Juggle External Action and Interiority
External refers to what’s happening outside of characters’ minds. It’s the stuff that an observer could see. You could film it pretty easily. Internal refers to what’s going on inside a character’s head: feelings and thoughts. Prose storytelling regularly informs us of characters’ interiority in ways that, say, a screenplay cannot.
Time Digressions in Narration
So, first of all, it’s worth noting that most of the story’s momentum comes from the “What’s going to happen next?” question, and that’s a question that arises from present-time story. Most of the story’s meaning, however, arises from the time digressions.
Scene vs. Summary
I introduced this concept of scenes vs. summary in my post on the four ways to break down page-level craft. Here, in more detail, is what scene vs. summary is all about. And I’ve included some explanation on how the story writer can benefit from knowing this aspect of craft.
Page-level Storytelling: Four Ways to Break Down Your Narration
When you’re putting together scenes in your story, you’re not just writing a list of events. Your narration guides the reader by providing more than present-time action. Consider these four breakdowns to help you craft your scenes.