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This is something I picked up in a book about writing techniques which I think was written by Orson Scott Card. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I'm going to give it a shot to explain it to you all.
A scene is a bit in the story where something happens. Usually the defining aspect of a scene is that something changes. The character may learn something new, or lose something, or gain something. Scenes are extremely important because they are the points of change that move the plot forward.
When you've just had a big 'omg' moment in a scene, it's useful to then move on to a sequence. This is a decompression point for the character. They are absorbing the big change that just happened, and figuring out what to do next. Sequences are also extremely important because they provide an opportunity for the reader to also take a breath and absorb the import of what just happened, and to whet their appetite. The character decides that they're going to take X course of action because of Y revelation, and the reader wants to know how that'll turn out. Also, a sequence gives the reader a chance to understand why the next scene is taking place - because they saw how it was decided, how the character moved from this big shock to taking action, which will then lead to another big incident.
A story is basically just a long string of scenes and sequences all in a line.
I think the part that really tripped me up at first was that I thought a sequence had to have the same weight as a scene. So if a scene takes a chapter to complete, then a sequence would be the next chapter, but that's not necessarily the case. You might have a scene with a very short sequence which basically just transitions into the next scene. Some sequences may be huge defining character moments that do bear a lot of weight, but not all need to go on for pages and pages.
But they are something that people often miss, or don't recognize. They do them without realizing they're doing them. When you're doing something by instinct, you may not be able to work out what you're doing wrong when things go awry.
Take a look at the next book you read and try to see if you can identify the scenes and sequences. It might help.
A scene is a bit in the story where something happens. Usually the defining aspect of a scene is that something changes. The character may learn something new, or lose something, or gain something. Scenes are extremely important because they are the points of change that move the plot forward.
When you've just had a big 'omg' moment in a scene, it's useful to then move on to a sequence. This is a decompression point for the character. They are absorbing the big change that just happened, and figuring out what to do next. Sequences are also extremely important because they provide an opportunity for the reader to also take a breath and absorb the import of what just happened, and to whet their appetite. The character decides that they're going to take X course of action because of Y revelation, and the reader wants to know how that'll turn out. Also, a sequence gives the reader a chance to understand why the next scene is taking place - because they saw how it was decided, how the character moved from this big shock to taking action, which will then lead to another big incident.
A story is basically just a long string of scenes and sequences all in a line.
I think the part that really tripped me up at first was that I thought a sequence had to have the same weight as a scene. So if a scene takes a chapter to complete, then a sequence would be the next chapter, but that's not necessarily the case. You might have a scene with a very short sequence which basically just transitions into the next scene. Some sequences may be huge defining character moments that do bear a lot of weight, but not all need to go on for pages and pages.
But they are something that people often miss, or don't recognize. They do them without realizing they're doing them. When you're doing something by instinct, you may not be able to work out what you're doing wrong when things go awry.
Take a look at the next book you read and try to see if you can identify the scenes and sequences. It might help.
