Author: Richard L. Fricks

Fictionary’s Story Elements Series | The Pencil’s Edge

📍 Personal Note
It’s been a little over two months since my last post on Fictionary’s Story Elements. On May 19th, a biking accident abruptly paused not just my writing schedule, but much of my daily rhythm. Recovery has been slow, deliberate, and—thankfully—complete enough now that I’m able to return to the work I love most. If you’ve been following this series, thank you for your patience. I’m glad to be back.

Let’s dive into the next essential story element: Tension.

🎯 What Is Scene Tension, and Why Does It Matter?

Tension is what keeps a reader holding their breath.

It’s not just a gun going off or a villain kicking in the door. More often, it’s what simmers beneath the surface—when a character we care about wants something desperately and it’s unclear whether they’ll get it.

Fictionary defines tension as the threat of something bad happening, not the bad thing itself (that’s conflict, a separate element). Without tension, even the most beautifully written scene can feel flat or forgettable.

🧠 Think of Tension As…

• An unanswered question: Will she get the job?
• An emotional gamble: Will he tell her how he feels?
• An internal ticking clock: Can she keep the secret before it slips?
• A looming consequence: What will happen if they fail this time?

Whether subtle or overt, tension is the thread that binds the reader to your story. Lose the thread, and the book becomes easy to put down. And as writers, we never want that.

🛠 How Fictionary Helps You Track It

When using Fictionary’s StoryCoach software, every scene is evaluated for Tension. As an editor or writer, you’ll:

• ✅ Mark a √ when the tension is strong.
• ❌ Enter “None” if it’s absent.
• ⚠️ Use “Weak” if it’s present but underdeveloped.
• 🧪 Use “Manufactured” if it feels forced or disconnected from the story.
• 📉 Use “Information” when too much is revealed and tension collapses.

💡 Want to spot weak scenes quickly? On the Story Map, select:

• Scene Name
• POV
• Tension

Seeing these side-by-side helps identify exactly where (and why) your story may need a sharper edge.

✍️ Advice for Writers: How to Create Natural, Effective Tension

Tension works because we care.

So before you can create tension, you must create empathy—through character goals, emotional stakes, and meaningful relationships.

From there, tension can arise in countless ways:

Subtle Tension

A father hides a diagnosis from his daughter—while she unknowingly plans a long trip away.

In-Your-Face Tension

A woman wakes up handcuffed to a bed—and hears footsteps on the stairs.

Both are valid. Both are effective—when earned.

If your readers already trust you to take them somewhere meaningful, you don’t need to shock them. But you do need to make them care what happens next.

⚖️ What Kills Tension?

1. Over-explaining or giving away key information too soon
2. Flat character goals or no clear desire
3. Too many goals in one scene, muddying the tension
4. Obstacles that feel easy or arbitrary
5. No stakes—the outcome doesn’t matter

Ask yourself:

“What does this character want right now? What stands in the way? And do I care whether they succeed?”

If you can’t answer those questions… neither can your reader.

🧭 Your Next Step

Review your manuscript. One scene at a time.

• Are there at least three scenes where nothing’s at risk?
• Have you clearly established what the POV character wants?
• Could you hold back information to increase suspense?

Use the Scene Name + POV + Tension filter in your Story Map. It’s one of the fastest ways to spot scenes that need deeper tension—and it gives your editor (or self-editor!) a clear path to revise.

💡 Final Thought

Tension is the heartbeat of story. Not every beat has to be loud—but it must be steady.

Readers don’t just want answers—they want the uncertainty, the anticipation, the ache of not knowing.

So give them what they came for: a reason to keep reading.

Fictionary’s Story Elements Series

If your story were a train, every scene ending would be a station—offering your reader a choice: Do I stay on this ride, or step off for the night?

The right scene exit hook makes that choice effortless. The reader stays onboard, turning the page, chasing the tension. Because something is unresolved… and they have to know what happens next.

🎯 Why This Element Matters

Scene exit hooks are the last impression your reader gets before a transition—whether that’s a new scene, a new chapter, or a new point of view.

If the ending falls flat, so might the reader’s interest.

Fictionary’s Scene Exit Hook element helps you (or your editor) evaluate whether you’re closing each scene with enough suspense, momentum, or emotional tension to compel continued reading.

Great scene endings don’t just resolve—they propel.

🛠 How to Use This Element

When evaluating your scenes in Fictionary’s StoryCoach software:

• ✅ If the exit hook is strong, mark it with a √ and briefly describe what makes it compelling.
• ❌ If the scene lacks an exit hook, label it “No Hook.”
• ⚠️ If it’s underwhelming, mark it “Weak” and include the hook’s content.
• 🔁 If multiple scenes end the same way (e.g., vague thoughts or repeated description), mark them “Repetitive” and note the pattern.

