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Scene purpose planner | WritersGroup.co.uk

Free writing tool

Scene purpose planner

Work out why your scene needs to exist, what happens inside it and what will pull the reader into the next one.

0 of 17 planning points completed

Your answers are saved automatically on this device, but browser storage can be cleared. ‘Download editable draft’ saves a separate file that you can keep and reopen here, even on another device.

1

Place the scene

Give yourself enough context to know where this scene belongs.

2

Set desire against resistance

A scene gains energy when someone wants something now and cannot simply have it.

3

Make something move

By the end, the situation, knowledge or emotional balance should no longer be quite the same.

4

Shape the experience

Decide how pressure and feeling develop, rather than leaving the middle of the scene vague.

5

Choose the exit

End at the point that leaves the most useful pressure on the story.

You don’t need to write the exact final sentence unless you already know it.

A useful test

Does the scene earn its place?

A scene can be quiet and still have purpose. It doesn’t need an argument, a chase or a revelation on every page. It does need to alter the reader’s understanding, the character’s position or the story’s direction.

If the plan feels flat, don’t automatically add drama. First ask whether the character wants something specific enough, whether the resistance matters and whether you are leaving the scene after its strongest moment.

  • If nothing changes, consider combining the scene with another.
  • If the scene contains several major turns, it may need splitting.
  • If the only purpose is to explain backstory, look for a present-time want or pressure.

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