Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction

by Mike Klaassen

Are you thinking about writing fiction? Writing a novel? Trying to improve a manuscript? Then you need to know all about scenes and sequels.

Scenes and sequels are the one-two punch of a story that make it page-turning fiction. If you don't know what they are and how they work, how can your tale reach its potential? Writing fiction isn't easy, but trying to write a novel without a solid understanding of scenes and sequels will fall flat.

You can learn about scenes and sequels in three (1) just start writing and hope you figure it out over time, (2) read lots of books and attend a bunch of seminars, or (3) study a book devoted entirely to the subject. Mike Klaassen has already read the books and attended the seminars. Combining his copious notes with his own writing experience, he's clarified and expanded the concepts of scenes and sequels. Save yourself a ton of time, money, and frustration with one comprehensive, concise book.

Inside Scenes and Sequels , you'll practical definitions of scenes and sequels, the components of scenes and sequels, how scenes and sequels compare to other passages of writing, the nuances of using each, practical examples of how to use scenes and sequels, prototype scenes and sequels, how to control the pace of your fiction, how to troubleshoot a manuscript with scene-and-sequel analysis, and much, much more.

Why spend countless hours doing your own research? Scenes and How to Write Page-Turning Fiction is a treasure of straightforward, practical information that you can use immediately. Unlock your full writing potential with Scenes and Sequels today!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2016

About the author

Mike Klaassen writes thought-provoking and action-filled narratives about young protagonists confronting significant challenges. His works, including The Brute, Cracks, and Backlash: A War of 1812 Novel, display dynamic storytelling and compelling character development.

Driven by a passion for continuous learning and research, Mike delved into the art of storytelling, producing a series of insightful books about the craft of writing fiction. These books offer practical guidance for aspiring writers and illuminate the processes behind compelling storytelling.

Fusing his love for folklore with his skill in fiction, Mike initiated "Klaassen's Classic Folktales," a collection that retells ancient stories as novellas. Through this series, he breathes new life into time-honored tales, offering readers of all ages a fresh perspective on these enduring stories.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tool for writers especially beginning writers. Even as I say that, I was able to grasp several techniques and ideas that I had been lacking in my own writing. I will keep this as a reference because it has simple tools needed in my writer's arsenal. There are worksheets that will assist in getting the formula correct for the right amount of tension and challenges for the characters to face.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is surprisingly difficult to find good information on creating scenes and sequels.

The author does a good job of culling the useful information from some decades-old references, filling the gaps, and providing modern examples to study. He gives solid information on not just the construction of scenes and sequels but their structural and story functions as well as how to modify them to fit a story.

This stuff might be old hat to some students of writing but for me it supplied information that I have found nowhere else. (And I've been looking, trust me.)

A suitable companion to The fantasy fiction formula

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author defines scene as a passage of writing in which a character attempts to achieve a goal, and a sequel is passage of fiction in which a character reflects on the resolution of a scene. After defining the terms, he goes on to further discuss both in detail.

[Jon Stonecash · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem is the blank page. You have worked out your story. You have defined some interesting characters to populate that story. You have identified your setting, perhaps even done some world building. Perhaps you have defined an outline, in greater or lesser detail.

The problem is still that blank page. What are you actually going to write as your first word? Your first sentence? Your first paragraph? One approach, of course, is simply to write something, step back to admire it, and bring out the chainsaw to edit out all of the stuff that doesn’t work.

This book is a very good attempt to help you handle that blank page. There are a lot of books out there, and I read quite a number of them in my attempt to learn how to write novels, that will address various aspects of writing. This book has a very narrow focus: writing scenes and sequels.

A “scene” is where characters attempt to make things happen. Klaassen defines the elements of a scene as: Character, Setting, Situation, Crucible, Goal, Stakes, Motivation, Attempt, Resistance, Conflict, Uncertainty, Tension, Time, Suspense, Climax, and Resolution. He gives reasonable definitions and examples of each of these elements, shows how they interact with each other, and how they are likely to be ordered within a scene.

