Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48669
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48669
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

> ... it does not make much sense to structure a mystery novel with alternating sequences of scenes and sequels which is composed of MRUs.

I agree, I dislike this formulaic MRU theory, I don't think it applies, or if it does, it stretches too far the meanings of goal, conflict, disaster, reaction, dilemma, decision.

I do believe there are elements you have to include in a mystery, but you already know that. There has to be tension in figuring it out, there has to be some urgency in getting this done and catching the bad guy, there should be some misdirection or red herrings that seem absolutely plausible but fall apart when pursued.

At the "microscopic" level, your scenes have no particular demands except they matter in some way, even if they are just an example of your theme, or just build a character. Is a sex scene between willing partners supposed to follow an MRU? Is climax a "goal" that causes a "conflict" and then a "disaster"? Does this produce a "reaction", "dilemma" and "decision"? I don't think so, not without stretching definitions until they are unrecognizable, but sex scenes can be absolutely crucial to the plot, they change people. They may relieve sexual tension between two characters, or create an obsessive burden that gets in they way of existing plans, or even be the motivation for abandoning previously made plans. If they consummate love, they may solidify devotion to the point of one character sacrificing their life, something they would not have done without this consummation, or if their partner dumped them for somebody else.

As a more general formulaic rule, you can implement the six elements of the MRU **across**  **_several_** scenes. Characters do have Goal, Conflict, and Disaster. Then those are plausibly followed by Reaction, Dilemma, Decision. But those could be six different chapters, or scattered across many chapters.

Trying to drive that kind of overall story structure down into the scene structure is, in my mind, overdoing a good thing. Every scene (or pair of scenes) is not a story in itself, just like every part of a car is not a car in itself.

It is like saying the only way to build a wall is by mortaring together uniform bricks. But you can build a perfectly functional and more interesting wall by mortaring together randomly shaped stones. It might even be stronger than a brick wall.

Different scenes do different work. The rule I would follow is that a scene DOES some kind of work, in character introduction or development, in setting exposition, in plot development, as a turning point (character epiphany or despair or whatever), as proof of something (somebody the reader likes dies, proving this is dangerous territory).

Have a story purpose in mind for your scene, that isn't just "its fun to write".

Do not use MRUs unless you believe a scene-pair written that way makes your story stronger, don't do it because somebody **told** you it makes your story stronger. When it doesn't make sense, revert to good writing: Sustain reader tension (keep them wanting to see "what happens next" on four levels: What happens by the end of the scene? By the end of the chapter? By the end of the Act (about 25% of the story) and by the end of the Story? Otherwise they get bored and start to skip ahead looking for tension.

Some scenes are naturally "payoff" for this tension, tension relieving scenes. A sex scene is like that, a battle is usually like that. But usually something happens in such scenes, one tension is relieved but the next tension on the same level is introduced: The battle IS what happens next, it has an outcome, and that has repercussions, and those ARE the source of tension moving forward.

The sex scene relieves the tension of sexual suspense (are these two ever going to get naked?!), but creates a relationship that is the new source of tension, moving forward.

The rule to follow, for now and all time, is don't bore the reader, pay attention to sustaining tension on all these four levels. And don't think every scene is formulaic, create scenes that seem like the plausible "next thing" for some characters to do, and accomplish something without boring the reader.

Original score: 1