In this week’s video, Daphne du Maurier’s The Flight of the Falcon teaches us how to make even the most insignificant scenes act as dominoes that affect all the scenes to follow.
Video Transcription: Analogies to stories abound, but arguably one of the most accurate is the comparison to a row of dominoes. If you imagine your story as a line of dominoes and each individual scene as a single domino, then it becomes apparent that each scene is going to have to directly influence the scene to follow—if we expect our line of dominoes to fall in perfect synchronicity. If you have even just one scene standing out of its place in line with the other dominos, the chain reaction will fail—and the story will stagger to a standstill.
So how do we make sure each scene matters?
In The Flight of the Falcon
, one of Daphne Du Maurier’s little-known works, she exhibits her mastery of the domino effect. Every scene in her story, no matter how seemingly innocuous or disconnected from the main plot, has a purpose in the story. She never wastes an opportunity. Walk-on characters, casual dialogue, random bits of description—they all tie into the web she’s weaving around her readers. This is especially exemplified in a scene late in the book in which the main character, during a ramble on the beach, stops to talk to nun who is minding several children. Their conversation is the noncommittal, relatively impersonal exchange we would expect from two strangers. A few pages later, the nun leaves the scene, her part in the book complete.At first glance, the nun’s scene might appear to be a useless intrusion into the plot, a filler while the main character awaits his appointment, or an attempt to introduce some local color into the description. But as the story enters the climax, we realize that Du Maurier made even this simple “filler” do double duty as a domino that would influence all the scenes to follow. If we can follow her example in mastering this technique, it will streamline our writing so that our stories can power ahead at full steam, unimpeded by dead weight.
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Also, I was honored be interviewed by Cathy Bryant today. Check it out on her blog WordVessel, and leave a comment after the post to be entered a drawing for a FREE COPY of Behold the Dawn.Related Posts: Should You Outline Backwards?
The Movie Factor
Backstory: The Importance of What Isn't Told
Story by K.M. Weiland
You're getting good at these. It takes extra talent to speak and smile at the same time. Great job! :O)
Thanks, Diane!. Smiling, talking, inflecting... breathing - there's a lot more to it than I ever imagined!.
Good points, Katie. And good delivery too!
Thanks, Sage!
Good post and good delivery. (Yes, don't forget to breathe. Very important.)
I'm trying make every scene matter...but you'll slap me back in line if you catch me wandering off track, right? ;)
Oh, definitely. I'm always happy to slap. ;)
Nicely done, and the "domino effect" is a great analogy to plotting. It makes me want to rush off to the library and study some Daphne D.
I suppose the "domino effect" description has been around for a while, but the first I'd heard of it was in Elizabeth George's Write Away. She gives an excellent explanation.
Awesome post as always....Love the hair, the smiles and you look rested.
Domino effect is how i write...each scene transitions into the next...i believe background characters bring a lively realism to stories.
Sounds like you know what you're doing! The domino effect actually isn't that intuitive. It's amazing the tangents we can get off on!
I just stumbled across your blog and I love all the great posts you have on here! Can't wait to poke through the archives.
I'll keep an eye on my WiP to make sure I'm implementing that domino effect. Not only does it make every scene count, but it helps with building tension and making sure your novel is properly paced! Great stuff.
Great Vlog! You are getting great at these ;o)
This is something I try to think about when I'm writing, is this importnant to the story? if not, it goes. I've been learning that the hard way, there were some scenes I loved that I cut out, but story is king ;o)
@Kat: Glad you found me! Another analogy you could use is that books are like puzzles. If any of the pieces don't matter, the reader will feel as if we cheated.
@Erica: I'm killing darlings in my fantasy WIP at the moment. It's amazing how much smoother the story flows without the weight of unnecessary scenes.
This was my very first vlog! I appreciate the tips and it's interesting getting to hear and see you as well.
I must now examine my own draft for the domino effect. :o)
Vlogs are lots of fun. They're a different take to be sure - but they bring their own set of dynamics to the table. Have fun with your examination!
Very engaging. I just watched several more videos and subscribed. Something worth revisiting, for sure.
When I wrote my attempt at a novel during the November NaNo I found I had great ideas and a bit of a storyline only to lose it after such a short stint. I had problems tying in one scene with another. I'm thinking it's time to read more, especially the stories that held me so captivated, and work on fine tuning these skills.
Thank you for providing a wonderful resource for us wannabes. =)
Something I've found extremely helpful in creating a solid domino effect is to outline scenes backwards. If I know where I want to end up, I know how the pieces need to fall to get me there.
Will go check out the interview!
and will listen to the vid too
*smiling*
Last night I had a crazy thought (laugh) that I should try to outline something just to see what would happen....maybe not for the first draft, because I have to let it all just "vomit out" -but once it is written, try to organize it in some way....my brain argued with me, so I guess I'll see if I can do it one day...just to see the structure I created out of chaos, if any.
It's funny how outlines make story writing so much easier for some people (*raises hand*) and totally destroys it for others. I definitely think outlining is worth a try for everyone, but I hate to hear about folks who lost the steam on their story because they outlined it first.
- there's a lot more to it than I ever imagined!.
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The deeper you get into writing, the more complicated it gets - but also the more challenging and fun!