Scene structure

Goal · obstacle · outcome

The classic three-part scene shape:

• Goal, what the POV character wants in this scene. Should be specific and actionable.
• Obstacle, what stands in the way. A person, an environment, an internal conflict.
• Outcome, what happens. The protagonist wins, loses, or wins-but. The “but” is the most useful, it propels the story forward.

Yes, but / no, and

Pixar story-hand: every scene's outcome should be either “yes, but” (they got what they wanted, with a new complication) or “no, and” (they didn't, and now things are worse). Avoid “yes” (no new tension) and “no” (story stalls).

Scene shape: scene + sequel

Dwight Swain's framework: every scene pairs with a sequel. Scene = goal/obstacle/outcome. Sequel = reaction/dilemma/decision. The scene is what happened; the sequel is the protagonist processing it and deciding what to do next. Modern fiction often compresses sequels into a paragraph or two between scenes; literary fiction often expands them.

Tests for scene-worthiness

• What is the protagonist trying to do here that they weren't trying to do before?
• What changes by the end of the scene? If nothing, cut it or merge it with a neighbor.
• Does this scene set up something three scenes later, or pay off something three scenes earlier? Scenes pull double duty.

Pendraic notes

Pendraic's Dynamics layer captures goal/obstacle/outcome per scene as structured fields. The AI context bundle injects them when you're writing in that scene, so a rewrite knows what the scene is supposed to accomplish before it touches your prose.