Friday’s Findings: Creating a scene palette

When creating a scene for the first time, I have a list. And I try to hit as many points on that list as possible:

• Point-of-view character
• Establish setting
• Have a purpose (introduce a character, move the story along, etc.)
• Create conflict
• Build suspense
• The list goes on …

But before writing the rough draft of a scene, I have practiced a step I got from a thin, little book called Every Writer Has a Thousand Faces by poet David Biespiel. He encourages the use of “word palettes.”

The word palette method starts with brainstorming words and group of words for future use. Like a painter’s palette where colors are mixed, phrases are written down. Will the writer use these words and phrases? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe now, maybe later. Biespiel would use items from his word palette in his poetry.

I thought, “Why not use this same idea for creating a scene?” I mean, sometimes coming up with a scene for the first time can be tough. I can jump right into it sometimes–creating a setting, striking up some dialogue, or jumping into a character’s actions. But sometimes, I stare at the computer screen. And stare. And stare.

Biespiel encourages noodling and tinkering with words and emotions before doing the actual writing a poem. Why not with a scene. Rachel Aaron, sci-fi and fantasy author, says in her book 2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love to sit for five minutes before writing a scene. She claims thinking about the scene before writing hit cuts the writing time significantly.

I want to juxtapose Biepiel’s word palettes and Aaron’s sit and think. I propose before writing a scene for the first time to:

• Set the timer for ten minutes.
• Meditate on the upcoming scene.
• Write down anything that you want to see happen in this scene: actions, emotions, descriptions, and so on.
• When the timer goes off, you’ll have a word palette for your scene.
• Plug items from your word palette into your scene checklist of choice.

I don’t always use everything from my scene word palette, but at minimum, it gets me started.

Sometimes, I feel like I’ve burnt out the artistry of writing by being too concerned with word counts and writing deadlines. I’ve found a word palette for a scene helps me connect with my verbal Van Gogh.

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Photo by Daian Gan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/shallow-focus-photography-of-paintbrush-102127/

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