Having trouble with a scene? Try mixing it up.
Write it in a different POV.
Or a different setting.
Add characters.
Subtract characters.
Throw in an antagonist.
Drop a bombshell revelation.
Provoke a fight.
Have them make up.
Or maybe you can skip that scene all together. What is it really doing for your novel? Can reasonably get any important info to the readers in scenes you already have?
No matter what, keep writing. Don't give up. If you need skip it and come back to it later.
Just. Keep. Writing.
Great tips. And yes, sometimes leaving the problem to sit for awhile can help you figure the solution out. At least I hope so right now.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, hope your solution comes to you.
DeleteJKW! That's the ticket. From the front of my current WIP, my hubby said there needed to be more conflict in the front half. It was nine years before the inspiration of what it was hit me. JKW, indeed! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Good luck with that beginning.
DeleteGREAT advice! I like writing the scene in a different setting. And I always like provoking a fight, because I'm so mean to my characters.
ReplyDeleteAren't we all?
DeleteAwesome. You know one thing I was looking at recently that really amped my WIP up? Advancing the timeline. Making everything happen immediately rather than putting time between scenes. So playing with time might be another technique for freshening a scene.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea. It increases the immediacy and tension of the novel.
DeleteBut it doesn't always work. =)
DeleteHI, Sara,
ReplyDeleteSome terrific suggestions here. I also agree with Crystal, keep scened moving. Pacing is everything.
Agreed.
DeleteGreat tips for mixing it up. It isn't always easy, but the Just Keep Writing has become my mantra. I keep telling myself to tough it out until the end... and then I can fix it. (It's impossible to edit a blank page...)
ReplyDeleteYep, just need to get those words down.
DeleteI try! I try to add in bombshells and fights and arguments, because all I ever want to write are soft sweet scenes :-)
ReplyDelete