More About Scene Sheets (Pantsers, Avert Your Eyes!)

I just finished the scene sheets! 52 scenes for the novel, and somewhat to my surprise I figured out some of the shakier plot areas and did some shuffling of scenes. Plot Point Two needs some work, and some of the sheets toward the end there have almost nothing on them-- just the title and maybe two reasons why the scene should exist.

Now I shall I sit in front of the TV and write the scene titles on 52 index cards.

In the interest of full disclosure, here is my scene sheet, cribbed partly from The Weekend Novelist, partly from this awesome post by author Kait Nolan, and partly drawn from my own rich history of writing myself into corners. If you are a seat-of-your-pants, outlines-make-me-itch type, you may want to look away now.

______________________________________

Title:

Chapter:

Goal/Motivation/Conflict*

What is at stake? Why is it urgent?:

3 Reasons for the Scene:**

1.

2.

3.

Place:

Time:

Weather/Conditions:

Sense Details:

see:

hear:

touch:

taste:

smell:

Characters:

Dialogue

topics:

subtext:

Action:

Objects:

Verbs:

Theme:

Character Development:

Notes:
__________________________________________________

I know.

Rest assured, I do not have all this crap filled out on 52 scenes already.


*That is, is the scene :
            -moving the protagonist closer to or further from her goal?
            -providing or changing the protagonist's motivation?
            -bringing the protagonist into conflict with opposing forces?

Not all scenes will perform all three functions, but it's helpful for figuring out what the hell you want a scene to accomplish.

**Kait Nolan says you should be able to come up with at least three reasons why the scene belongs in the book; if you can't, the scene needs to be either overhauled or axed.