I just finished the big scene (3 chapters long – oy!) and sent it to Melanie along with the fingers-crossed emoji. (Not this one, but close.)
How do you know it’s a big scene? You build towards it, but sometimes you don’t know til you get there. In Congreve’s WAY OF THE WORLD, as plotlines finally converge, a minor character enters the room and comments: “Hey day! What, are you all got together, like players at the end of the last act?”
Once or twice I knew what the big scene was going to look like when I began. I always figured that the action in WEERDEST DAY EVER! would peak during the re-enactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights with my guy disguised as the back end of Laura Secord’s cow. (I know. I know.)
More often, I have an idea of where I am headed but don’t actually 'see' the big scene until I am close. As the plot twists (bad soap opera title) I begin to run through a catalogue of books and movies I like. Can I use one of their big scenes? Battle? Conflagration? Arrest? Armageddon?
In fact I have used all of these (yes, even Armageddon. Check out VIMINY CROWE’S COMIC BOOK).
As a person of sort-of faith (no official kind. I'm a hopeful agnostic, happy to meet ‘God’ in whatever form They take. Once again, fingers crossed!) I appreciate the idea of a big scene based around a miracle. If it's good enough for BEN HUR, it’s good enough for me. (Though nobody seems to notice, OF MICE AND NUTCRACKERS recreates the Hannukah miracle.)
This book – BELONGINGNESS – builds towards a metaphysical moment as well. I had the overall idea a while ago, but didn’t know how to make it concrete. Chatting with a pal yesterday, it came to me. (Full disclosure – the actual image came to her. But I was the one who said: YES!)
So here we are. Gosh, I hope Melanie likes miracles! Otherwise, I may have to summon up a hurricane, or stick Cody inside an animal costume.
