tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post8176339377938975286..comments2024-03-27T10:02:56.747-04:00Comments on Fiction University: 6 Tips on Making Similar Scenes Feel Different Janice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-20855923898254011392016-04-19T05:46:51.081-04:002016-04-19T05:46:51.081-04:00As long as you're putting your own fresh spin ...As long as you're putting your own fresh spin on it and not copying outright, sure. Being inspired by how someone else does something and finding a way to make that concept work in your own work is done all the time.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-25261701035286039112016-04-13T12:56:26.903-04:002016-04-13T12:56:26.903-04:00Hi,j just saw your article here and I'm actual...Hi,j just saw your article here and I'm actually making a story or comic and I saw several scenes in another manga with very similar scene idea such as a girl with two personalities smiling maliciously in an operating table ,I liked how the portrayal of the experiment was depicted and there was another Scene where she also does the same thing(smiling maliciously ) but from a. Different angle ,I've seen other various scenes from that manga (the girl hovering in the air)walking foward bloody in general is it even okay to try to emulate the same sort of scene using my own characters??Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09563220823215956138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-90299395250495478072016-03-04T08:58:47.871-05:002016-03-04T08:58:47.871-05:00Aw, thanks!Aw, thanks!Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-62830283053730559332016-03-04T08:58:38.574-05:002016-03-04T08:58:38.574-05:00Sounds like you're on the right track.Sounds like you're on the right track.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-52653192839587974392016-02-18T08:58:56.077-05:002016-02-18T08:58:56.077-05:00LOVE THIS! You're the best.LOVE THIS! You're the best. Carol Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444182118975929045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-36415300323396412512016-02-17T11:21:00.753-05:002016-02-17T11:21:00.753-05:00Great post! I'm working on a story right now ...Great post! I'm working on a story right now where I have several scenes that take place in the same location and really similar circumstances. My MC keeps watch with a certain night guard. It has to happen several times to show their changing relationship (I picture it as a movie montage, actually). The trick is to make their internal changes (from mistrust to friendship) interesting enough that the audience doesn't get bored with the static scenery. Chicoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16504144663440678542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-67118340056367523002014-01-20T09:37:38.396-05:002014-01-20T09:37:38.396-05:00Exactly. The use of callbacks and how things conne...Exactly. The use of callbacks and how things connect in that show are particularly well done. The smallest throwaway detail can come back as a major plot point in the future. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-85698100130770092612014-01-17T01:51:24.025-05:002014-01-17T01:51:24.025-05:00Yes, all those bad examples can teach us a lot.
A...Yes, all those bad examples can teach us a lot.<br /><br />Another advantage of watching TV shows is since it costs little time and mental energy to "sit through" an episode, I can wait for and enjoy the great stuff even in shows that have some annoying parts. Many shows have both "good" and "bad" sides. <br /><br />This makes it easy to have fun with stories that I would not normally "buy". When my daughters made me watch "How I Met Your Mother" I didn't find it as witty and hilarious as it is supposed to be, but its use of nonlinear storytelling and editing techniques is "legendary". And it's also a great example of retelling the same scene from different viewpoints or with different knowledge.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03976498978178251940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-9125854426390166982014-01-16T06:40:41.852-05:002014-01-16T06:40:41.852-05:00Great examples. TV is so useful to study things li...Great examples. TV is so useful to study things like this because you can see the techniques in condensed form. The same storytelling is used, but without the time needed to read multiple novels. <br /><br />The procedurals are also good *bad* examples. How many times have we watched a show and we know exactly at what time the real killer will appear? Or who must be the bad guy because they appeared in X scene at X time and it always turns back to someone met in the first act? Great lessons learned from both well-done shows and the ones that feel repetitious. