jimdattilo
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Why it takes me three days to write one scene
🕑 Added 2025-05-03 16:01:04 +0000 UTCThis is why it takes so long for me to finish a scene I'm writing:
I'm finishing up a scene where you scavenge an old movie theater. There's a big, dangerous zombie waiting inside. The fight is intense, but there has to be a reward for getting through it, right?
So I add a storage room in the back of the theater. You search it. But just finding a few items isn’t very interesting. Instead, I invent characters who’ve been using the room as a hidden stash.
Now I need a way for you to learn about them. I write a journal from one of their perspectives.
Then I realize you need a choice. Do you take their supplies or leave them? And why? That decision should matter. So I build in a moral layer to reflect your choice.
Then I take it a step further. What if you want to leave something behind for them? What if you write them a note, offering help or a place at the junkyard in case they come back?
That’s how one small scene turns into a full narrative thread with discovery, choices, consequences, and optional kindness.
It was supposed to take a few hours. Instead, it took three days.
And I regret nothing.
Comments
Reaper (Guardian of Leanna)
As you shouldn't. That's what makes your writing so special! Charlie Mike, Jim.
Berselord
Take as long as you need. Safe Haven's depth is it's strength.
