Each of your scenes get 20 minutes on the clock in your story.
That’s it.
Many editors, writing coaches, and story consultants tell writers to keep their scenes to twenty minutes in the story’s timeline. Meaning twenty minutes to your character’s clock, in order to reign in rambling scenes.
I know some of you might cringe at that statement. Or, if you’re a #4 on the Enneagram, you might buck against this rule and already be looking for a way to prove it wrong. I get it. I feel you. BUT rules are there as guidance not only for you as a writer but also for the reader.
Please allow me to explain further>>>
This rule about the scene being only 20 minutes is all about giving you a boundary to write within. Just like you can tame a wild animal by putting a fence around them, you can also tame your own wild writing. There is a time and place for the wild, brainstorming, get-it-off-your-chest writing.
But the place is not in your novel.
Storytelling is an art form. And we can write the story in a way that absorbs the reader or bores the reader.
Stories are also a composite of scenes.
Each decision and turn and twist is made up of scenes. One or many.
Keep in mind, the 20 minutes of a scene could include a general’s sweeping view of the battlefield and all his observations (possibly 2-3 pages) or a mother singing to her newborn baby, or a conversation at dinner, etc. 20 Minutes is actually a LONG time for action to be taking place.
I get it, there are always times to break rules. Allow me to also point out that a scene is not the same thing as a chapter.
Let that sink in. A scene stops when the characters change space. Because if they are changing space, that usually means the characters have made a decision to MOVE. Decision made. End of scene.
BUT …possible continuation of chapter.
Think about it like this: The reader reads a story scene by scene and each scene gives the reader a choice to keep reading or put the book down. NOTHING is forcing the reader to keep reading except for Mrs. Howard forcing her seventh graders to read Night. But outside of homework assignments, readers read books for the enjoyment of the story.
As with any advice or ‘rule’, it’s good to keep an open mind about them and try them out for yourself. How could you use this rule to help you write cleaner, tighter scenes?
I encourage you to check books you love and see who more or less sticks to the rule and who doesn’t. What do those who don’t stick to the rule do instead?
Like anything, it might not work 100% of the time. But like anything, if many experts say it, it behooves us to listen. Try it for yourself and see if you agree or not. I tried it and I find it works about 90% of the time for me. I’m open to it working 100% of the time, I’m just keeping an open mind about it. It may be a rule of thumb, but I don’t use it to constrict my writing. Instead, I see it as a parameter to keep my scenes moving, so I can get from one to another smoothly until the book ends and off it can go to my readers. And getting the book to my reader is my end-goal.
What about you? What do you think about this rule? Did you try it? Did you look at other authors?
Want to dig deeper into scenes, see examples and get feedback on one of yours?
Check out my workshops 👇👇👇👇👇
Scene Check!
6 checks a scene should pass (and why)
Tuesday, March 14 at 12:30pm EST or 8pm EST
or
The Art of Dialogue with Jeff Elkins
Tuesday, March 28 at 8pm EST