Importance of Scene: In and Out of Story

by Pappy April 20th, 2007, Posted in: Writing


I originally wrote the following article for Worldbuiler Wiki. It is intented to reference the specific needs of collaborative writing projects.

Scenes might be events, actions, or relative inner thoughts of characters. But in collaborative fiction, where several authors may be working on intertwined stories, scenes are more than that. In this environment, a scene becomes a shared past or important element of the story-world’s culture.

Even beginning authors know that in order for characters and places to feel real to the reader, the author must be in touch with them as if they were. But this can be more difficult when two or more authors are writing about that character. By having a shared understanding of that character’s past they can begin to understand that character in the same way.

Within the Worldbuilder Wiki, we address this by creating scenes that may never appear in any finished story. Scenes about important events in the characters’ past, or interactions with certain people that represent those characters’ relationships.

Take, for example, the following small scene from the Commonwealth world:

Jumeah doesn’t trust Kyber (See Kyber-Jesiree Plot ) and throws a fit every time he comes into the bar with Jesiree. Kyber takes great joy in reminding Jumeah about Commonwealth Law in regards to the equal treatment of all sentient beings.

Scene

“You don’t even belong to any real race!” Jumeah protested.

Kyber placed his front paws on the counter-top, leaning forward to look the proprietor squarely in the eyes. “It is true; I am unique among the races, but I assure you, drinkmaster, I am real.” With the emphasis on “real” he flexed his considerable feline claws. The gouges left behind in the hardwood bar were indeed a testiment to the reality of their lethal ability.

Jumeah’s protest registered as tiny sparks of silver and yellow flashing from the outer corners of his eyes out to the violet tips of his tenticles. “Freak!” he spat and turned to distract himself with more desirable customers.

As this scene shows, there are distinct elements of both characters’ personalities on display quite clearly. It may be appropriate to actually insert this scene into one of the Commonwealth stories at some point, but then again it may not. Regardless, having this information while authoring interaction between these charcters could be vital to uinderstanding this relationship in other stories.This can be of equal importance when it comes to cultural aspects of your world that play important roles. In speculative fiction, where entire universes exist at the authors’ disgression, you have to make the world’s uniqueness palpable to the reader or they will never become invested in the world you strive to create. Would the Vulcan mind-meld mean anything to a Trekkie if the Star Trek franchise had not invested so much time and energy into the background of that cultural practice? George Lucas might never have seen Star Wars achieve its amazing popularity if the concepts of The Force, a cultural element that was the underpinning for much of the story plot, were muddled or unclear to viewers and readers alike.

In reference to the collaborative environment here at Worldbuilder Wiki, lets look at another example that could benefit from having a historical scene available to authors.

In the Council of Ages world, there is a magical process that allows a character’s personality to be preserved in their severed head long after their death. These heads are then given positions of prominence within The Council of Ages, an immortal group of advisors that support whomever the current royal ruler may be. It is a secret ritual that involves blood amulets and emboldening rods. Because of the nature and importance of this process it would be helpful to have a scene to clarify for all the authors of this world exactly how this works.

Although I don’t yet have this scene written, here is a rough set of expectations for what it should explain:

• Explanation of the blood amulet - amulets given to important members of society who have been “marked” for inclusion in the Council. They contain the blood of the wearer that has been enchanted.
• Explanation of the emboldening rods - rods carried by a select few mages thoughout the kingdom. When a person wearing a blood amulet dies, the emboldening rod must be used on the amulet and the body before midnight on the day of their death.
• Explaination of the Rite of Ages - the actual ritual whereby the rod is used on the amulet and the body and the head severed. Almost always takes place in the palace itself in the presence of the royal court.

Scene Outline:
• So to give this process life, our scene might begin with a battle in which the defenders are losing. Late in the evening the commander of the armies is brought into the command tent, gravely wounded and likely to die, his blood amulet around his neck.
• The head battle-mage is summoned, who arrives with his emboldening rod, ready to perform the Rite of Ages on location due to the late hour. The healers are trying to keep the commander alive until after midnight so his body can be taken to the palace, where the Rite of Ages is traditionally performed.
• The commander dies shortly after midnight and the battle-mage and a contingent of guards race to take the body to the palace. When they arrive they are ushered into a chamber reserved for the Rite. The king awaits there to bear witness to the event.
• The body is layed out in fine dress on a stone table. The mage takes the tapered end of the rod and dips it in the blood of the amulet, and uses it to draw runes on the cadaver’s face while chanting incantations. At the right final moment, the king places his hand on the rod on top of the mage’s and an accolyte severs the head in a single stroke.
• A few minutes go by while the headless body is removed to be buried, then the eyes of the severed head blink to life. The commander pleads forgiveness from the king for losing the battle. The king puts his guilt to rest and assures him he has earned his place on The Council of Ages.