Every history and art history book I've ever encountered shows images of famous artworks. Perhaps the most populous is the Mona Lisa. But no matter how many times you see the image, and no matter how well you can admire it in print or online, the image pales in comparison to the real masterpiece, right?
Why do I bring this up? Because often on this blog, when we talk about characterization, we talk about creating the masterpiece. I've shared multiple worksheets and exercises to get you thinking about the whole human your protagonist is. Their backstory, religion, food preferences, family, friends, likes and dislikes - these are all big-picture/masterpiece type questions to ponder.
But what happens when we get to actually writing the scene itself?
The scene is a snapshot - an image of the whole, if you will. And within that snapshot, the whole masterpiece can never exist. They're different entities entirely.
So, when you write a scene you must approach it differently than you do the worksheet or characterization exercises. Instead of trying to fit everything you know into one moment, think about who the protagonist is AT THIS VERY MOMENT. What does he/she want? What is most important in his/her belief system right now? What does he/she need to get across to another character?
The backstory - the masterpiece itself - must exists before the snapshot can be taken. But when the snapshot is viewed, it needs to be whole in and of itself. The lighting needs to be right, the angle accurate. Otherwise, not only will your scene not make sense, but the masterpiece will suffer as a whole.
Don't let all your hard work go to waste. Know what to include in your scenes and what is spoken more profoundly by being left out entirely.
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