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Have You Scene It? Workshop 2

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! I hope our weekend was wonderful:) To add to everything else, I spent yesterday in bed and so far this morning, I wish I could crawl back under the covers! I don't take to being sick very well...

So, today, let's get right to the lesson. We're talking MC goals today, and how important it is to make sure you have a goal for every scene.

Now, it's not always about life or death. Goals drive the story forward. Have you ever read a story and been like, "What the point? Why?" If so, it's because the author had no driving goal for the MC.

I'm not talking about the large picture goal. I'm talking the scene by scene goal. There should be one in every scene.

Every one of them.

Whether it's to find a missing book, wanting to look well dressed,needing to relax for the night, make dinner, go for a walk, sign on a new client, WHATEVER. There needs to be a goal.

Let's take our established scene, and add a goal for my MC. By the way, does the reader even know who the MC is? My guess is no. And while this isn't directly related to goal setting, it does touch the outlines because how can you establish a goal for someone who invisible?

Original scene (with setting added)

The high noon sun bounced off the water and blinded my eyes. Even slathered with sunscreen, my shoulders burned as I laid my towel over the sun-baked wood. A boat sped by the dock, splashing water all over my feet. Rhonda and Carla squealed with me, but it felt so refreshing I thought about jumping back in for another swim.

I'm going to add a very simple goal and add my MC's name:

The high noon sun bounced off the water and blinded my eyes. Even slathered with sunscreen, my shoulders burned as I laid my towel over the sun-baked wood. I traced the embroidered letters, Jasmine loves Troy, with my fingers. A boat sped by the dock, splashing water all over my feet. Rhonda and Carla squealed with me, but it felt so refreshing I thought about jumping back in for another swim. I didn't want the day to end. It was my last chance to change Troy's mind about leaving.

I know this paragraph isn't perfect. I see a lot of things that need to be edited. Remember, I'm taking one thing at a time, hoping to get it polished and shiny by the end of the workshop.
 

Your assignment for today is:

Take chapter one, read each scene and make sure you have a goal clearly outlined and clearly evidenced for the reader.

What did you find? Does your MC need a goal?

Comments

  1. Alex J. CavanaughJuly 29, 2013 at 12:08 PM

    Every scene - check!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BevimusJuly 29, 2013 at 1:18 PM

    Just went back and read the earlier posts, now I'm all caught up. This is really useful stuff here! I'm gonna stayed tuned from now on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ink in the BookJuly 30, 2013 at 1:02 PM

      Thanks! It's great to see you here and I hope you enjoy all the classes:)

      Delete
  3. Jessica HarveyJuly 29, 2013 at 6:59 PM

    Yup! Chelsea's got some good goals in the book 2 opener ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ink in the BookJuly 30, 2013 at 1:02 PM

      Ooo. You're so sneaky with your teases!

      Delete
    2. Jessica HarveyJuly 31, 2013 at 5:55 AM

      Muahaha. Wanna read it just for fun after I finish the second chapter? Gotta give each of them a few pages first.

      Delete
  4. UnknownJuly 30, 2013 at 6:35 AM

    Great stuff.

    ReplyDelete

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