly they become much more dynamic, actively trying to attain something.
And remember, dialogue is action. A conversation can and should still be an expression of their tactic. You can fight or seduce with words as much as with strikes and gestures.
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