Fiction Craft: Sequel

by Robert Ferrier

A novel containing only scenes would leave the reader exhausted. Characters must have time to feel, think, plan and give the reader information.

The answer: sequel.

Sequel Defined: A Unit of Transition Linking Two Scenes
Sequels build a bridge between scenes. In addition, sequels develop characters, analyze motivation, present plans and force decisions leading to new scene goals.

Functions of Sequel

1. Transition from the previous scene's closing disaster to a new goal for the character
2. Control the pace of the story
3. Allow passage of story time without cheating the reader of action. (Weeks or months can pass in less than a page while a character is living a sequel as long as no major story event is omitted.)

Common Elements of Sequel

1. Emotion (Character's reaction to previous scene's disaster.)
2. Dilemma (Character's realization of being worse off than before with regard to story goal.)
3. Analysis (Character considers what to do next toward resolving the story goal.)
4. Decision on next course of action, which leads to...
5. New Goal (The next scene's goal.)
Thus, the following pattern links scene, sequel and new scene: scene closing disaster, emotion, dilemma, analysis, decision, new goal, new scene.

Example of Sequel

The following sequel occurs in my novel, "The Witchery Way," In the previous scene disaster, a Cherokee witch has chased Josh Wade through a forest. The witch has been sitting on a fallen tree under which Josh is hiding. He doesn't know if the witch has left the area. Furthermore, Park Ranger Wake McKenna may be in danger.

--------------------------

The bark dug into Josh's back, and he had trouble breathing. He felt panic, and he shut his eyes and prayed. In seconds his lungs would betray him, and he would make a sound--then he would die. He was going to be corpse powder for the witch.

Josh heard a distant noise. It might have been a human voice, but he couldn't know for sure. The pressure on his back eased. The nightwalker might have walked away. Had the sound been McKenna's voice? Josh could only wonder. He said a silent prayer of thanks that he was still alive. He began counting second hand sweeps on his watch. He was hurting, and the lower part of his body had gone numb. He felt weak, dizzy and thirsty.

Time to move.

Then he reminded himself of what had happened before. If he had left the safety of the fallen tree too soon, his throat would be slit now. He needed to divert his mind. He picked his favorite OU-Texas game, retreating into a mental replay. He became the star. In his dreams, he was always a halfback, never a guard. He conducted an imaginary post-game interview with a reporter.

Then he looked out beneath the tree.

Nothing. Just the sumac, the dark, the breeze whispering in the pines. Slowly, he inched his way out from beneath the tree. Then he felt the needle shots of pain as blood flowed into his legs. He rolled on his back and grimaced, his arms and legs refusing to move. He sat up and pounded on his thighs and calves, but he felt nothing. He pulled up the dead weight that was his left leg. A thousand porcupines stuck him. He pulled up his right leg. A million electric eels stung him. He reveled in the pain--for pain meant he was alive.

He got to his knees and leaned against the fallen tree. He raised the witchcraft pouch to his lips and kissed the rancid leather. The old Indian's medicine had saved him. Now Josh had to get out of these woods and plan a way to use his new information. Knowledge was power, and Josh--exhausted, hurt and alone in the dark--felt more powerful than ever before. "I'll beat you, Gottschalk," he swore to himself. "I know you, and I'll beat you.
"
-----------------------------

Variations in Sequel Structure

Since this technique does not demand tight, moment-by-moment action, a sequel may vary in structure. In his book, "Scene and Structure," Jack M. Bickham discusses some of the most common variations:

1. Eliminate one or more elements, or present a segment in only a few words.
2. Expand any element out of proportion to the others.
3. Vary the normal presentation order--emotion, dilemma, analysis, decision, new goal--if there is good reason to do so.
4. Interrupt a sequel with the unexpected beginning of a new scene.
5. Insert one or more "flashback" scenes within the "dilemma" or "analysis" elements.