Jun 12, 2022 • 7M

Flying Lesson #3 ~ Pt. 4

Exclusive Writing Lab on Representative and Flashback Scenes: Interruptions and Crutches

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Jennifer Lauck
A safe haven for those writing from life
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Hi and welcome back:

Why would I call representative and flashback scenes “exposition” when they are actually scene? The answer is about the risk involved. When you write either one, you face the loss of a reader’s attention which can, and often will, stray to…their phone, their own thoughts, a desire for a cookie, or a million other distractions. And it won’t be the reader’s fault. It will be yours because you stalled the momentum of your story with too many representative or flashback scene.

Ever notice how easy it is to binge watch something on Netflix? Or Amazon Prime? Or Hulu? The writers of those shows are masters of forward moving action. Hours will pass before you wake up to realize you’ve been sucked down the dark hole of their powerful hold on your attention.

We aren’t TV or film writers though. We only have words on a page. So, what are you to do then? How can you hold your reader’s attention fully?

The answer is simple. Whenever you consider writing summary…or representative and flashback scenes…remind yourself of the dangers involved. Post a sign on your desktop to remind yourself, too. But yes, just as the people below ignore the warning posted in plain sight, I suppose you have to accept that you will slip a few times, many times even.

Let’s take a look at Crazy for the Storm again and discuss Ollestad’s use of both representative and flashback. Chapter One offers a perfect example of each.

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