Friday’s Findings: Beginnings and Ends for a Scene

I’ve been writing a lot of scenes lately, and I am constantly asking myself, “Am I beginning all my scenes the same way?” Am I always starting with dialogue?

And what about ending a scene? How can I make sure I’m not always ending my scenes in the same way? Are some of them cliffhangers, while others are emotional beats?

Below are some ways to begin and end a scene. The best course is to use variety.

Beginning Scenes:

1. Dialogue
   Description: Drop the reader directly into a character interaction. Fast and immersive.
   Example:
   “You left the airlock open again?” Jori hissed.
2. Action
   Description: Start with movement or an event already in progress. Creates momentum and urgency.
   Example:
   Kalari sprinted through the corridor, boots echoing against the metal grates.
3. Description of Setting
   Description: Establish a vivid sense of place to ground the reader.
   Example:
   The twin suns hovered just above the horizon, casting long, crimson shadows over the scrapyard.
4. Character’s Inner Monologue
   Description: Begin with a thought, doubt, or observation that reveals the character’s mind.
   Example:
   This was the last time she’d trust anyone from Deck 9.
5. Flashback or Memory
   Description: A moment from the past introduces the emotional context of the present.
   Example:
   Years ago, her father had warned her about the quiet ones. Now she was watching one prep a detonation charge.
6. Narrative Summary
   Description: Provide a quick overview of recent events to catch the reader up.
   Example:
   Three days into the trek across the Nocturne Wastes, they still hadn’t found the signal’s source.
7. Sensory Detail
   Description: Engage the reader with sights, smells, sounds, or textures to ground them in the scene.
   Example:
   The sharp tang of ozone hit his nostrils the moment he stepped into the control room.
8. Mystery or Puzzle
   Description: Open with something unexplained to provoke curiosity.
   Example:
   The footprints started in the middle of the cargo bay—nowhere near any doors.
9. Conflict or Tension
   Description: Jump straight into an argument, threat, or uncomfortable moment.
   Example:
   “You’re not taking the ship, not while I’m captain,” Rae said, hand drifting toward her blaster.
10. Unusual or Striking Image
    Description: Hook the reader with a poetic or surreal image.
    Example:
    A field of metallic flowers swayed where yesterday there had been only ash.
11. Character Alone and in Stillness
    Description: Use silence or solitude to create introspection or suspense.
    Example:
    Lira sat in the pilot’s chair, the console lights blinking like distant stars. She didn’t move.
12. Time/Date/Countdown
    Description: Emphasize the passage of time or an approaching deadline.
    Example:
    Eighteen minutes until the reactor meltdown. No one was answering the comms.
13. Direct Address or Philosophical Statement
    Description: Begin with a universal truth, theme, or statement that frames the scene.
    Example:
    Trust is a fragile currency. On the Fringe Worlds, it lasts about as long as a cold ration.
14. Weather or Environment
    Description: Use the natural elements to set tone and foreshadow mood.
    Example:
    Dust storms raged outside the dome, howling like hungry wolves across the Martian plain.
15. Surprise or Disruption
    Description: Begin with a shock or interruption to normalcy.
    Example:
    The baby monitor crackled—and a deep, raspy voice whispered, “Don’t move.”
16. Objective or Goal
    Description: Introduce what the character is about to do.
    Example:
    She had one job: sneak into the archive, copy the files, and vanish before sunrise.
17. Prop or Object Focus
    Description: Begin with attention on an item that has importance or symbolism.
    Example:
    The silver cube on the table pulsed faintly, like it had a heartbeat of its own.
18. Character Introduction
    Description: Introduce a new character entering a scene for the first time.
    Example:
    He wore a patchwork cloak and smelled of ozone, and every step he took made the floor hum.

Ending Scenes:

1. Cliffhanger
   Description: End with an unresolved question or immediate danger to compel the reader forward.
   Example:
   The door slid open—and the person standing there was supposed to be dead.
2. Emotional Beat
   Description: Finish with a strong feeling or realization—grief, joy, regret, fear, etc.
   Example:
   She smiled, even as tears slid down her cheeks. He would never know how much she had loved him.
3. Physical Exit or Movement
   Description: A character leaves the location or moves toward the next destination.
   Example:
   Without another word, Jex turned and walked into the storm.
4. Decision or Resolution
   Description: A character decides to act, setting up the next move or goal.
   Example:
   Enough hiding. She was going to face him—tonight.
5. Revealed Information or Twist
   Description: Reveal something unexpected or game-changing at the last moment.
   Example:
   Inside the package wasn’t a weapon. It was a photograph—of her as a child, in his arms.
6. Question or Uncertainty
   Description: Leave the reader or character with a lingering question.
   Example:
   If that wasn’t the real captain on the comm, then who had just given the launch order?
7. Thematic Echo or Repetition
   Description: End with a line or motif that ties back to something earlier in the scene or story.
   Example:
   Just like before, she walked away without looking back.
8. Scene Button or Punchline
   Description: A witty, ironic, or memorable closing line.
   Example:
   “Next time,” he muttered, “I’m picking the getaway driver.”
9. Change in Status or Power
   Description: Show that something has shifted—who’s in charge, what the stakes are, etc.
   Example:
   He handed her the code key. “You’re in command now.”
10. Cut to Black / Abrupt Stop
    Description: End in the middle of something for a dramatic or cinematic effect.
    Example:
    The lights blinked out. Everything went still.
11. Descriptive Fade-Out
    Description: Let the action dissolve into the environment or atmosphere.
    Example:
    The flames died down to embers, and only the wind remained.
12. Prop or Object Focus
    Description: Conclude with a final look or interaction with a meaningful object.
    Example:
    She slid the locket into her pocket—and walked away from the tomb.
13. Inner Monologue
    Description: End with the character’s thoughts, often reflective or anticipatory.
    Example:
    He was lying. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the truth.
14. Shift in Time or Reality
    Description: Imply a transition is beginning—into a dream, memory, or a jump forward.
    Example:
    She closed her eyes—and when she opened them, the sky had changed color.
15. New Arrival
    Description: End with a character showing up unexpectedly to shake things up.
    Example:
    “Sorry I’m late,” said a voice from the shadows. “Did you miss me?”
16. Sound or Sensory Detail
    Description: Close on a vivid sensory cue to linger in the reader’s mind.
    Example:
    Somewhere far below, a siren wailed. Then silence.
17. Narrative Reflection or Summary
    Description: Offer a summarizing sentence that frames the scene’s outcome.
    Example:
    For better or worse, the alliance was sealed—and there was no going back.
18. Parallel or Juxtaposition
    Description: Show a contrasting event or reaction elsewhere to end with meaning.
    Example:
    As the rebel camp erupted in cheers, the general stared at the cracked portrait of his family.

My Linktree

Photo by BOB