6 Writing Fiction

How fiction takes shape

Fiction is an invented narrative shaped by choices about what happens, who experiences it, and how readers learn about it. Strong stories connect character, setting, and plot: a character wants something, acts within a particular world, and encounters events that change what is possible.

Scenes and summary

A scene presents an event as it unfolds, often through action, dialogue, sensory detail, and a character’s immediate perceptions. Scenes slow the narrative down so readers can experience an important interaction or turning point. Summary compresses time and events, making it useful for background, routine, or transitions.

For example, a story might summarize that Mara had avoided the old ferry for years, then shift into a scene: “The ferry horn sounded through the fog. Mara tightened her grip on the wet railing as her brother stepped aboard without looking back.” The summary covers a span of time; the scene lets a consequential moment play out.

To shape a scene, ask:

1. What does the viewpoint character want right now?

2. What or who resists that desire?

3. What does the character do in response?

4. What changes by the end of the scene?

A scene need not resolve the whole story. It should usually alter the situation, deepen a relationship, reveal a meaningful choice, or create a new question. If nothing changes, consider cutting or reshaping the scene.

Using exposition effectively

Exposition supplies information readers need to understand the story, including background, relationships, earlier events, social rules, or details about the setting. It can appear in a narrator’s account, a character’s thoughts, dialogue, or details embedded in a scene. Unlike a scene, exposition can efficiently summarize what happened before the present action.

Give readers information when it helps them understand what is happening or why it matters. Rather than pausing to explain a character’s whole history, reveal a relevant piece through a decision, a remembered detail, or a tense exchange. For instance, a character’s refusal to enter a hospital might prompt a brief memory or explanation, while the refusal itself carries the scene forward.

Too much background at once can interrupt momentum. Ask whether readers need a piece of information now; if not, save it for a moment when it changes how they interpret an action. Balance showing and telling: scenes create immediacy, while concise exposition can move across time and clarify context.

Connecting character, setting, and plot

Character, setting, and plot work best when they affect one another rather than appearing as separate layers.

• Character shapes action: A person’s desire, fear, knowledge, and habits influence what they do.

• Setting creates possibilities and limits: Weather, distance, architecture, local customs, or available objects can help or hinder a character.

• Plot develops through consequences: Actions in a particular setting produce obstacles, decisions, and changes.

Consider a night-shift baker who discovers that the shop’s back door will not lock during a storm. The bakery is more than a backdrop: the storm and faulty door create a problem. The baker’s response—calling for help, guarding the entrance, or hiding evidence of a mistake—reveals character and moves the plot. Specific details, such as rain leaking beneath the door or flour tracked across the floor, can establish atmosphere while also affecting action.

When planning or revising, ask whether scene details are doing useful work. A setting detail can establish mood, reveal a character’s priorities, or become an obstacle. Dialogue can reveal what characters want while also changing their relationship. A character’s choice can expose personality and set the next event in motion. Not every detail must advance the plot directly, but important details should contribute to the reader’s experience.

Revising scenes and stories

Review a draft at both the scene level and the story level.

Scene level

• Is it clear where and when the scene takes place?

• Can readers tell what the viewpoint character wants?

• Is there resistance, tension, or uncertainty?

• Does the scene change something?

Story level

• Do the scenes build on one another through cause and effect?

• Is background information placed where it is most useful?

• Do character choices make sense in light of what readers know?

• Could a setting detail become more specific, consequential, or revealing?

Scenes let readers experience significant events in real time, while summary compresses less central action and supplies context. Exposition is most effective when it arrives where it helps readers understand the present story. When character desires interact with the opportunities and limits of a setting, the resulting plots can feel consequential and believable.