A good scene is one that makes your reader feel a range of emotions, and relates to the overall story. Articulating the purpose of a scene early in your story editing is important because doing so tests if the scene is in line with your story’s purpose. If you find your scene falling flat, here are ten possible reasons why that may be the case:
1. Excessive focus on one character.
2. Lacking in descriptions or pointers about the setting and time.
3. Too much dialogue.
4. Too much exposition.
5. Poor word choice.
6. Lacking atmosphere.
7. Lacking motivation/goals.
8. Lacking tension (this is a big one).
9. Unusually slow pacing (the scene feels as though it has no point and has no end).
10. Too many passive characters/not enough active characters.
Use this list to breathe life into the scene you’re drafting so that your scene — and your story — pops that much more.
Alex In Wonderland 