1. EllBeEss

    EllBeEss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2013
    Messages:
    299
    Likes Received:
    108
    Location:
    Perth

    Diagrams

    Discussion in 'Setting Development' started by EllBeEss, Jun 16, 2014.

    Today I was working on a fight scene and it got kind of complicated (two of the characters were hiding behind a door waiting to make their move and could only see part of the action) and I found myself having to draw a diagram so I could get everyone's positions and when the characters moved into the POV character's line of sight straight.

    I was wondering if this means I made the mechanics of the scene too complicated? I was mostly using it to double check that the relative motions of the characters made sense but I would hate to over complicate it or draw the reader from the action by having them puzzle over what's happening.
     
  2. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2010
    Messages:
    5,101
    Likes Received:
    3,203
    Location:
    Queens, NY
    I put this in the category of Details the Author Needs To Know But the Reader Doesn't. Anything that clarifies your reality in your mind is fine. The trick is to avoid the compulsion to include more of the detail in the story than the reader really needs.

    I've never drawn a diagram of a room, but I've drawn a few maps when I needed them.
     
    xanadu, EllBeEss and Wreybies like this.
  3. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    May 1, 2008
    Messages:
    23,826
    Likes Received:
    20,815
    Location:
    El Tembloroso Caribe
    I'm with Ed on this. If it helps you with the continuity and accuracy of what you do describe, then great, but if it leads to a play-by-play, every-little-move paragraph, then that's not so good.
     
    EllBeEss likes this.
  4. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2010
    Messages:
    5,101
    Likes Received:
    3,203
    Location:
    Queens, NY
    Gee, Wrey...you make it sound like that's a rarity or something...
     
  5. EllBeEss

    EllBeEss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2013
    Messages:
    299
    Likes Received:
    108
    Location:
    Perth
    Thanks. I haven't put any extra detail into the scene because of the diagram, it's just clarified things in my own mind.
     
  6. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2010
    Messages:
    5,101
    Likes Received:
    3,203
    Location:
    Queens, NY
    :agreed::agreed:
     
  7. Chesster

    Chesster New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2012
    Messages:
    55
    Likes Received:
    8
    Location:
    Midlands UK
    I personally have never done this before and I have written film scripts in the past. You need to be careful, because it's all good to have weight and detail in a scene, but you can also cross a line and all that weight, makes the scene bomb!!! If you find yourself writing this huge detailed piece, and you don't want to shorten it, my only advice would be to move back and forth to another scene that could be going on elsewhere in the story.
     
  8. EllBeEss

    EllBeEss Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2013
    Messages:
    299
    Likes Received:
    108
    Location:
    Perth
    There isn't very long or complicated now that I read back over it. There isn't really anyway I can splice in bits of another scene to break up the action, it wouldn't fit with the narrative style.
     
  9. Bryan Romer

    Bryan Romer Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2014
    Messages:
    889
    Likes Received:
    391
    Nothing wrong with a diagram or floor plan if it helps you visualise the environment. However everyone will be moving in relation to each other so simple lines of sight aren't that informative. Try to mentally walk your characters through the scene based only upon what you have written, not what you "know" or have on the diagram. It won't be hard to spot blind moments or areas, or where you might need a few more words of description.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice