One way to begin a scene is to start with some kind of action. Readers love action. Not everyone though. Back in the day when the first movie of Speed came out with Keanu Reeves, it was heart stopping action from the word ‘go’. The elevator scene at the beginning of the movie left me breathless. Those of you who saw that movie know what I’m talking about. I then recommended the movie to my mom who, after watching the elevator scene, stopped watching the movie because it was too much of a thrill ride. God bless her. She tried.
Essentially, any scene where events are flowing at a constant/continuous pace is an action scene. Some good ways to depict action in your story include:
- Use shorter sentences. They are easier to comprehend, and they allow for faster reading which leads to faster action (You want this).
- Use a mixture of action and dialogue. Stay away from long descriptions. It slows down the action.
- Don’t write what is going on inside the character’s mind at the time. These thought processes will happen before and after but not during.
Here are some types of scenes that lead to action:
- A character or characters faced with a choice and either option is equally as tough.
- A chase scene
- An argument between two characters
- A crime committed
- Fight scene
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 