A scene is an episode in a story where something happens. This is generally set in the same place, with the same characters, and defined by a continuous time period.
William Ryan tells us in ‘Guide to How to Write that ‘A story is made up of a series of scenes designed to tell your story in the best possible way. Your story isn’t just about events and information, however, even though these do form the backbone of most stories. You will need to look at each scene with a critical eye and consider ways in which it can be improved to help the story – such as characterisation, setting, and atmosphere. Some scenes will be dramatic, some thrilling, and some much quieter, focussed on improving the reader’s knowledge of the character’s motivations and desires.’
I have compiled some articles, podcasts, and YouTube videos with some useful advice on structuring scenes in your story.
How to Structure a Scene: Articles
How to Write a Well-Structured Scene
A scene is a unit of story that takes place in more or less a continuous space and time, features a specific cast of characters, is told from one point-of-view, and contains a mini-arc of change from beginning to end. Savannah shares 5 commandments that hold up her method for structuring a scene and uses a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The commandments include that there needs to be an inciting incident, a turning point, a crisis moment, a climax, and a resolution.
How to Write a Scene: The Definitive Guide to Scene Structure
Scenes are the basic building block of all storytelling. This article discusses the six elements every effective scene needs to move the story forward.
For a section of narrative to be considered a scene, it must contain these 5 criteria: a story event, a change, one period of time, generally one setting, and contains the six elements of plot: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, dilemma, climax, and denouement.
The elements needed that are discussed to build an effective scene are setting the scene, starting the drama, the dilemma, climax, and denouement. Examples from movies are used to explain each element.
How to Write a Scene: The Ultimate 8-Step Guide
Not only do you have to come up with a great premise, engaging characters, high stakes, and conflict that pushes the protagonist toward their goal, but you must also learn how to write a scene that compels readers – and fill your book with them. Opening scenes should be loaded with character and set up your premise. That’s where you want to slip in important bits of backstory. Middle scenes carry complications, and twists, and raise the stakes. Climactic scenes should build to a riveting climax, so they might be shorter and packed with action and emotion.
Jerry Jenkins shares an 8-step process for writing a scene. These include purpose, high moment, conflict, accentuating character change, determining the point of view, leaving out the boring stuff, perfecting the beginning and ending, injecting texture and sensory details.
How to Write the Perfect Scene: 8 Elements of a Scene – 2025 – MasterClass
Scenes play a key role in story structure. This article from Masterclass begins by discussing what makes a good scene before sharing 8 elements to consider when writing scenes. These include having a specific storytelling purpose, providing valuable information, a point of view, enhancing character development, contributing towards world building, showing without telling, having a distinct beginning, middle, and end, and remembering that a good scene is like a novel in miniature.
The Basics of Scene Structure: Action and Reaction – The Novel Smithy
Scenes are often a misunderstood element of successful novels. Many people think of scenes as location changes or maybe as separate chapters. In reality, they’re much more complex—and much more fundamental. Your scenes are the bricks that build your house. If the bricks themselves are weak, the whole structure will crumble to the ground no matter how well it was laid out. Scene structure is the science behind creating these bricks, meant to give your overall story sturdy materials to build from. Think of a scene broken down into action and reaction and each of these has three sections. Action has a goal, conflict, and outcome. Reaction has a reaction, reflection, and decision. These points are discussed with examples.
Podcast
#40: How to Write a Well-Structured Scene
This is a podcast version of the above article from Savannah Gilbo.
YouTube
This video explains how to write a scene, and discusses structuring your scenes using examples.
This video from Fiction Writing Advice tells us that the secret to writing better scenes lies in a three-step structure. It discusses this structure using examples.
As with everything in a story, a scene must earn its place. Scenes can fulfil many different functions but knowing the reason why it has to be in the story – will tell you a lot about how the scene has to be written, what has to be in it, and what you can leave out. I hope you have found this week’s column useful. As always please get in touch if you have any topics you would like me to cover.
(c) Lucy O’Callaghan
Instagram: lucy.ocallaghan.31.
See here for previous Really Useful columns from Lucy on Writing.ie.
