Story blocking is key to giving readers a sense of time and place in a scene. Just where are the characters in relationship to each other and what are they doing?

Ever read a book where you know the protagonist went into the kitchen to talk to her mother but you never “see” what they are doing while talking, or where they are standing in relationship to each other?

Is the mother cooking? Is the protagonist sitting at the kitchen table or leaning against the counter? Does she fiddle with a napkin holder as the conversation goes on?

Maybe the characters are just walking through the woods or sitting on a beach. Do they reach for a low swinging branch? Scoop up a handful of sand and let it slip through their fingers?

Show the reader where the characters are in relationship to one another and any movements.

Now, we don’t want them jumping all over the place like Mexican jumping beans. But they aren’t card board either, all stiff and standing in place as they talk.

If the protagonist is sitting on the sofa talking to her husband, then you only need one or two movements to make the “setting” clear.

What exactly is blocking?

Blocking is a theatre term that refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. — wikipedia.org.

Readers need to see and know where your characters are on you book stage.

Can you see them? In the kitchen, talking?

What do you do when you’re in the kitchen, just talking?

Open the fridge and stare at the shelves? Then close the door without taking anything out? Or maybe reach for a container of leftovers?

What actions and movements do people make when they are in a hard or deep conversation? When they are laughing?

Blocking is not easy. Why? Because it’s tedious. You have to give the characters in the scene the proper movement and motion, balanced with emotion and simplicity.

As the author of your characters’ lives, you have to give them life, breath, words and movement.

You have to set the stage for the reader to walk into that kitchen right along with the character.

Not all authors use a blocking technique. Once the character arrives at the house, restaurant or wherever, the author doesn’t do much with “setting the stage.”

But I think it weakens the readers’ involvement with the setting and characters when story blocking is weak.

Take time to block out the characters’ movements and positioning.

Here’s some tips on blocking for your scenes.

1. Visualize the scene. See the diner or the cafe. When your character walks in, what does she do? Go to the bar and order a coffee? Walk the reader with her but don’t over do it.

“Corina walked into the cafe and waved at the fellow police officers sitting on the sofa by the wall. At the bar, she order a tall black coffee to go.”

That’s a simplistic example but one to demonstrate less is more. Block the scene, don’t show ever movement.

2. Go deeper than “she smiled,” “he laughed,” “she waved her hand.” Those are good tools, but often authors forget to go to a layer deeper with the physical movement.

Here’s an example from Princess Ever After. The heroine Regina is coat shopping at Melinda House Designs.

“This is our latest.” Melinda held up a long, creamy beige coat, exchanging it for Tanner’s college sweater. “In fact, after Mr. Burkhardt’s call last night, we rushed it from the factory.”

When Reggie had slipped on the coat, Melinda situated it on her shoulders, belted it closed, and stood back with a complete look of wonder.

“Marvelous,” she said with a glance at Tanner. “We are so proud of this coat. Doesn’t it accent her gorgeous red hair so well? Stunning… stunning.”

Regge could see Tanner angling to catch her reflection in the mirror. “The coat is beautiful. Regina?”

She made a face, glanced at Melinda, and smoothed her hand down the coarse material of the coat. “I look like a lit match.”

Okay, see, we get some blocking here. Regina is standing in front of a mirror. Melinda fixes the coat for her. Walks around her. Tanner angles to see Regina’s reflection in the mirror. So he’s where? Some where off to the side of Reggie. Melinda is standing behind her.

We get some idea of where these folks are in relationship to one another. But not too much juking and jiving.

3. Balance blocking the characters in the scene with speaker attributes and action tags. Speaker attributes are “he said, she said.” Action tags are “she ran across the room.” Sometimes you put the characters on their mark and they stay there. That’s fine. But set the stage first.

4. While it’s good to avoid cliche movements like tucking hair behind ears or laughing or smiling, those are perfectly fine scene stagers once the characters are in place. Because people do tuck their hair behind their ears. Smile and laugh.

5. Add some of the five senses. Actors don’t need to add sight and sound but authors do. Add light or music to the scene. Maybe a fragrance or some element of touch.

However, leave some details for the reader’s imagination. Don’t over describe or over tell. Readers need room to “write” his or her own imagination into the story.

Hope this helps and that y’all are having a grew NaNoWriMo.

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Best-selling, award-winning author Rachel Hauck loves a great story. She excels in seeing the deeper layers of a story.

With a love for teaching and mentoring, Rachel comes alongside writers to help them craft their novel. A worship leader, board member of ACFW and popular writing teacher, Rachel is the author of over 17 novels. She lives in Florida with her husband and  dog.

Contact her at: Rachel@mybooktherapy.com. Her latest release is Once Upon A Prince. Go forth and write!

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