---
title: Scenes
category: Scenes
tags: scenes, structure, pacing, metrics, purpose
contextKey: scenes.overview
micro: Plan each story beat with purpose, time, consequences and emotional shape.
quickTitle: What are Scenes?
quickSummary: Scenes are the core building blocks of PlotDirector, where story action, character change and continuity details come together.
screenshot:
---

# Overview

Scenes are the heart of PlotDirector. A scene is a single unit of story action: something happens, someone wants something, pressure changes, and the reader leaves with a different understanding than they had before. Books and chapters provide structure, but scenes are where the story actually moves.

In PlotDirector, a scene can hold its title, summary, time information, revision status, purpose, outcome, character appearances, assets, locations, attachments and metrics. You do not need to fill every field immediately. The point is to give you a practical place to capture the details that matter when you are planning, drafting or revising.

The scene editor is also designed to support continuity. If a character enters from one location and exits to another, if an object changes hands, or if the emotional weight spikes sharply, the scene is the place where that evidence belongs.

# When Should I Use This?

Use a scene whenever the reader would experience a distinct story beat. A new scene might begin because the location changes, time jumps, the point-of-view character changes, the goal changes, or the emotional situation resets.

You may also create placeholder scenes while outlining. A placeholder can simply say, "Beth discovers the letter" or "Confrontation in the kitchen". Later, you can return to add timing, participants, scene purposes and metrics.

# How To Use It

Start with the essentials: scene title, scene number, summary and revision status. Then add time information if it matters to the story. Exact dates are useful for tightly plotted mysteries, thrillers or historical fiction. Relative time is often enough for looser drafts, such as "later that night" or "three weeks after the funeral".

Use scene purposes to mark what the scene is doing: reveal, payoff, relationship development, action, transition, setup and so on. Purpose notes help explain why the scene belongs in the story. Outcome notes capture what has changed by the end.

Use metric sliders to sketch the shape of the scene. Overall Intensity, Tension and Emotional Weight are especially useful for spotting flat stretches or accidental repetition.

# Example

Scene title: "The Locked Nursery"

Summary: "Rebecca enters the nursery despite Beth's warning and finds a modern toy hidden inside an antique cradle."

Purpose: Reveal, Mystery, Character Development

Outcome: "Rebecca no longer trusts Beth's explanation of the house."

Metrics might show moderate action, high mystery and rising emotional weight.

# Writer Tip

Every scene should create a change. The change can be external, emotional, informational or relational, but something should be different by the end. If nothing changes, the scene may be exposition wearing a costume.

# Common Mistakes

- Writing a scene summary that describes atmosphere but not story movement.
- Forgetting to record who appears in the scene, which weakens later continuity checks.
- Marking every scene as high intensity, leaving the timeline with no peaks or rests.
- Treating scene purposes as labels only instead of using notes to clarify why the scene matters.

# Related Guides

- [Chapters](/Help/Article/chapters.overview)
- [Characters](/Help/Article/characters.overview)
- [Locations](/Help/Article/locations.overview)