This gives the author, would-be or published, a checklist of things to consider. Who are the characters in the scene? What aspects of the setting are pertinent to the action within the scene? What is the situation that the characters find themselves in? What external forces impose themselves on the characters such that they must deal with the situation? And so on and so on.

A “sequel” is where the protagonist (or the point of view character if that’s different) reflects upon what happened in the scene. Klaassen defines a checklist for this as well. More things to consider.

The creative writer might be concerned that this book proposes formulistic writing. The nice thing about this book is that Klaassen describes the “standard” setup, he describes many variations that deviate from that standard.

The thing that I found the most useful about this book was the very detailed analysis of the elements that make up the scene and sequel structure. Rather than having to figure out how to write a novel, or even write a chapter, the book guides you to think about how to write a paragraph or two about the setting, or two sentences about how the conflict plays out, or a phrase about what the motivation of the characters might be. There is still work to be done, but it is something that even an inexperienced and beginning writer can grapple with successfully.

It is a place to start filling in that blank page.

I have no doubt that this is a book which I will refer back to again and again.

[Venky Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the book Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction by Mike Klaassen. I did not purchase this book; I received a review copy from Story Cartel. Apart from my understanding with Story Cartel that they would like me to read and review the book in exchange for getting it free, I have no other understanding of any nature whatsoever with Story Cartel, the author, the publisher or any other individual or organization connected to the book.

This is the second book by this author I have read and reviewed this year, and that very fact should tell readers of this review that I found value in the first book, which led me to take up this second book. This book did not disappoint, either.

As the title suggests, the book is about writing fiction books in logical sequences of scenes and sequels to ensure the finished book’s grip on readers stays tight throughout. Scenes are passages in the book that describe action and sequels describe post-scene introspection, when the protagonist ruminates over what was, what is and what can be made to be. These very brief definitions are deliberately simplistic; they do not touch upon the nuances of the matter.

As an author, I suspect that somewhere in me I had a rudimentary grasp of the concept of writing in scenes and sequels, because a quick check of my own work in progress showed me that I had been reasonably faithful to this concept, though I was not consciously aware of it.

The book clarified my thoughts, not only in terms of scenes and sequels, but also in terms of not feeling guilty about passages in my books that may be neither or a mix of both. I learned that every permutation is fine, as long as it works to move the book along and keep the reader guessing.

I do have a gripe, though. The book is short on examples. Examples consisting of extracts from existing books would have been of great help to readers in learning the lessons taught better.

And that’s it. To get the full picture, you will have to read the book.

And should you read the book? I would say yes, unless you are not writing anything at the moment and don’t plan to for the foreseeable future. Make a note somewhere reliable, anyway, for the day you change your mind.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Carla Trueheart for Readers' Favorite

This is the second book I have read by author Mike Klaassen, and I like each one more and more. Scenes and Sequels teaches the writer how to focus on their writing using a closer structure—the method of scenes and sequels. The book explains the process and how to incorporate it into your own fiction writing for a stronger, more action-packed story overall. Scenes are goals, while sequels are responses, and all of these formulas are written out in the book for ease of conceptualization for the writer. Also included are passages that explain troubleshooting, how to read a piece of your writing and find the problem if you’re struggling with a scene, and when to put away the writing when you just can’t come up with a proper sequel. The book also explains how to apply the scene and sequel technique and how to examine if what you’re writing is a scene or a sequel, which is helpful. Basically, this is a different way to write that will give your writing project the extra action and emotion that it needs and requires for the best possible publication outcome.

In Scenes and Sequels, I enjoyed the Goldilocks example and found that the story breakdown was exactly what was needed to explore the concept of scene and sequel. There are also worksheets to help with your analysis of a specific passage of writing, and I found myself taking notes outside of the book so I could reference them later while writing. In addition, Mike Klaassen provides fiction writing terms at the end of the book that should prove helpful to the new writer or even someone who has been in the field and needs a refresher. I would recommend this book to all writers, new and not-so-new.

