A scene is action that takes place in a single physical setting.
The setting is like a frame around a painting, it is meant to enhance the story, not distract from it. It generally focuses on a specific purpose: to provide the reader with information necessary to further the plot, to show a conflict between characters, to develop a character by highlighting a trait or action, or to create suspense.
The best scenes do a combination, or sometimes all of these things, without distracting the reader. It is important that a scene accomplishes at least one of the purposes, but you do not have to plan it. Jump in and write it, later you can determine why the scene is important and if it would be better taking place in a different setting. Ask yourself what you accomplish in this setting versus that setting. An example…a man wants a divorce, does he ask his wife at dinner where she might be less likely to create a scene? Or maybe he is afraid she will create a scene and wishes to discuss it in a private place, where the children cannot overhear and no public display will embarrass him, a drive in the car? A walk along a deserted beach? Might she fear the solitude? Or what of asking her while on a ride at the amusement park, the children in the next seat would not hear the discussion, any outbursts would be drowned out in the noise of screams, and the juxtaposition of fun and thrills against anger and despair lend a surreal touch to the scene. Play with scenes, go back and look at them and consider other places and how the scene might work there. You can enrich it afterward. First get it written.
Misdirection can also enhance a scene. A beautiful serene setting hiding a horrific crime or shocking secret draws a reader into the story.
Each scene needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. It might encompass just a paragraph or a whole chapter. Just because a scene has a beginning, a middle, and an end, please don’t confuse this with the idea that you must begin a scene at the beginning. It is generally best to start in the middle of the action, you can catch the reader up later with tidbits of background matter scattered throughout the story. Yet, even when you begin in the middle of the action, the scene itself has a beginning (where you jumped in), which you build upon (the middle), and then complete (the end). The only time you should open a scene with a description of the setting, is if it is actually a crucial “character” in the story or scene. i.e.- a dank, grungy swamp is something a character must overcome. Or “the sound reverberated off the cold concrete walls and cascaded through the steel bars, making sleep impossible.” The prison is crucial to the scene and the character.
The setting is the location where the scene takes place. It can be mobile, as a car traveling down the highway, or a person hiking through the woods. Beginning writers are notorious for two errors in settings: (1) over describing, and (2) clumping. The power of description comes from the impact of having just enough and not a single word more. Clumping is when all the description is in one section of the scene. Remember – it enhances the plot, character, or shows conflict or suspense. Clumping and over describing destroy these, becoming the focus rather than the frame.
Settings can be a motivating factor for why people do what they do. I.e. the farm boy who feels he must escape, flees to the big city. He might be amazed, exhilarated, or fearful, and the way he sees both settings can portray his emotions. On the other hand, the suburbanite sent to stay with relatives in the country would see an entirely different view of the same scene.
Whenever you begin a new scene, be sure to place your reader there. Time and place―not necessarily in the first sentence or paragraph, but quickly enough they don’t become confused and annoyed.
Exercise: Chose a scene from your current work.
1) Describe the characteristics of the setting
2) How does the setting affect the character(s) in the scene?
3) How does the setting affect the plot?