When Less is More: Taking Away Elements to Fix a Problem Scene

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A few weeks ago I talked about killing off characters, and that earned me this delightful tweet from @rlbelliston:

Haha. I have a writing friend who, every time I get stuck on a scene, tells me to just kill someone off.

A funny off-the-cuff statement? Maybe, but there's truth in these words as well. Because sometimes looking at who you can get rid of is the perfect way to fix a scene that's not working.

You don't have to actually kill them, but look at the scene and decide if everyone in it needs to be there. What might happen if:

• One of the players wasn't there?
• Someone left in the middle?
• The protagonist was alone?
• The protagonist was with different people?
• The protagonist was with people who didn't like her?

Changing up the dynamics of a scene can change the way it unfolds or even how you view it as a writer. An amazing idea that wouldn't have clicked for you otherwise might suddenly pop into your head with this new stimulus.

(More tips on ways to change how you look at a scene)

And if the protagonist in the scene in question happens to be alone? Don't let that stop you. Your protagonist might be thinking about other characters. What if...

• You took those thoughts away?
• You cut the scene that triggers those thoughts?
• You have them think about the worst person they could think about in that situation?

How many times have you been in a situation where everything was going great, then bam! The wrong thought slammed into your head and ruined your day. Stray thoughts can undermine our confidence, distract us at the worst times, embarrass us.

(Guest author Juliette Wade wrote a great post with examples of changing thoughts)

Why stop with people? Characters rely on all kinds of things to get them through a scene. What else might you take away from them?

• Can they forget something they currently remember?
• Can they lose something they use/need in that scene?
• Can they not discover some bit of information?
• Can something be missing from their location?
• Can they be in a new location?

Taking things away from your protagonist forces you (and them) to re-evaluate the scene and what's available to solve the scene problem. It might turn out that nothing can be taken away (and that's fine), but you might discover less really is more and send the scene in a new direction.

Do you ever take things away from your protagonist? Are there any scenes you're currently working on that might benefit from losing something in it?