[David Hawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few writing books and while this one has some good basics, the premise is a bit off. Scenes and sequels are the two basic building blocks of fiction writing in the author's schema. Scenes are, put briefly, passages in which a character is working towards a goal. Sequels are reflective passages where a character reacts to something (usually the action of a preceding scene) and comes to a decision, naturally leading into a new scene.

I don't have much of a problem with the two concepts as such, but "sequel" is very poorly named for two reasons. First, that "sequel" is already a term used in fiction with a very different meaning, so it's unintuitive and confusing. The worse flaw is that sequels are repeatedly said to be the natural thing to follow scenes, but then the author goes onto describe some sequels preceding scenes (even starting off the book with a sequel!). The only benefit to calling them sequels is that "Scenes and Sequels" is a snappy sounding title.

The formulae for scenes and sequels have far too many components to be memorable or very useful. The formula, for example, for Scene is Character + Setting + Situation + Crucible + Goal + Stakes + Motivation + Attempt + Resistance + Conflict + Uncertainty + Tension + Time + Suspense + Climax + Resolution. The author explains each one and they each make sense, but the massive formula is too unwieldy to be helpful.

Finally, when he started talking about scene and sequel fragments, passages with traits of both, passages with traits of neither, and multiple consecutive scenes or sequels, it became clear to me that scenes and sequels are too fluid to be helpfully thought of as discrete units of composition. Considering the scene analyses given, it seems like passages where scene and sequel are interspliced are the rule, not the exception.

What was helpful was the Troubleshooting section where you take a problem passage, decide if it's more like a scene or sequel, and then dissect it to make sure it contains all the components of a scene or sequel. It's a good diagnostic tool because you're checking for all the individual components, all of which are important, and identifying the goal of a scene or decision that is made as well as the steps to get there can help you identify areas where you're not being clear.

He also gave his advice in that if a passage is neither scene nor sequel, it's the type of passage people want to skim over because nothing happens, so you should cut or revise it into a scene ending in goal or sequel ending in a decision.

The book was well-organized with recaps of key takeaways at the end of each chapter, and the example scene/sequel passage analyses given were illustrative and helpful.

Honestly, I don't think this book is worth $9.99. The basics are here in this book, but shoehorned into a framework that doesn't quite hold together.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

[Author Nanci Race · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction, delves into scene and sequel and how they are used in fiction. Most writers know that there have to be scenes in a book, or the book does not make sense, and no one will read it. Some authors, however, might not know that in order to have a successful scene, there must be a sequel. Others might not know the difference between the two. Years ago, two authors, Dwight V. Swain, and Jack M. Bickham, authored books that helped writers understand the process of scene and sequel and techniques that would help sell their books. Additionally, the information they provided helped authors write better books. Michael John Klaassen dedicated this book to those two literary greats and has written a book that goes beyond their works in helping writers understand scene and sequel and their relevance to each other. This book begins with the various components of scenes, how they’re structured and how they flow. The author defines various elements of fiction and breaks it down into how a scene works within a piece of fiction and how a sequel is so important as a follow through so that books aren’t episodic and boring, but rather smooth and entertaining reads. He skillfully intersperses examples throughout the book for a greater understanding of how scenes and sequels work. Klaassen gives in-depth information to help the writer put together a book that is not only readable, but interesting and entertaining. At the end of the book, the author includes a thorough glossary of fiction writing terms, which authors will find extremely helpful. I would highly recommend this book to any author, whether beginning or established. The information is complete and comprehensive, going beyond even Bickham and Swain. This book is for writers who want to take their fiction from flat to fabulous.

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

“Scenes and Sequels: How to Write Page-Turning Fiction” by Mike Klaassen is a non-fiction book that analyzes the elements of a chapter and what makes a story move along and keep a reader’s interest. The author breaks down what makes a scene and uses examples from various well-known fiction stories to explain how to give the character a goal and follow his or her attempts to achieve that goal, with the obstacles that prevent success. Balancing this with the exposition he terms sequels is what distinguishes a particular work. There are conventions and tweaking of those conventions that characterize a particular writer’s style.

