Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the photo of a splendid Scottish loch.
I’ve just returned from a wonderful break in the north-east of Scotland. The scenery there is amazing. Naturally, the change of scene has been rejuvenating (as were the winds!). One highlight here was as we drove through the Cairngorms National Park to get to where we were staying, we saw plenty of snow still on the mountains. In the valleys below them were fields of oilseed rape in full bloom. Quite a contrast!
Now fiction reflects life. So if we need our metaphorical batteries recharging, it is likely our characters will need something similar themselves. Even superheroes have weaknesses (Kryptonite, anyone?) and/or need time to recharge before getting on with their acts of derring do.
The trick here is to make these “changes of scene” an integral part of the story. I think it was Elmore Leonard who advised writers to “try to leave out the bits readers skip”. See the screenshot (from the Goodreads website) for more excellent writing advice from him.
And I’m sure he’d agree with me that every element of a story has to have enough to keep a reader’s interest including the “necessary breaks”.
Tips For Keeping Changes of Scene Interesting
1. The change of scene must be a natural progression from what came before it. Nothing must seem forced. So if a character is getting tired, say, I’d expect a change of scene showing them stopping to eat, sleep etc.
2. Keep the change of scene brief. As with any part of a story, you share what a reader needs to know and no more.
3. Use the change of scene to share some information the reader needs to know. If, say, your change of scene is getting your character to stop to eat, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for said character to reflect on what has happened so far. A pause is a good opportunity for a character to show fears and hopes.
4. A change of scene can be used to flag up what the character thinks will happen next. Readers will then read on to find out if the character was correct or not.
5. A change of scene should be a crucial element. If the story works without it, there’s no point having it at all.
Learning From Stories You Love
Reading is one of humanity’s better ideas. It’s a wonderful form of information and entertainment but, from a writing viewpoint, there is so much we can learn by studying other stories. You can pick up how stories should be set out for one thing, but you can also see how other writers handle changes of scene.
The best ones are those snippets of information which set up the next big scene. Also, just as we don’t generally rush along at a breathless pace all of the time (it would be too exhausting), the same applies to your creations. Readers need those pauses too. They just mustn’t be boring pauses.
Character Realism
A break should set up your character for what comes next. The break also gives them a chance to work out how to get on with what has to be done next. A break can show them reflecting on what has worked for them so far and what definitely hasn’t.
Also where something has gone wrong, your character will need an opportunity to decide how they’re going to get out of the additional mess which has occurred, as well as deal with the initial issue. Lots of tension going on here! Who says it has to be a restful break for your character? Just as we use our breaks to take stock sometimes, so should they.
Seeing a character trying to work out what to do next is a great way to encourage reader empathy and from that will come the “must find out what happens next” which is what we all want readers to get from our tales.
Also just as we have mini breaks and, at other times, longer ones, that too can be something your character experiences. A change of scene can be accomplished in as little as one line. Sometimes it will need much more than that. But the break should be appropriate to your character and their circumstances.
Outcomes
The change of scenes we appreciate the most are the ones which benefit us in some way. Your characters will feel the same here. But sometimes a change of scene doesn’t give the desired result. Maybe we’re too tired to appreciate it properly (and possibly need a longer break). Maybe the change of scene threw up something unexpected. Your characters can face that too.
Equally when the change of scene does us good, we are strengthened and encouraged, I find. That too can be applied to your characters. What would they go on to do thanks to that change of scene they might not have done otherwise? Did they need the break to see they could do this thing after all?
Having distance from a problem, albeit briefly, can be so helpful. It can make a huge difference as to whether the problem is solved or not (or is at least on the way to being solved or dealt with in a manner which gives back up to those needing it). Not every problem can be resolved from getting away from it all but the break can make all the difference to how you handle things on your return.
And there’s no reason why our characters shouldn’t find this to be the case either. I think it all increases the believability factor. I’ve mentioned this before but think it bears repeating in that while fiction is made up, there still has to be a bedrock of truth behind it. That truth is made up of reader empathy with your characters. Understand and come to care for the characters and the reader will read on. I know if a character doesn’t grip me, the story isn’t going to, and I’m unlikely to finish reading it.
What is there for your readers to get behind here? What difference does that change of scene make to your character? Make it crucial in some way and it will never be boring.
Conclusion
Think about what makes changes of scenes in stories you love grip you enough to keep reading. Often it will be where crucial information for the next stage of the story will be shared. You could blink and miss it! But these scene changes can also be where you get to find out more about the character, their inner thoughts and so on.
Handled well, scene changes can add pace and depth to a story and in revealing more about your character will make them more believable too.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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