{"id":249,"date":"2012-11-25T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-25T13:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestfantasynovel.com\/2012\/11\/25\/nanowrimo-tip-25-quick-and-dirty-guide-to-scene-vs-summary\/"},"modified":"2012-11-25T13:25:00","modified_gmt":"2012-11-25T13:25:00","slug":"nanowrimo-tip-25-quick-and-dirty-guide-to-scene-vs-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/2012\/11\/25\/nanowrimo-tip-25-quick-and-dirty-guide-to-scene-vs-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"NaNoWriMo Tip #25: Quick and Dirty Guide to Scene vs Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Adeena<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

These are my personal tips for NaNoWriMo. You know the drill. Take only what works.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Show Don\u2019t Tell. Show Don\u2019t Tell. Show Don\u2019t Tell. Yada, yada, yada\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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If you\u2019ve heard that so often you want shove the words into a pi\u00f1ata and beat it with a stick, I don\u2019t blame you. Also, what the heck does it mean? I\u2019ve seen it explained poorly WAY too many times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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For instance, I\u2019ve seen the advice, that if you say, \u201cJohn was furious,\u201d that\u2019s Telling. Whereas if you write, \u201cJohn clenched his fists,\u201d that Showing. So you should always talk about John\u2019s fists and never say flat out, \u201cJohn was furious.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Er, not necessarily. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ok, yes, technically, telling the reader that John was furious is telling, and showing his clenched fists is showing, at the sentence level. If your writing is full of simplistic sentences like this, then it\u2019s worth looking into other ways to show emotion through body language and action. Make each sentence as strong as it can be. Strike clich\u00e9 from your writing wherever you find it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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But don\u2019t confuse the old adage Show Don\u2019t Tell for turning your characters into drama-queens who are constantly stomping their feet, clenching their fists and flashing their eyes. Sometimes, a little telling goes along way: \u201cJohn was furious. He smiled politely, gesturing his mother-in-law into the drawing room. \u2018Yes, please stay to dinner.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Context is everything.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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If you are writing a rich outline \/ rough draft of your novel, particularly if you are trying to finish it in a month\u2014meaning you want to scratch out your ideas in the white heat of inspiration and worry about refining the writing later, this level of Show Don\u2019t Tell doesn\u2019t even matter. Later you can go back over the paragraph and change, \u201cJohn was furious,\u201d to, \u201cJohn clenched his fists,\u201d easily enough if you want to. Sentence level improvements are not that hard, and can be a real pleasure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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What you cannot<\/i> change so easily, and what you should take the time to get right even in the draft (if you can) is choosing when to write in Scene and when to write in Summary. Changing Scene to Summary or vice versa can involve restructuring you whole novel, and it\u2019s seldom a pleasure. It usually feels like being stuffed into a pi\u00f1ata and hit with a stick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Scene is another way of saying, \u201cShow,\u201d and Summary is another way of saying, \u201cTell,\u201d except at a higher level of story, at the level of paragraphs, scenes and whole chapters. Both are necessary<\/i>. Newbie writers, however, often write Summary when they should write Scene, and write Scene when they should write Summary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Analysis of Scene vs Summary in a Sample Novel<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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As an example, I\u2019ll refer (with permission) to a manuscript I was looking at for a friend of mine. She began her book with a terrific opening paragraph, but then, in a classic newbie mistake, veered into First Person Summary. (I\u2019m not going to quote directly, but will indicate the style for each paragraph.) I\u2019ll also label which ones are Scene and which are Summary. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraph 1:<\/b> [Summary] A three day storm had swept over the city like a jealous bitch, leaving debris to trip up the unwary all over the streets. [More description]\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraph 2:<\/b> [Summary] My name is Alice Munroe, and I\u2019m a 34 year old housewife. I\u2019m not fat, though I could stand to lose ten pounds. My shoulder length blonde hair is starting to show a few gray hairs. \u2026 [blah blah blah]\u2026 [a couple paragraphs of self-description]\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraphs 3-5:<\/b> [Summary] I grew up\u2026 [blah blah blah]\u2026 [a couple paragraphs of backstory]\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraphs 6-7<\/b>: [Summary] I married \u2026[blah blah blah]\u2026 [more paragraphs of backstory]\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraphs 8-9:<\/b> [Summary] I\u2019m pretty sure my husband is cheating on me because \u2026[blah blah blah]\u2026 [more paragraphs of backstory]\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraph 10<\/b>: [Scene]\u00a0 This afternoon, I waited outside my husband\u2019s office. As soon as I saw his red Chevy pull out, I peeled out of the parking lot and followed him all the way to the Cheery Buster Motel\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Every paragraph until 10 was Summary. Now, you might think I advised this writer to cut all<\/i> of them, but no. I advised her to cut all but one<\/i> of them. The first paragraph, although it was Summary, although it was Description and although it didn\u2019t introduce a character or a conflict directly, was a great paragraph. It established us in a time and place, it was dynamic<\/i> description, and importantly, it foreshadowed the conflict to come (the jealous bitch was about to hit her husband like a storm and leave their marriage in debris). Some Summary is worth keeping.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paragraphs 2-9, however, stopped the action cold to give us a boring and static description of the woman, her past, her marriage, etc., and completely sucked any tension or mystery out of the next scene (when the woman followed her husband\u2019s car). Basically, the author told us what the protaganist was going to do [Summary], she did it [Scene], and then (in the second half of the chapter), the author slipped back into Summary to recap what had just happened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Repetition like this is useful in business writing (this author had a long non-fiction resume), where it\u2019s safe to assume your readers are dolts with little interest in the subject, but it\u2019s deadly in fiction. Fiction readers are geniuses and should be respected as such by authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wally Reading vs. Reading Wally.<\/b><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
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Is it Scene or Summary?<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Unfortunately, there are no Hard and Fast rules about when to use Scene vs Summary. But here\u2019s a Quick and Dirty guide to Scene vs Summary. Please don\u2019t whine that you\u2019ve seen good writers break these conventions. Of course you have. Good writers are like politicians. They know how to break rules and get away with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Summary:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