The material presented is a bit dry and ponderous to read, but the basic premises are informative and will undoubtedly give a writer a guide to use when analyzing a manuscript. There are multiple citations and advice to delve more deeply into the concepts by reading guides that have become standards in the field but I was somewhat disconcerted by the amount of repetition of concepts and the way things are restated. It was entertaining to follow the analysis of a popular fairy tale that is retold and made more exciting, albeit ending very differently than the traditional tale. I think this book will give a framework for a writer to start with and provide the tools to identify problem areas and the impetus to consult other more in-depth books.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

[Chastity West · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too repetitive

Identifying the parts of writing that come after scenes where characters process information from the scene as a portion of writing called a sequel was new to me. So, in that sense, I did learn something in reading this.

For me, overall, this was too repetitive. The ends of each chapter contained a section of takeaways that restated all the points in the chapter in bullet form. I tended to skip those sections after the first couple chapters when it became clear that I’d be reading the exact same words again.

Some of the examples fell flat for me, too, or didn’t quite seem to illustrate the point that was being made, which left me with a feeling like the author wanted to shoehorn this interpretation of structure into every novel, but that maybe it’s not always applicable.

Honestly, a shorter read—eliminating the takeaways sections at the ends of chapters—and fine tuning the examples throughout would make for a better instruction manual, in my opinion.

[Erica (The Literary Apothecary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of scenes and sequels was originally introduced by Dwight V. Swain and Jack M. Bickham, where they discuss the concepts of scenes and sequels. But, these definitions lie on the surface, as each term possesses a more profound meaning.The author seeks to answer his own question - are fiction writers “making making optimal use of scenes and sequels” in their own work.

A skilled wordsmith, Klaassen examines bestselling novels and provides keen insight into the successful formulas used to produce them. In Scenes and Sequels, he explains how authors like Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Meyer, Nelson DeMille, and Dan Brown use variations of the techniques he describes to craft intriguing works of fiction. (full review on my blog)

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets off to a rough start. Klaassen seems weirdly pompous in the beginning and repeatedly reminds the reader he’s read both Dwight V. Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer and Jack M. Bickham’s Scenes and Structure—as if reading two common writing books is a compelling achievement.

But then it picks up with some interesting analysis of how stories are structured and what makes them satisfying. This part was genuinely good.

But then he starts padding and repeating. The entirety of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is in this three times. The fact that this book is double spaced is a clue from page one that he doesn’t have enough content to fill a book—and he doesn’t.

This could have been a fantastic article, but it was a mediocre book.

[G Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is difficult to rate

This book can be very good in parts but dull and repetitive in others. So ranking the writing is tough. The writing can be intriguing when Klasasen gets specific with examples of what he's writing about, but a few chapters can be too obviously formulaic and rigid with lengthy definitions of terms, mechanical repetition that goes on for numerous paragraphs. However, the book picks up in the last half- and becomes more compelling- after the writer seems to be convinced his reader finally understands his terms. He includes good examples and makes some very important points about writing that are worthwhile reading. I recommend the book because of the helpful last half of the writing.

[John Szalasny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy through Goodreads.

For a how-to book, it was average. For me, there were no "A-HA" moments, but it could be that this was not written for the newbie writer. The structure (or non-structure) of scene - sequel writing was looked at in various combinations, but there seemed to be too many chapters devoted to nearly same material.

The reading suffered somewhat from the use of several popular (but not univerally read) novels for examples. If the author used his expanded Goldilocks example from the end chapters throughout the book (based on a univerally known story), the reader would not need to infer or investigate the styles of authors he refers to as examples.

