Making a Scene
Make a Scene
Scenes are so important in writing. Each scene must have a
beginning, middle, and end. Each scene must belong to a bigger part of the whole
and progress the plot (novel, short story, play, opera, movie, TV show).
Making a scene takes a lot of work. You can write it out
quickly in the first draft, but then it’s time to scrutinize its value. Do I
need this scene, or did I just write it because the paper was blank, and I
needed words? Do I need this scene, or did I just blow off steam? Does this
scene create an important part of the whole? If I take it out, will “something”
be missing?
Some scenes are placed specifically to wake up the audience. Some scenes are there to create bonds between characters. Some progress the plot by showing us motivation and backstory. Some seem completely out of touch with the rest of the whole until the very end, when some word or gesture reminds us of the scene and brings an entirely new meaning to the story.
I am in a scene in my life story. It doesn’t make sense to me. Why am I here? Why is this happening? What does this have to do with the rest of my life or someone else’s life or my tiny piece of the world’s history?
Then I remember this is God’s story. He wrote it many years
ago before any of us were born. He knows how it turns out. This scene is cloudy
to me, but an important part of the whole: the whole of my life, the whole of
my children’s lives, the whole of my community’s story, the whole of the story
that is the ongoing body of Christ.
That’s why it’s so important to get outside of myself and let
God lead me where He needs me. That’s why, when I feel lost, I sit down and
write where I am right now…
Here I am, sitting at my laptop. Today one of my children
will be visiting us, so I cleaned house. Today I have ___ friends who have
asked for prayer. Today I need to shop for the needs of my household. Today I
don’t need to bake because there is plenty left over from yesterday. Today I
work on the big projects God has given me, ___, ___, and ___. Today I praise
God for providing what I need, for giving me jobs to do, for giving me people
to take care of, for salvation and a hope, for the opportunity to talk to
strangers and pass along a tiny piece of Jesus.
Today is just a tiny, but important scene, in God’s plan.
_RHTM_
true enough isn't it? Today we play a part in the scene God has written for us. FMF14
ReplyDeleteYes. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteYes, it can sometimes be hard to see what relevance our current scene has to do with the rest, and then we see that the Word that God has been leading us to consume has shaped our thoughts and changed us in ways we didn't even know we needed changing. It is interesting writing out our life story sometimes in chronological order helps us see what God was accomplishing in each scene.
ReplyDeleteIt is reassuring - and exciting - when I remember that this life of mine is His story. I know the author!! Blessings to you today -
ReplyDeleteLove this post and the reminder that " this is God’s story. He wrote it many years ago before any of us were born. He knows how it turns out."
ReplyDelete