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.

Plotting for Sedgwick Green

I'm working on the outline and plot for Sedgwick Green .... no, let me retrace my steps a bit here. I started the Sedgwick Green series in summer 2010. There were a couple of characters that have been nagging me to include them in a novel for over five years now, and finally I found the perfect spot for them - Sedgwick Green.

My ideas spring up when least expected and bite me, and Sedgwick Green was no different. The premise for the story is based on - three cottages in remote, English village rented out by eccentric owner to new tenants every summer; proviso being the 'nutants' need to be 'single with a story'. It gave me huge scope to work in the sorts of elements I love in a story namely, mystery, suspense, intrigue, romance, murder and a bit of magic....