Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Post History

60%
+1 −0
Q&A Problem: Scenes that are unavoidable, but boring

In addition to the always wise advice to omit the boring parts... Summarize the boring parts in a short paragraph. Maybe simply refer to them in passing. Complicate the terms of the negotiation u...

posted 11y ago by Dale Hartley Emery‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T03:11:25Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9390
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Dale Hartley Emery‭ · 2019-12-08T03:11:25Z (almost 5 years ago)
In addition to the always wise advice to omit the boring parts...

- Summarize the boring parts in a short paragraph. Maybe simply refer to them in passing.
- Complicate the terms of the negotiation until the negotiation becomes interesting.
- Add conflicts or problems until the scene becomes interesting. These conflicts need not be related to the subject of the negotiation.
- Add a ticking clock. The ticking clock need not be directly related to the subject of the negotiation.
- Disable the viewpoint character in some way, such as by distraction, injury, fatigue, urgent concerns elsewhere, or some other condition that diminishes the character's abilities.
- Increase the stakes of the negotiation.
- Complicate the relationships among the negotiating parties. Ex spouse. Former boss. Parent or child. The guy who shot the viewpoint character's father and got away with it.
#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2013-11-13T22:36:41Z (about 11 years ago)
Original score: 9