So this week, we’ve been looking at my FEELS Method for writing solid scenes. To recap:
F = Focus. Your scene needs a goal.
E = Emotion. Your scene needs a heart.
E = Escalation. Your scene needs stakes (an obstacle + something to lose).
L = Lens. Your scene should be filtered through your character’s eyes.
S = Shift. Your scene needs to show some sort of change at the end.
All fine and good for an individual scene, right? But scenes just seem so small when compared to trying to write an entire book.
Only, the thing is, a book is essentially a string of scenes. One after another. And the scenes add up to a book.
Using the FEELS Method, you can be sure your book is building and connecting to your reader all the way.
When every scene has a clear focus or goal—a micro-goal that takes the main character closer and closer to the book’s macro-goal—and every single scene contains an escalation, that is, an obstacle and something that would be painful to lose—your book contains a kind of unshakable momentum.
On top of that, if you maintain emotional content in every single scene, you are ensuring your readers will experience the book right along with the main character.
By maintaining that lens, giving the entire book context by interpreting the events through your protagonist’s eyes, you have actually wound up developing a solid voice throughout the book.
And when every single scene ends with a shift or some sort of meaningful change, you’re ensuring the book is not just a series of disjointed anecdotes but a complete transformative experience.
The beauty of FEELS is that it’s simple and it just plain works.
When you take a book scene by scene, you make the enormous task of writing a novel manageable. Don’t worry about 400 pages. Worry about this scene, right here. Follow the method. Then take on another, with a bigger goal and bigger stakes. Another one after that with still bigger stakes. When you’re done, you’ll have finished a book that never drags and that makes sure readers stay invested from first page to the end.
So this FEELS Method isn’t just about writing an individual scene. It’s about writing the kind of book that sticks with readers long after they read that final sentence.
Want the free FEELS Method handout? Download here and start building your book one solid scene at a time. (The download includes the FEELS Method breakdown, a checklist, troubleshooting guide, and prompts to rescue a dying scene.)