A Scene is a Story

I enjoy a good movie just as much as anyone, but in addition to the entertainment value, I love seeing how they tell a story in each scene. A scene doesn't need to pick up exactly where a previous one left off. Nor does it have to give every detail - only those details relevant to the particular storyline. Our minds fill in the gaps in milliseconds anyway. It is all the scenes put together that tells the entire story, and each scene moves the whole story along in some small way (or big one).

It takes some concentration and imagination to get this right and for myself I can say, its a work in progress. Every time I do it, I get better at it (I think!).

With Sedgwick Green, I completed my beat sheet, and a broad outline of all 60 scenes (bare bones of the story). But I found that as I've started to write, the story has evolved and become more complex so I keep fine-tuning and then writing more, and then stepping back and fine-tuning again. I want to get each scene to move the story forward in a 'wow' way so my readers cannot put the book down.
The addition of a hook at the end of each scene (or most), I think I can add in on the rewrite when I have all the plot twists and turns worked out. Ideally they need to pull the reader forward to something that could affect the character in the future, or a consequence of an action - theirs or someone else's.

This way of writing is new to me, and I have yet to find my rhythm. At the moment its a discipline that I do everyday. I imagine that as the bits of the story come full circle in my head, it will flow easier. During the rewrite (after the first draft is complete), I'll fill in the areas where I need to conduct research or drill down into something more deeply.

Go for it - the 'How To'

Gearing myself up to going for a goal used to be about getting 'race ready'. Take writing a book for example. I'd want my computer in the best place on my desk, a notepad and pencil to one side; flowers on the desk and a nice view to gaze at when looking for the right words. I'd want to have all my chores down, the phone off the hook, and peace and quiet in the house. Essentially I wanted to put my  life on hold, just so I could get my thoughts together and approach my writing in an orderly fashion.

Hold the phone! When does that ever happen? When do we ever get anything done and sorted and behind us so that there is a free stretch of 5 or 6 hours ahead of us ....? Not sure about you, but I don't. There is always something to do, something going on, someone making a noise. That's life. The secret to achieving your goals in amongst the business of life is about consistency and perseverance. There are many famous quotes by legendary people who have addressed this topic: 

'Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.' John Quincy Adams 

'Persist and persevere and you will find most things that are attainable, possible.' Lord Chesterfield

'Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.' Thomas Edison

If you want to achieve that goal, get started like this:

Do it daily: Whether its writing that book, painting that work of art,or losing weight, do it daily. Set aside an allocated period of time in a day and stick to it. Even if nothing creative is flowing that day, stick to your commitment to do it daily. You don't have to make it tedious, so don't over commit. It could be 15 minutes or an hour that you spend doing it. Just make it do-able.

Keep the end in mind: To build a beautiful fire that you can enjoy, you have to feed it wood. And someone has got to chop that wood. Its a menial task, but it has to be done. There will be days when you think 'how mundane is this?' Don't give up; keep the end in mind. Remember what your eventual goal is and make it vibrant and alive in your imagination.

Patience: Rome wasn't built in a day... Beyonce didn't achieve overnight success. It took daily perseverance. Be patient. Even once you achieve your goal there will be other things you want to achieve and this formula works for them all.

That's it! This is all you need to bet what you want. Simple isn't it?
Gabi x