On Writing : The Scene You Can’t Wait to Write by Kat Spencer

Hi, Kat Spencer. I'm rewriting a Horror Action feature script, and the scene I'm most excited to get to is the climax scene. It's epic!

Can't spoil it for obvious reasons, but the ending for RoP that directly leads into TER. Also potentially a new post-credits teaser.

Kat Spencer Great question - but I'm having the reverse right now. I'm editing a screenplay down to size so now it's 'which scene am I dreading to cut.'

for me, it’s almost always that I hear a piece of music, that sets the tone, then it’s like I see the scene playing out in front of me. almost like I get to transcribe it. that’s when I know it will be magic!

Jeffrey B. Wayne I’m having to rework some scenes as well. I’m deciding that instead of cutting I’m going to rewrite and combine a couple of scenes and make even better.

The unexpected meeting of two characters. It has to also be believable and with adequate setup for their story relationship... which is an Act 1 rewrite. Hairs have slightly greyed over this one.

Kat to Kat, I completely agree with you, but I also have no idea despite knowing I have 3/4 of the story done in my head. It's a sexually themed epic sci-fi, the lead character's journey is genuinely a trek across a large chunk of the Americas with a supporting character, and that's the piece I'm struggling to narrow down the order of.

But I'm excited for the moment, which I'm confident will come, when I figure out which environments I want to be the place of triumph, the "epic battle" as it were, the emotional climax, etc. Because that click is always the best part. Last night, I was reading a script I wrote 20 years ago, and I was remembering the moment when I suddenly found the wrap-up ending. After weeks of knowing I needed something specific after then climax, but not sure what it actually was, I started writing on a different random story idea and realized I had written my missing ending.

Sometimes what excites is what I'll discover by sheer serendipity, the happy accident.

In my case, it was the scene in which Enrico and Gabriella, He, being the architect of the system, sacrificed himself long ago to give life to the Demiurge - the AI ​​that creates virtual worlds, and She - who could not stop loving Him and eventually decided to die in the real world to reunite with Him in the digital one, rides off on a bike into the desert to the song "The Right to Go Away"

I have envisioned the final scene of the TV series I have developed and I am actually scared to write it because I have played it up in my head for so long it has become almost mythical in my mind.

Libby Wright Definitely a smarter way to go :)

Kat Spencer I’m writing a romantic novel, and I really loved working on the part where love starts to blossom — when you feel those “butterflies in your stomach” in real life, when it scares you and makes you lose your mind a little. But I also loved the part where their hearts break, because I could draw from my own past feelings and describe just how deeply it can hurt.

I'm really enjoying ripping my Christmas Romcom apart after getting some coverage. My Act 2 needs a complete re-write so I'm looking forward to testing the old grey matter and see what I can come up with. Wonderful post as always Kat Spencer

Wow! Everyone, such wonderful answers!

I love this question, Kat Spencer! For me, it’s definitely an action-heavy scene I’ve been building toward. My lead and three supporting characters are chased through the forest and end up trapped in a valley by a monstrous creature. The four girls have to fight their way out together, but of course, two of them can’t stop bickering, and another is struggling with empathy powers she doesn’t yet understand. The creature’s rage, hunger, and chaotic emotions overwhelm her, and she can’t get them under control.

I’ve outlined and mapped out every beat of the scene, so now I can’t wait to actually write it and bring the chaos, conflict, and character dynamics to life on the page.

Okay, let me be the guy who tells the truth. Like any man, I really want to write a sex scene in the script. :)

Great question, Kat! In my current script, I'm most excited about the scene where my protagonist finally confronts the antagonist and both of their hidden motivations collide. I've been carefully building toward this moment with smaller confrontations and hints, so when it happens it feels earned and cathartic. It exposes the protagonist's vulnerability and sets up a deeper transformation, and thinking about that payoff keeps me motivated through the earlier drafts!

The best scenes in movies or TV shows are those in which the audience knows something that the lead character does not, or vice versa. That's when you know when you sign on for the ride...and that's what pops for me as a producer as I seek to find them in the scripts I read.

If I have a scene that's vividly calling to me, I write it, no matter where it is in the book. I've found from experience that writing when the scene is fresh and my energy for it is charged is far better than (making notes) and waiting to write the scene in the proper order. I've missed working in the flow.

For that matter, I'll write scenes for books that I'm not working on but I know I will get to. Often they're first scenes, but not always. I've written some scenes years ahead of writing the book. But I write a big series set in a small town with a background cast of characters. So that makes it easier when future scenes come to me.

The ending. I often have the ending of my books written or at least started before I get to the end. I like making post it notes for ideas throughout my writing.