[Ronda Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, Klaassen gives a good, albeit very formulaic, overview of how to write compelling fiction. He discusses the idea that every scene has a sequel, even if we skip it when writing. It’s a handy guide for thinking about the way plots are strung together. It’s also a good way to think about how a book has been structured – passages, scenes, and sequels – when going back to revise (In particular, I’m thinking about the stream-of-conscious style I used for my NaNoWriMo project). This book is great for writers of all levels for helping them to see their work’s structure in a different way.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fact that I finished this book is a testament of my aversion to DNF’ing. This read like an extremely boring dissertation. Extremely repetitive. The author tells you what he’s going to tell you, tells you, and then summarizes what he just told you over and over again. This whole book could have been condensed down to a page of bullet points. If you are a writer, I’m sure you already innately know this information or have figured it out through a little bit of experience.

[Lauricia Matuska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Resource

I actually would rate this book a 4.5 because I found only one weakness. It’s packed with useful information, and I definitely recommend it. However, the delivery is dry. I appreciate that it’s straight to the point, but it’s a bit like eating biscotti without coffee. You might want to take it in small doses.

[TSD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resourceful tool for both beginning writers and seasoned writers. I would definitely recommend for self-taught authors, self published authors, any author without a mentor or group to learn scene structure from. I went back and rewrote my scenes and it flows much better. Great job!

[Michele Cacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stays focused, thoroughly explores the titular concepts, and has plenty of examples.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author presents a thorough rundown of scenes and sequels. He defines them, and gives prototypes and variations. The book, however, is very dry.

[Kyrion · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.
The content is very useful but the author explains things like a philosophy professor.

[Warren Whitmire, Author · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on my top shelf of writing reference books for its clarity and brevity in helping intermediate writers understand and compose Scenes.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A through exposition of the techniques scenes and sequels. Dives deep into technical details of scene and sequel structure (scenes show the story's action, while sequels show the characters' reactions, emotions, and decisions resulting from the action). Discusses variations on scene and sequel structure, such as omitting sequels for some scenes, and explains when might be a good time to do it.

Writers should note that this is not meant to be a comprehensive book on how to write a novel--it doesn't discuss big-picture plotting, characterization, dialogue, or setting. However, it thoroughly covers scene and sequel structure.

Overall, the book is clear and useful, although a few passages got bogged down in technical details. There are a few instances of bad language. Some examples are drawn from novels that I've heard aren't well-written, such as the Twilight series (maybe these books do use scene and sequel structure well).

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for this review.

[Rubina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book on the art of writing. I especially liked the way in which techniques are listed with examples

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads Program for the purpose of a fair review.

Overview: Can you think of the last book you’ve really enjoyed? More likely you can remember the action scenes easily. What makes a memorable book? Mr. Klaassen thinks he can impart some wisdom that will make your book reach new heights.

Likes: This book is well written and easily understandable for those who are just starting on their writing journeys.

Conclusion: This is a book that is vital in my opinion for the author’s toolbox. Just a bit of a warning, don’t use it for your first draft, you need something written before you can trouble-shoot it.

[Sussu Leclerc · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, this book would really fit well in a university curriculum. It defines a scene very well and very clearly. As a writer, I found it less useful because I was expected more advanced techniques. but that should not deter anyone from reading this book because it is a very good base to the craft.

[Michael Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best in defining scenes and sequels

I've read several dozen books on writing over the years. I've also taken several online courses. This book ranks near the top for scenes and sequels and matched with K.M. Weiland's workbook on structure, it's all you need for a great start to your novel.

[Kristyn Stimach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Gives you a deep understanding of how to write your fiction after understanding the importance of scenes and sequels in your writing. I would recommend this book if you are trying to start writing, but don't know where to start.

[L.D. Alford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A published author? An aspiring author? Ever get writer’s block? Ever at a loss to continue a story or novel? Mike Klaassen has the answer. In Scenes and Sequels Mike dissects writing a basic scene to the core and explains in plain terms how to write them and how to fix them. His very clear and organized approach will leave you scratching your pen on paper and not your head. This is one of the few really useful books on advanced writing mechanics that can help the beginner and the expert. If you have already figured these ideas out, you will have the vocabulary and the basis for it. If you are just starting, this provides a necessary piece of information your teachers and professors left out. I recommend it as one of the books for your writing library.