25+ Scenes for Nanowrimo

25 + scenes to write during NaNoWriMo!

November is National Novel Writing Month-NaNoWriMo for short. It’s a month where writers attempt to write a novel in a month. But the trouble with Nanowrimo is that authors sometimes find themselves meeting a word count goal rather than writing fully fleshed-out scenes. If you are busy writing, but find yourself struggling with scenes, I’ve got you! Writing scenes is one of the most difficult things to master in writing but they're so important. In fact, I believe scenes and proper scene structure are more important than having perfect character arcs or plots. If you’re curious about why, check out my blog about scenes, here. 

Today I will share 25+ scene ideas that you can incorporate into your manuscript this Nanowrimo! I am sharing some structural scenes, some obligatory scenes, and some fun scenes. These ideas are intentionally vague so that you can be free to add or change the idea to fit your individual story needs. So give it a shot! Even if you only write 1,000 words for each scene, that is still about 25,000 words added into your manuscript. And what’s more, most of these scenes should end up being integral to your plot. So, not only are these prompts fun, but I hope they will be useful too. If you wish to download and print this list, you can do so here.

These scenes are the absolutely necessary scenes in any genre: 

• An Opening Scene 

  • Provide your readers with a glimpse of your character’s personality and journey they will go on

• An Inciting Incident Scene

  • Write a scene that shows how your character is thrust into the action via an inciting incident

• An “All is Lost” Scene

  • This is the scene where your character loses everything until they realize their need and come back strong in the climax

• A Climactic Scene

  • The climax might be a big fight scene, or it could be the moment your character confronts their biggest hurdle… 

• A Resolution Scene 

  • This scene will give a peek into the character’s life after they have achieved everything in the climax

Once you’ve got the general framework of your story by writing those scenes, the next scenes to include are any obligatory scenes for your genre. What’s an obligatory scene? It’s a scene that readers expect to read in your genre.

• These scenes are obligatory in mystery: 

  • a scene where the crime is discovered, multiple scenes that reveal clues, a scene that reveals the cunning of the criminal, a scene where the criminal is revealed and the detective learns something from it 

• These scenes are obligatory in thriller:

  •  a scene where a crime is discovered, a scene where the stakes raise, a scene where the hero is suddenly at the villain’s mercy

• These scenes are obligatory in romance: 

  • a scene where the two lovers share a first kiss, a scene where one character confesses their love, a scene where the two lovers are kept apart or break up

• These scenes are obligatory in historical fiction: 

  • a scene where the MC is directly impacted by a Historical event of that time, a scene where they make a decision based on the historical happenings, a scene where the constraints of that time impact the MC

• These scenes are obligatory in fantasy: 

  • a scene where the MC interacts with the unique world system, a scene where the MC confronts a foe unique to that world, a scene where the MC becomes ‘a part’ of the world in some way (learning their magic, skill, etc.)

Of course your novel might be in a genre that is not on this list, as genres have really niched down in the past few years. So, you may need to research further. 

A Quick Note:

Occasionally writers will ignore obligatory scenes as they attempt to subvert the genre. This is a risky game, but I say, if your author’s compass compels you to subvert the genre, then try it and have fun with it! Use your writer’s intuition. Also, if you’re a first-time author, maybe hire an Editor who is open-minded to these subversions (like yours truly) to get their thoughts on what works and what doesn’t after the manuscript is written. 

These next scenes are just scenes to have fun with. Some may be absolutely necessary for your story and/or genre, while others may not be. Just read through the list and see if any tug at your writer’s heartstrings! 

Scenes to have fun with: 

• Any scene(s) that excites you

  • For example: a scene that shares the magic system, a big fight scene, a scene where the villain gets their comeuppance, etc.

• A scene where your main character meets their ‘B’ character

  • The ‘B’ character usually helps the MC on their journey, so show readers how they meet, what their goals are, how they are different, etc. 

• A scene where your character’s want conflicts with their need

  • Whatever your MC wants, show their need juxtaposed against it

• A scene of backstory that explains a weakness, quirk, or sad thing about your MC

  • Maybe it’s a repressed childhood memory, or a realization 

• A scene where your MC discovers something

  • This can be a discovery about someone, or a literal discovery of something

• A scene where the main character gets themselves into trouble 

  • Perhaps due to their flaw, show them getting into trouble & how they get out of it

• A scene where the MC runs away from something

  • Consider their fears, what would they run from? Why? How?

• A scene where the MC enjoys a moment with their fellow characters 

  • This can be a party scene, or a pizza night scene, just give a moment of fun

• A scene where the MC is in deep internal conflict due to a recent action beat

  • Show how the recent action beat challenged or changed them

• A scene where the MC’s outer world suddenly changes 

  • This could be your MC suddenly entering a bar for the first time, or a new world, whatever it is, show their personality by their response to the change

• A scene where your MC sees something and a memory is sparked

  • Perhaps the memory is tied to the climax, or maybe it simply develops their character further

• A scene where readers learn something about the side character(s)

  • Surprise readers by sharing a fun fact that no one would guess–including the MC

• A scene where the MC is tricked by someone/something/themselves

  • Show them being deceived, their response, and their goal as a result

• A scene where the reason for the MC’s flaw(s) is revealed

  • Even better if the MC realizes this themselves and can heal from that flaw

• A scene where the MC either rejoices in a false victory or endures a false defeat 

  • not the climax, but a hiccup towards the climax)

There you have it, 25+ scenes to include in your novel. These ideas were purposely left vague in order to apply to any genre. Please take an idea and change it to fit the individual needs of your story. And if you need any help writing scenes, because writing them is not as easy as most people think, then check out this blog. And if you want the PDF version of these scenes, you can download it here. 

Wishing you all the best of luck this NaNoWriMo! 

Happy Writing!