Structuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 10: Options for Decisions in a Scene Sequel

Perhaps the most instinctive of all the Scene’s* building blocks is the decision. This third and final piece of the sequel grows out of the character’s dilemma and leads right into the next scene’s goal. In scene structure, the decision is the little cattle prod on your story’s backside that keeps it moving forward. Conceivably, your characters could sit around contemplating their dilemmas for the rest of their lives. But good stories require forward motion, and the only way out of a dilemma is to make a decision—whether it’s right or wrong.

As is true of all the parts of scene structure, the key to a good decision is making sure it is a direct result of the previous dilemma. A random, unrelated decision might be able to keep the plot moving—but not in the straight line readers want. If your character’s dilemma is about what to make for dinner, the decision needs to be making filet mignon and lyonnaise potatoes—not running down to the hospital and donating blood.

Options for Sequel Decisions

You won’t find many story techniques more straightforward than the sequel decision.

Basically, the options boil down to just two:

1. To take action.

2. To not take action.

Both are acceptable choices, but usually you want your characters to make decisions that will force to them to act. You want character who cause thing to happen, not ones who sit around and allow things to happen to them. That said, there will be moments when a character’s decision to refrain from action will be just as important to the plot and just as revealing of inner conflict as would be the most exciting of actions.

Your characters’ specific decisions will, of course, depend entirely on the nature of their dilemma. A decision might be anything from I’m going to wear blue socks today to I’m going to sacrifice my life to save everybody in that burning building. Whatever the case, it will translate into a goal that will fit into one of the five categories we discussed in our post on goals.

Long-Term Goal, Short-Term Decision

Often, a character’s dilemma will be one that can’t be solved with a simple one-shot decision. In fact, you’ll want to actively avoid too many simple dilemmas/decisions in a row. If characters are faced with one easily solved problem after another, the story will take on a scattered, episodic feel, and readers will be begin to doubt the realism of the stakes.

This is where the “long-term goal, short-term decision” factor comes into play. If your character’s problem is how to marry that cute neighbor boy, she’s going to be faced with many “mini” dilemmas along the way to reaching her ultimate goal. In figuring out your sequel’s decision, look for the first step the character must take. Maybe she does decide to marry the neighbor boy in that first sequel, but she also has to decide on a much smaller, more plausible course of action. In this case, she decides to apologize for yelling at the boy’s dog.

Obvious Decision or Long-Shot Decision?

Your character’s decisions will shape the plot. If all the decisions are obvious and easily accomplished, the story will quickly lose steam. You don’t want characters to consistently decide upon ridiculous or illogical courses of action, but you do want to keep the odds long and readers guessing.

Our lovelorn heroine’s most sensible course of action in trying to marry the neighbor boy might be to simply ask him out. Nothing wrong with that, and it could certainly lead to all kinds of interesting story possibilities of its own. But we might be able to unearth some unexpected options by having her make a different decision. Maybe she decides to serenade him outside him window. Maybe she decides to make herself forget all about him. Or maybe, like Anabel Simms in the classic movie Every Girl Should Be Married, she investigates every aspect of the boy’s life in an attempt to casually infiltrate his routines.

To State the Decision or Not?

You should be able to put a character’s decision into words. Write it down so you have something concrete to build upon. However, this doesn’t mean you must state the decision outright in the story. Often, the decision will be clear from either the preceding dilemma or the following goal in the next scene. Sometimes, the decision won’t even be made until seconds before the character acts upon it, in which case it will meld with the goal.

A few guidelines:

Don’t state the decision outright if it is in any way repetitious or condescending to readers. If the decision is clear from the context, it won’t require an outright explanation.

Do state the decision outright if the act of deciding is just as important as the goal (e.g., the decision is a turning point for the character).

Do state the decision outright if you need a strong link between your sequel and the next scene (e.g., several intervening Scenes separate the decision and the goal, and/or the decision provides a strong end to the chapter.)

Questions to Ask About Your Sequel Decisions

Before you tie the ribbon on your sequel and call it a wrap, double-check yourself with the following questions:

1. Is your decision an organic result of your dilemma?

2. Does your decision lead into a strong goal?

3. If your dilemma is a long-term problem, have you narrowed the decision down to the first logical step in solving that problem?

4. Does your decision solve the dilemma too easily, or does it lead to new complications—either because the character made the wrong decision or because solving the dilemma created a new dilemma?

5. If your character decides not to take action, is this a logical and important step within the plot?

6. Is your decision important enough to state outright in the sequel?

7. If you’ve stated the decision outright, is it repetitious in light of either the preceding dilemma or the following goal?

Sequel Decisions in Action

What does this final building block of the sequel look like in action? Let’s take one last peek at our books and movies:

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: The second chapter ended with the Bennet women’s dilemma about how to meet up with Mr. Bingley. This dilemma is, of course, the first step in the much larger story dilemma of how to get Bingley to marry one of the girls. The decision is never stated outright, but its implication (Mrs. Bennet will invite Bingley to dinner at the appropriate time) is clear both from the dilemma and from the actual dispatch of the invitation at the beginning of the next chapter.

It’s a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra: The angel Clarence’s dilemma is how to convince George Bailey he shouldn’t commit suicide in order to pay off an accounting discrepancy with his life insurance. George’s offhand comment about believing the people he cares about would be better off had he never been born leads Clarence to his decision: he gets head angle Joseph to grant George’s wish. The decision segues directly into the goal, which, easily accomplished thanks to Joseph, segues right into the next scene’s conflict.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card: Ender’s dilemma about how to get out of going to school turns into something much bigger when Graff and his men show up at the house and give Ender the option of attending Battle School. Although Ender’s ultimate decision to go with Graff effectually solves his sequel’s dilemma, it also introduces an entirely new twist, which requires almost the entire chapter to explain and reason through.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir: After discussing the battle with his officers, Captain Aubrey flies in the face of their expectations and makes the surprising decision to remain in the Pacific, refit the ship at sea, and then pursue the enemy ship Acheron. The outright statement of his decision is crucial since Aubrey’s taking it upon himself to exceed his orders with this decision is more important at this point than the actual goal itself. This decision will drive the entirety of the plot, as well as Aubrey’s personal character arc and the story’s thematic exploration of power dynamics.

You’ve now learned how to build an entire Scene, from scene (goal, conflict, disaster) to sequel (reaction, dilemma, decision). Put one solid Scene upon another, and before you know it, you’ll have a story that’s solid all the way through!

*For the purposes of this series, “Scene” with a capital S will refer to the scene in general (which can include in its definition the sequel). I’ll use a small s and italicize scene and sequel to refer to the two different types of Scenes.

Stay tuned: Next week, we’ll talk about Variations on the Sequel.

Complete Series:

• Part 1: Mastering the Two Different Types of Scene
• Part 2: The Three Building Blocks of the Scene
• Part 3: Options for Goals in a Scene
• Part 4: Options for Conflict in a Scene
• Part 5: Options for Disasters in a Scene
• Part 6: Variations on the Scene
• Part 7: The Three Building Blocks of the Sequel
• Part 8: Options for Reactions in a Sequel
• Part 9: Options for Dilemmas in a Sequel
• Part 10: Options for Decisions in a Sequel
• Part 11: Variations on the Sequel
• Part 12: Frequently Asked Questions About Scene Structure
• Further Posts About Scene Structure

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Was your protagonist’s latest decision clear from the context in your scene structure, or did you state it outright in the text? Tell me in the comments!

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