As a writer, I know it’s important to continually improve my craft. So, when I was offered a review copy of Mike Klaassen’s Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction, I jumped at the chance.
Klaassen gives two definitions. He writes:
With that in mind, I define a scene as a passage of writing in which a character attempts to achieve a goal.
[…] I define a sequel as a passage of fiction in which a character reflects on the resolution of a scene.
Once solid definitions of “scene” and “sequel” are given, then Klaassen goes on to describe how to write good fiction.
Overall, Klaassen gives a good, albeit very formulaic, overview of how to write compelling fiction. He discusses the idea that every scene has a sequel, even if we skip it when writing. It’s a handy guide for thinking about the way plots are strung together. It’s also a good way to think about how a book has been structured – passages, scenes, and sequels – when going back to revise (In particular, I’m thinking about the stream-of-conscious style I used for my NaNoWriMo project). This book is great for writers of all levels for helping them to see their work’s structure in a different way.
Book Overview:
Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction
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Scenes and sequels are the one-two punch of a story that make it page-turning fiction. If you don’t know what they are and how they work, how can your tale reach its potential? Inside Scenes and Sequels, you’ll discover: practical definitions of scenes and sequels, the components of scenes and sequels, how scenes and sequels compare to other passages of writing, the nuances of using each, practical examples of how to use scenes and sequels, prototype scenes and sequels, how to control the pace of your fiction, how to troubleshoot a manuscript with scene-and-sequel analysis, and much, much more.