<\/b><\/div>\n

Backstory\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Short flashbacks\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Summarized dialogue (no quotes; He told us that\u2026)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Habitual events (Usually he would\u2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Covers long periods of time<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Scene:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/div>\n

Immediate action<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Long flashbacks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Dialogue (quotes; he said, she said)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Unique events<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Unfolds in \u201creal\u201d time, beat by beat<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
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Examples of Scene vs Summary<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Description<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/div>\n

Summary:<\/b> Over the years, she had collected a dozen different pieces of diverse tea sets from garage sales.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Scene:<\/b> She sipped from a white tea cup decorated with roses and set it down on a dark blue Limoges plate fringed with gold loops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Journey<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Summary:<\/b> Paragraph or two describing the trip over the mountains<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Scene:<\/b> Two characters have a dialogue as they pick their way over the trail<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Confrontation<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/div>\n

Summary:<\/b> The boss gave me the pink slip that morning, in the afternoon Jenny asked for a divorce and told me I couldn\u2019t sleep in \u2018her\u2019 house anymore, and by evening I\u2019d ended up punching some guy in a bar. At least I had a place to sleep that night after all; the cot in the jail cell wasn\u2019t as hard as it looked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Scene:<\/b> \u201cWe value your contributions as an employee,\u201d said Mr. Schmuck. \u201cDon\u2019t come back on Monday.\u201d [Etc., followed by individual scenes with Jenny, the bar brawl and the arrest.]\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As you can see, these actually work best if you mix and match them. You can describe the woman sipping from the tea cup and also mention how the pieces were collected over the years. You can show the characters chatting on the trail and summarize the rest of the journey over the mountains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Final Quick and Dirty Questions to Ask<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Here\u2019s a final question to ask yourself if trying to decide to write Scene or Summary?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Is this a pivotal turning point or important conflict in the story? <\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If yes, write Scene. If no, write Summary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Is this merely something the characters have to do to get to the next part of the story or is it tangential to the main plot?<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If yes, write Summary. If no, write Scene.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Suppose your novel is complete or nearly complete and as you\u2019re looking back over it, you realize there are a number of Summaries that should be Scenes and a couple of Scenes that could be deleted and re-condensed as a paragraph or two of Summary. That\u2019s fine. These changes can also be made in revision. <\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0If you prefer these Tips as an ebook you can buy it here for $0.99<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adeena These are my personal tips for NaNoWriMo. You know the drill. Take only what works. Show Don\u2019t Tell. Show Don\u2019t Tell. Show Don\u2019t Tell. Yada, yada, yada\u2026 If you\u2019ve heard that so often you want shove the words into a pi\u00f1ata and beat it with a stick, I don\u2019t blame you. Also, what the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}