What I’m trying to do now is to play through each scene in my head and visualize how they will go. So far, it’s slow going and I hope this is a skill that improves with practice. I don’t have much experience writing scenes that I can be proud of and it is still an area where I think I’m weak, so that lack of confidence is impeding me a bit.
For each scene, I also need to make sure that there is something in it that excites me – something that I’m looking forward to writing and something that I think the reader will enjoy, even if that isn’t necessarily the plot point that the scene needs to get across. So far, I only have three scenes down, but in most, my excitement point is hinting at secrets or tension, or the wonder of the world. I want to make sure to infuse the actual writing with those points, even as I move the story forward.
I’m also trying to highlight the tension point in each scene, hoping that will be an important reference when I get back to start writing them again. Just as the excitement point should infuse the scene, the tension needs to be the beating core of it.
Which sounds great in theory. I just have to make sure I can make it work in practice.