Welcome to 40 Days of 3 Questions!
For the next few weeks, meet here every morning with a notebook or document to answer three questions about writing, about your status quo as a writer, or about the writing life. You can answer briefly and go about your day, or you can use this as a warm up exercise before your regular writing schedule. Whatever works for you, works for me.
Day 28 Questions:
- What is your favorite type of scene to write?
- What is your least favorite?
- What do you like, and not like, about writing these scenes?
You may post answers in comments or keep your thoughts private–your choice!
And here is today’s pretty picture:
Ramona DeFelice Long 
With Robbie Jordan, I like to write scenes where she’s doing breakfast prep or baking alone in her restaurant and thinking through the mystery. When her hands get busy, her brain works better. For Rose Carroll, I love to write the labor and birth scenes – especially when a secret pops out, too. I am not sure there are any scenes I don’t like to write, come to think about it. Action scenes are fun, after I’ve acted out how someone could twist out of a hold or knock somebody over or whatever.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love writing action scene, because they grab and won’t let go. I love making things worse for the character and then even worse, until you think he couldn’t possibly make it out alive. I like writing all scenes, but my least favorite are thinking scenes. I try to avoid them as much as possible, but when they are necessary, I lace them with micro-tension to build suspense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1.) What is your favorite type of scene to write? I like writing the domestics scenes with Savannah and Edward in their house and also any scene with autistic Jacob and his service beagle, Suzy.
2.) What is your least favorite? The fight/clash/attack scenes give me the most trouble figuring out how to give enough to envision the action without slowing it down.
3.) What do you like, and not like, about writing these scenes? Getting the emotions in tune with the action takes more than one pass for me. Wish it were easier, but it’s not. It’s the writing craft I’m working on at the moment. I’m always working on something.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like to write suspense because I love to feel afraid (not in real life, but the kind of afraid you get when watching a scary movie), but I’m always worried it either not enough or over the top. Those scenes are both the most fun and the most difficult to write.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Favorite scenes: I love when I’m in the heads of my characters, and I know you’re not supposed to have too many of those “internal dialogs,” but you know what? If you read the great, great classic authors, you do see that. People think ALL THE TIME. That said, I do make sure the character is doing something. Like Edith Maxwell, (see her comment above), I write a lot about food and when Orla is making Colcannon, it stirs up the memories of her abuse at an Irish orphanage. The way she hacks a cabbage in two while having those memories shows her emotions.
Least favorite? So far, because I’m not doing a lot of them are the action scenes. Mostly because in some genres they are expected at Plot Point 2 or shortly thereafter or before. I am working to have them not be “car crash” type.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is your favorite type of scene to write? I like dialog-heavy scenes. Scenes where characters are talking to each other, figuring things out.
What is your least favorite? I haven’t done a lot of them, but love scenes.
What do you like, and not like, about writing these scenes? I like writing dialog and I like exploring the interaction between people, including the subtext. With love scenes (especially if things get intimate), it’s hard for me to bring out the emotion against the “action.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is your favorite type of scene to write? Conversations among a group.
What is your least favorite? Random killing scenes.
What do you like, and not like, about writing these scenes? I like how I find out more about the character as they speak. I’ve sat down with them and asked them where they wanted to go with this scene. The Japanese killing rituals make me nauseous, and I don’t believe I can do the rape scene accurately. Plausibility, you know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is your favorite type of scene to write?
The scenes where I know what is going to happen and what I’m trying to accomplish.
What is your least favorite?
The scenes where I don’t know what is going to happen or what I’m trying to accomplish.
What do you like, and not like, about writing those scenes-
I don’t like feeling like I have no idea what I’d doing. LOL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. What is your favorite type of scene to write?
I love to write dialog and try to make it snappy and real (without the boring parts of “real”). I also love to describe things—people, places, rooms, etc., but have to hold myself back from getting flowery and overly descriptive.
2. What is your least favorite?
Having to figure out, for the mystery, how to divulge clues besides having someone overhear something or having a confession. That gets tricky and I’m not always happy about the way it turns out.
3. What do you like, and not like, about writing these scenes?
Dialog: That’s when my characters come alive for me. They take on lives of their own and tell me about themselves.
Sticking in clues: I want to have a dozen POVs, but can’t. I have to have one or two characters discover everything.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. What is your favorite type of scene to write? I have liked writing them all in the past. I’m wondering as I move into a more structured way of approaching this story if anything will change.
2. What is your least favorite? So far, none. As I think about this, perhaps I’ve skimmed the surface of some scenes and not delved deep into the situation. Something new to consider.
3. What do you like, and not like, about writing these scenes? What I’ve always tried to do is to write scenes so they are real. I’ve done my best for the physical things and the things that I think are true to the characters and the situation. That’s what most important to me. Is what I’ve written real to the situation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. What is your favorite type of scene to write?
One using a lot of dialogue, either in a confrontation or in a playful sense. I find I can write such scenes without the rewriting required for other types.
2. What is your least favorite? Scenes which use a lot of action, yet sometimes require thoughts and dialogue as well.
3. What do you like and not like about writing these scenes? I have trouble keeping track of movements while developing dialogue and thoughts in sync with the physical action. But when they work together, there is the feeling of satisfaction.
.
LikeLiked by 1 person