1) Strip the scene down to its bare essentials and disseminate the information as efficiently as possible. Many stories tagged as "plot driven" will take this route; it's efficient and energetic (an important thing happens fast and then we're off to the next scene).
2) Add something else to the scene that moves other parts of the story forward.
Because things were moving fast in my story already, and because we're still in the first phase of the book (where one introduces the world, characters, and conflict, though there's much less needed in Fan Fiction), I opted for option 2. I felt like it would be a lost opportunity if I didn't, especially since I still had some more world to introduce.
I proceeded to pound my head against the wall. Well, the first 15 minutes I didn't resort to that, simply my brain against the keyboard -- metaphorically speaking. After that, making metaphor literal seemed appropriate...
And then I remembered something a writing professional once said: "Every scene should establish the world, move the action forward, and develop character."
So I typed this:
Well, we have the action: they've identified a suspect and are going to bring him in. What could I do for character? At this point, Kakashi is still in ANBU, so I thought I could illustrate some the reasons he chose to leave ANBU: a "rookie" fumbling about, someone he'd have to be team leader over if he stayed. Potential funny, especially from Kakashi's perspective, so I liked that.World:
Action:
Character:
The other major character in the scene was one of those "filler" OCs, someone who would just naturally be in Konoha, in the background of the manga, making the village run. Of course, adding a little depth and personality to these people when they pop in and out of the lives of our main characters is never a bad thing. For me, the goal is just enough to fill in the world and make it feel deep, but not enough to steal the spotlight. Here is a chance to give him that bit of depth.
I start out looking for something funny. The chapter had just come from some serious perspectives, weighty. Kakashi's perspective has been consistently lighter in tone, so that humor would fit well here. After the slightly cheesy humor of a clumsy initiate, I'm thinking something a little more subtle. How about "Kakashi is shocked to find the man has a kid". I could envision some of Kakashi's internal dialogue, and is widening eye to draw chuckle.
Two for three; now what about "world"? At the scene start I could have Kakashi interacting with old teammates, a few of the many people he had trained. It gives us a glimpse into Kakashi and his history, and a bit of the character and tone inside ANBU.
Great! So now we have this:
...and yet I still couldn't get the words to flow. This time it didn't take so long, I remembered another key piece of advice: set seems someplace exciting, or someplace the reader would want to visit. How about "In the locker room when a border-threat response team is gearing up?" Yeah, now that sounds exciting.World: talking with old teammates, glimpse inside ANBU
Action: suspect identified
Character: one of the reasons for Kakashi to leave ANBU; Barrier ANBU agent has a child
With many scenes, especially ones that aren't going to be packed to the brim with action, I try to start by engaging the senses. The last scene I started by engaging sound, so this one I decided to engage smell.
I also like the and on an exciting note, so I'm always searching for that. Usually I don't have to plan out beforehand, though.
And so I found the words actually flowed!
So I've made a checklist for starting each scene, and it looks like this:
I've begun filling out this checklist before starting the scenes. I find the scenes more dense and more interesting. They bring with them a life that before I often have to struggle to create. This checklist just helps make it part of the scene's DNA.Location:
Action:
World Establishment:
Character Development:
On an interesting note, the bit about the agent having a child turned out to be a light drama beat instead of a light comedy beat. It also gave Kakashi chance to be cool. It's funny how far the execution can vary from the plan!
Conclusion: Hopefully this method can help you get yourself unstuck as it did me, or just formulate more interesting scenes.
Any thoughts, fellow forumites?
P.S. If anyone does a before and after using this method, I'd love to see it!