In a story that’s not working, there’s a particular scene that too many writers feel compelled to include.
It’s like they got together and agreed, as a group, “Let’s cripple our stories by putting this bad scene in, no matter what.”
The scene tells everyone reading it—especially professional script readers and editors—that this writer hasn’t learned how to tell a story. As soon as an experienced reader gets to this scene, they lose interest.
The scene comes right after the end of Act I. Act I usually ends with the inciting incident (the world-disrupting meteor that crashes into the protagonist’s life and forces them to go on a journey, emotional or physical). So, the reader has just experienced a key dramatic moment.
This is a fun part of a story. Good stories are very easy to tell up to this point. Almost anyone of middling skill can write a good Act 1. Storytelling mastery is revealed in what happens after Act 1.
And it’s at this juncture, the beginning of Act II, where we see this scene that must be cut.
In fact, if this scene exists, the writer needs to do more than just cut it. They need to go back to the drawing board. They need to re-examine the entire story and re-outline it, rework Act II, and probably rethink Act III.
The scene is this: the protagonist meets their close friend or confidant at a cafe or bar to talk through what just happened to them (the inciting incident), and possibly discuss a plan of action.
Cut this scene. It doesn’t move the story forward. It doesn’t compel the reader to keep reading. The characters are just talking about what happened, which the reader already knows.
In place of this scene should be this: the protagonist takes action they think will help them deal with whatever happened in the inciting incident. But it won’t help them. Instead, it will get them in even deeper trouble.
Get to work!
I think this may be useful in the storytelling element of standup comedy...making my character come to and react to escalating worse and worse conclusions ....I will try and look how this can fit into my Act later today....
I like what you did there...kept us guessing what the scene was until Act III of your post.