How to Use Scenes to Build Plot
Scenes, Part 3 of 4:
Using consequences to bring fiction to life
Ever read a story where it was clear the character did something because that’s what the story (i.e. author) wanted them to? It’s annoying, and readers do notice.
The best stories feel like the character is real, making their own choices as they navigate the story.
So how do we make a fictional world feel real to a reader?
One word: Consequences.
This is the third article in a four-part series on writing effective scenes. For previous articles, click here:
Part 1: Why Does Fiction Need Scenes?
Part 2: Using Scenes to Establish Setting
How to build consequences into a story
To make a fictional world feel real, we must start by making the character feel real. And what makes a character feel real? Opinions, desires, and logic.
In the beginning of each story, the reader needs to know the following:
What does the character want?
What is the character’s plan to get what they want?
What actions does the character take to accomplish that goal?
To make a character feel even more real to the reader, reinforce these elements in every scene. Each new scene and chapter should let the reader know what the character wants and what they will do to get it.
But character desires are only the first half of the equation, and both the character and story will still fall flat unless they are met with consequences.
Consequences come from conflict, which makes the story come alive.(Conflict is story, see my previous article here.)
How a character interacts with the world around them can be the difference between a character that feels wooden and a character that comes to life. If a character always does what they intend to do, regardless of the consequences of their actions, they don’t feel real. Why? Because real people make plans and change them according to our situation and shifting circumstances.
To show consequences, consider the following:
What happens to potentially thwart the character’s goal?
What physical obstacles get in the character’s way?
How can other people in this setting disrupt the character’s plans?
Now that the story has consequences, the most important tool must be employed: How does the character react to those consequences?
Character reactions are key. The reader needs to watch the character learn from these experiences and shift strategy, like a real person would. And even if the character decides not to shift strategy, the reader needs to see — on the page — that the character observes what has happened, understands it, and the reason why they continue their plan regardless.
Without all three elements (desires, challenges, and renewed effort), the character will feel like a machination of an author and not their own person. All three are needed to create character agency.
Introducing depth
All three elements create character agency in the main character, but they can also be applied to the other characters to make the whole fictional world feel real.
What goals do other characters state outloud?
What hidden agendas do they have?
How do they react to the plot as unfolds and how do they change their approaches?
If every character believes they are the main character in their own story, then the fictional world begins to feel real.
Completing the sequence
Once consequences have been set up in each scene and for each character, take the story to the next level by closing the loop at the end of each scene to set up the next iteration of plot. What does this mean?
At the end of the scene, make sure the following is clear for the reader:
Did the character(s) get what they want?
If not, what will the character(s) do next to get it?
If the character(s) did get what they want, how is that goal not what they ultimately want?
How is the current situation not satisfying, and what do the characters want next/instead?
The more the reader knows about what the character intends to do, the more we anticipate their future and predict their rate of success. And that is what gets a reader invested in a character’s story.
Happy writing!