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-17624608421426772792014-01-15T09:24:02.672-05:002014-01-15T09:24:02.672-05:00You will also find great examples to study, both g...You will also find great examples to study, both good and bad, if you look at your favorite TV shows, which need recognizable scenes as their hallmark. <br />The worst repetition is using stock footage, like fighters scrambling in Battlestar Galactica or UFO. Contrast this to Firefly: Wash's extrodinary piloting skills are shown in several scenes in different episodes, but each is unique.<br />Sitcoms have the same people sitting around the same table many, many times. I love how each lunch-in-the-university-casino scene in The Big Bang Theory is different, sometimes drastically so.<br />Police Procedurals have briefings, interrogations, stake-outs, file research, pathology, evidence gathering and analysis, chases, and maybe fighting, in almost every episode.For me, the NCIS scenes where Gibbs ends some wacky conversation with "a dead marine" never get stale.<br />However, Police Procedurals are also a great example of the danger to get inconsistent by scene variation: It makes me scream when a team tries to apprehend a dangerous killer with sidearms and unarmoured, because ... ??? Last time they used full protective gear and had rifles, tear gas, etc. ready. Yes, it is definitely far more interesting, but pleaaaaase give me a good reason. <br />Clarice Starling knocks at the door of reckless serial killer Buffalo Bill alone, unarmoured and with only her standard sidearm because she expects to find an old lady in the house who will answer her questions.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03976498978178251940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-31890479947755444282014-01-15T06:12:47.399-05:002014-01-15T06:12:47.399-05:00A contrasting POV like that can work well, since t...A contrasting POV like that can work well, since they know things about the skills another characters might not, and they can think about those skills in a logical way that fits the story. Especially if they wish they had those skills. Sounds like fun!Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-60686089388551708882014-01-14T15:06:29.030-05:002014-01-14T15:06:29.030-05:00Hi Janice
Great post, loads to think about, thanks...Hi Janice<br />Great post, loads to think about, thanks. <br />As a writer of fantasy and scifi, there are plenty of those repetitive fight scenes, space battles, etc you mention. <br />With my current WIP, I have five POVs, one being the star, who happens to be really good at fighting. There are, of course, some fight scenes from his POV, but I've also featured another told from one of his companions, a somewhat less confident fighter. It added some comedy, and enabled the reader to perhaps get a better idea of the main protag's skills.<br />I think changing the goal is a great one to work on. Using layers, and building slowly, rather than making it all or nothing, every time. <br />Great stuff, cheers<br />MikeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06402167218714904333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-50680090543078560102014-01-14T08:51:54.661-05:002014-01-14T08:51:54.661-05:00Great example. Anything that uses a special trait ...Great example. Anything that uses a special trait or detail like that has to have multiple uses of them. I ran into that in The Shifter with the pain shifting. Took some thought to find new ways to make that work at times. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-67462029281223424292014-01-14T08:50:28.497-05:002014-01-14T08:50:28.497-05:00Absolutely. Combining scenes is a great way to tig...Absolutely. Combining scenes is a great way to tighten the plot. You can also do the same thing with minor characters to make them more layered. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-17062014787303104522014-01-14T08:49:28.592-05:002014-01-14T08:49:28.592-05:00Thanks! So true about a series. That's a whole...Thanks! So true about a series. That's a whole other level of similarity. Finding the balance there can be even more challenging. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-85348003129979538112014-01-13T22:17:36.715-05:002014-01-13T22:17:36.715-05:00I did experience this with The Boy Who Loved Fire ...I did experience this with The Boy Who Loved Fire because there's more than one fire scene. This is great advice.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-22825846800797520872014-01-13T13:07:13.528-05:002014-01-13T13:07:13.528-05:00This is so excellent, and definitely something I&#...This is so excellent, and definitely something I've run into. Another solution is to combine scenes that are similar, and omit plot points that don't belong.The Writer Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05532839053876490957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-50249153225184074522014-01-13T10:25:05.228-05:002014-01-13T10:25:05.228-05:00This happens a lot with any kind of series series....This happens a lot with any kind of series series. Different book, same scenario. These are great tips to remember when writing. I'll definitely Pin and Share. Chris Dessonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12923699574241563330noreply@blogger.com