Scientists say the question-mark-shaped structure seen in a new photo from the James Webb Space Telescope is likely the merger of two or more galaxies.
Greetings, Writers. Tonight I want to talk about scene questions. It’s something I’ve heard about but I’m certainly no expert on. I picked this topic because I want to know more about it myself. I’m pretty sure I remember SenSho mentioning it in the context of saying that something written on here in response to a writing prompt did a good job of setting up or answering the scene question.
Okay, so what is a scene question?
One site I found defined it as “a story question on a smaller scale” that is ”introduced at or near the beginning of a scene (or even at the end of the previous scene).” It drives “the tension in the scene” to keep the reader turning pages.
Oh, okay, so it’s just a kind of a story question, only smaller. That’s — hang on a sec.
Wait, what the heck is a story question?
This blog post defines a story question in relation to the story problem. Ugh. We have to back up again. Okay. “The story problem is what gets your protagonist involved in the events that make up your book.” Oh, like, her family is broke and the bank is about to foreclose on their house. And the only way to save them is to win Antartica’s Next Top Chef and open an ultra successful restaurant.
And then the story question is, can she do it? Can she beat all the other contestants and cook the ultimate dish of linguine and have Gordon Ramsay declare her a culinary legend and be given the fame and fortune to open her restaurant and save her home and family?
The story question is the engine driving the entire short story. The entire novel. The entire trilogy.
It’s the reason the reader can’t put the book down. They have to know if she pulls it off.
And a scene question is like that, only for just one scene. Wait. Hang on. One what?
Oh crap.
What the heck is a scene, anyway?
You know, maybe I should have asked this first at the outset. I mean, we all know what a scene is, right? But how exactly would you define it? If we don’t know when a scene begins or ends, how do we know when to ask our scene question, or just what the scope of it should be? I mean, it’s smaller than the question for the whole book, but how small is small?
Let’s review some things we know about story structure.
A story has a beginning, middle, and an end, an inciting incident, a climax and a resolution. That’s true of novels, plays, scripts, short stories — really any kind of story. It can be subdivided into chapters, cantos, or scenes.
But that still doesn’t define scene. Hmm. Okay, here’s one lousy definition. A scene begins when a scene question is asked, or shortly after, and it ends when the question has been answered.
Ah, there we go. That’s great, now we just— Hold up.
A scene has a scene question, and it’s also defined by a scene question? Isn’t that just a little bit incestuous, or at least tautological or something?
Here’s a site that defines a scene as a section of a novel where characters engage in action and dialogue. Still a little vague, but they do mention that a scene should have a beginning, middle, and end, so it’s like a mini-story. That definitely supports the idea that it could have a story question of its own. And they say it should have an “entry hook” and a “climax” which sounds a lot like posing a question that will “hook” the reader into reading the scene to learn the answer in the “climax.”
They quite sensibly suggest a new scene when there’s a change in the POV, setting (time or place), characters, or plot. I would add, when there’s a new scene question to be posed and answered.
Adding it all Up
I’m not sure every scene needs a scene question. Some passages are just to describe setting, what I called “establishing shots” in a comment in an earlier diary. And that’s all right. But I think when there is dialogue and action in a scene, when we’re with one or more characters as they move through the world of our novel, it is an excellent idea to have a scene question, sometimes vaguely defined, sometimes in sharp relief, to guide the action. Why?
- It provides focus. What belongs in this scene?
- It clarifies when the scene should (or can) end. When the question is answered.
- And of course, it keeps the reader engaged, turning pages.
The first site I linked talks about kid lit, but I don’t think scene questions are limited to any age group, format, or genre. They exist to make the story feel vital and focus the reader on what happens next. Any story can benefit from that. It does say that it is a “yes/no” question, and I think that’s often true. Can this character find or do this thing, or even just survive?
But I also think occasionally it can be an open-ended question. Let’s say in a mystery the main character is just about to find out what the murder weapon is. Well, that isn’t a yes-or-no question. But it sure could be a great scene question.
When should you ask the scene question, and should you really come right out and ask it?
If there is a question at the end of the previous scene (and certainly a cliffhanger or plot twist implies a question), that is obviously going to dominate the next scene. Otherwise, the scene could begin with a clear goal that needs to be achieved, or it could appear after some “establishing” description and entrances. As long as the characters’ goal is clear, the question will be “Can they accomplish it?” whether that is winning the dance contest or getting up the nerve to ask their crush out on a date.
I don’t think you normally want to really ask the question. It’s subtext, and should generally stay that way. And sometimes a mysterious situation or setting can imply a question just by its nature. The question of “What is this place?” or “How did the character get here?”
One other thing. I’m reminded of reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X. (Bet you didn’t see that coming in this diary.) The first chapter is set in Lansing, Michigan when young Malcolm Little is just a boy being raised by a single mother. His father was killed, and his mother is trying to provide for him and his siblings. That’s not what the book is about, but that’s what that chapter is about, and right away, I was hooked. I had to find out if this family would make it. Alex Haley is an author who knew how to write a compelling scene question.
Tonight’s Challenge
Write a scene of no more than a few hundred words and give it a clear scene question. We should know what the goal, challenge, or mystery facing the character(s) is, we should wonder how it will turn out, and by the end, we should know.
If that doesn’t suit you, write a scene inspired by the image at the top of this diary. Try to engage all the senses. You can use characters from your WIP or our stock characters and situations.
I would love to hear your thoughts on scene questions, and any memorable scenes that strike you as having notable scene questions, or ones where they are absent.
Apologies if I am rambling. I didn’t know where I was going with this.
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