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Scene Template

A scene template for fiction: whose scene it is, what they want, what stops them, what is at stake and how the scene turns. Fill it here for one scene, then copy it or print it.

Fill in the scene plan

Saved in this browser as you type. Nothing is uploaded.

The frame
Want, conflict and stakes
The turn
Texture and exit

What makes a scene

A scene is a unit of change. Someone wants something, something stands in the way, and by the end the situation is different from the start. If nothing changes, it is description or backstory, however well written. Before you draft a scene, fill in this sheet, and if you cannot say what changes, either the scene does not need to exist or it needs to be merged with the one next to it.

Goal, conflict and outcome

The three fields in the middle of the sheet do most of the work. A goal has to be concrete and local: not to be happy, but to get her sister to agree to one more year. Conflict has to be real: another person with a goal of their own works better than a delay or an accident. Outcome is the answer to the goal, and it is best given as one of four: yes, no, yes but, or no and. Yes, but means the character gets what they want and pays a price. No, and means they fail and things get worse. Writing teachers such as Dwight Swain have long taught this idea of scenes ending in setbacks, and it is why a chain of scenes feels like a plot rather than a list.

Avoid a plain yes in the middle of a book. A scene where the character gets what they want without cost will usually deflate the tension.

Stakes and the emotional shift

The stakes explain why the reader should care about a small goal. A conversation in a kitchen at 3 a.m. matters because of what it risks: a family business, a sister's trust. State the stakes in the sheet even if the scene never says them aloud. The emotional shift is a quick check on the turn: if the character feels the same at the end as at the start, the scene may not have turned.

Exits, entrances and revision

Start the scene as late as you can and leave it as early as you can. The exit hook is the last image or line, and it should open a question or a door for the next scene, without needing a cliffhanger. Senses are the other half of the texture: choose two or three details that nobody else would have chosen for this place, and use them once.

Use the template again in revision, scene by scene, to find the ones that are doing two jobs or none. A book of fifty scenes with clear goals, conflicts and turns will not sag.

Questions about scene plans

What should a scene include?

A character who wants something specific, an obstacle, something at stake and a change by the end. The setting, the point of view and the other characters in the room support those four. This template has a field for each.

How long should a scene be?

As long as it takes to make its change, which is usually between 500 and 3,000 words in a novel. A scene can be a paragraph when the change is small, and a whole chapter when it is large.

What does "Yes, but" or "No, and" mean in the outcome field?

It describes how the scene answers the character's goal. Yes, but: they get what they want and it costs them. No, and: they fail and the situation worsens. Both keep the story moving, where a plain yes lets the tension go.

Do I need to plan every scene?

No. Many writers plan only the scenes they are stuck on, the key turning points, or the ones that need to do several jobs. Fill in one for any scene that feels flat and see what is missing.

Is my scene plan saved?

Your entries are saved in this browser on this device as you type, and nothing is sent to a server. Clearing your browser data removes the draft, so copy the plan as text or Markdown, or print it, when you are done.

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