‘Meh’ Scenes

Hi everyone,

Have you ever come across a scene in your manuscrupt where there’s nothing wrong with it, but it still gives off ‘meh’ vibes. Well, I have. Today.

What a treat.

I usually write this blog at the end of my writing day but instead, this is closer to the beginning, so I can capture my problem and hopefully, the solution, too.

I wouldn’t call this a boring scene or a stuck scene. Lots of stuff happen. Cool stuff. And it moves the story forward. It even moves my series forward—because although this is a standalone book, my aim is for it to be part of a trilogy with additional ideas for books after the trilogy. But never mind that.

It’s giving off ‘meh’ vibes. It has a cool setting. It’s got obstacles. There’s a clear goal. It has stakes, but I’m still not feeling it. I know because I didn’t read it in one shot. Random thoughts popped into my head and I ended up following them instead of reading the scene—I wonder when my amazon package will arrive, oooh let me check. I didn’t do my Duolingo today, let me do it now!

I know that I’ve previously read the scene-probably four times-and I wrote it, so I know what’s going to happen, but still, if I can’t concentrate to the end of the scene, then there’s something wrong with it.

But what?

I can’t fix it unless I diagnose the problem.

Here, I think, are my options:

1. It lacks tension-maybe I’m foreshadowing or summarising (not obviously)-but I do think the tension factor is low. Not sure why, though. It’s SUPPOSED to be a tense scene. Not sure what I’m not doing.

2. It lacks emotion (this is true), but lots of my first draft scenes lack emotion, but still capture my attention.

3. The pacing’s wrong (I’m wondering if it’s too fast)???

4. The description has no mood/tone or isn’t filtered through the MC’s emotions (that is true a little since the emotion isn’t there, yet).

5. Lacking sensory details so it’s bland.

6. My ticking clock might be wrong or inconsistent. I mention it at the beginning but not after the middle point.

7. I can rewrite the scene which I do, a lot, but I can’t rewrite it until I determine what’s lacking.

Okay, I’m going back to analysing it. Talk to you later. Maybe, with a solution????????

Okay. I’m back. And after much, MUCH thought…..

I’ve discovered what’s missing. Or rather what’s not quite right. 

My MC’s thoughts

My MC’s thoughts are about what is happening, which is cool. Because like I said, the setting is cool. And the conflict is coming from the setting. 

However, that’s what is making it ‘meh’.

Cool things happening + thoughts about what is happening = boring 

So my plan is to replace these thought with thoughts about something else. A decision my MC is making sparked by the setting, but not related to the current conflict (or only just tangentially), as well as emotions that are conflicting. The internal conflict and tension will, hopefully, come from the decision she’s in the process of making and how she feels about it—which is conflicted. It adds another layer which should hold my wandering attention.

I just have to write it now. 

And see if it works.

I’ll let you know. 

See you tomorrow,

Joanne.