💡 Use the Story Map (Visualize page) and select:

• Scene Name
• Entry Hook
• Exit Hook

Seeing these side-by-side helps you visualize how each scene opens and closes—and whether they flow or falter.

✍️ Advice for Writers

Think of a scene exit hook as a magnetic pull. It keeps your reader from turning out the light, from scrolling away, from moving on.

A great exit hook doesn’t need to be flashy—it needs to ask a question, raise the stakes, or shift the ground beneath your characters.

Some of the most effective scene endings include:

🧠 A Lingering Question

“He said he forgave me. But why did he still have the gun?”

🧨 A Plot Twist

“Then she opened the letter—and saw her own handwriting.”

💥 A Setback

“He didn’t make the call. And now it was too late.”

🤯 A Revelation

“Everything she believed about her father was a lie.”

🫣 A Cliffhanger

“The floorboards groaned. Someone else was in the house.”

🤫 A Partial Secret Revealed

“He knew where the bodies were buried. But not all of them.”

The key? Vary them. If every scene ends with a dramatic cliffhanger, readers will catch on—and lose interest. But mixing in moments of tension, mystery, or emotional surprise keeps the journey unpredictable.

🧠 Pro Tip: Align Exit Hooks with POV Goals

Remember: every POV character in every scene has a goal. Use the exit hook to show whether they’ve achieved it—or failed spectacularly.

Failure, in particular, creates stakes and forward motion.

If your character’s goal is to escape unseen, and the final line is “A flashlight beam found the back of her jacket,” you’ve built a hook and introduced conflict—all in one.

🔁 Final Thought

Scene exit hooks are your novel’s lifeline. When they’re strong, readers don’t pause. They don’t sleep. They don’t stop.

So ask yourself:
❓Does this final line make the reader need to know what happens next?

If the answer is no—it’s time to rewrite.

Welcome back to The Pencil’s Edge.

Grab Attention or Risk Losing Your Reader

When a reader flips the page to a new scene, you’re standing at a crossroads. One direction pulls them deeper into the story. The other leads them to set your book aside. What makes the difference? A strong scene entry hook.

🔍 Why This Element Matters

Every scene is a fresh opportunity to engage your reader—or lose them. The beginning of a scene is one of the most vulnerable moments in your novel. If there’s no compelling reason to keep reading, many readers won’t.

Fictionary’s Scene Entry Hook element helps editors and writers evaluate whether a scene’s opening grabs attention, raises questions, and drives momentum. Without that spark, even the most well-structured story risks feeling flat.

🛠 How This Element Works

As an editor, your job is twofold:

1. Evaluate the strength of the hook.
2. Diagnose any patterns that might weaken the reader’s experience.

Here’s how to mark it in Fictionary:

• ✅ Strong Hook: Mark with a √ and list the hook (e.g., a provocative line of dialogue, an unanswered question, a sharp bit of action or thought).
• ❌ No Hook: Mark as “No Hook” when nothing grabs attention in the opening lines.
• ⚠️ Weak Hook: Use “Weak” if the line doesn’t raise curiosity or push the story forward.
• 🔁 Repetitive Hook: If similar openings repeat across scenes or chapters (e.g., every scene starts with someone entering a room), mark as “Repetitive.”

The Reading Room is an especially helpful tool here—read several scene openings in sequence and look for sameness or lulls.

✍️ Advice for Writers

A great hook doesn’t need to be loud or shocking. It just needs to pull the reader forward. Think of it like a whisper that makes them lean in, not a shout that pushes them back.

When revising your own scenes, ask:

• Does this opening raise a question in the reader’s mind?
• Does it create urgency, emotion, or intrigue?
• Am I repeating similar types of openings too often?
• Could I drop the reader into the middle of the action or thought?

Here’s an example from The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides:

“Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband.”

This opening raises immediate questions. Why did she kill him? What happened? Readers turn the page to find out.

You don’t need a murder to create a hook. Consider:

• A jarring internal realization
• A confrontational piece of dialogue
• A hint of looming danger
• A change in dynamics between characters
• A sensory detail that feels off

Whatever you choose, make sure the opening does something—emotionally, narratively, or psychologically.

🔁 Final Thought

Readers are always deciding whether to keep reading. Every scene opening is a promise: This will be worth your time. The Scene Entry Hook is your chance to make good on that promise. Master it, and your story becomes harder and harder to put down.

Welcome back to The Pencil’s Edge.

Imagine opening a novel, landing in a new scene… and having no idea who’s talking, where they are, or when this is happening.

If that’s ever happened to you, you know the feeling: disoriented, confused, maybe even tempted to put the book down.

That’s why anchoring your scenes is essential—and why Fictionary’s Scene Anchored story element deserves your close attention.

📌 What Does It Mean to Anchor a Scene?

To anchor a scene means to orient the reader quickly and clearly in three specific areas:

1. POV — Who is experiencing the scene?
2. Setting — Where is it taking place?
3. Time — When is it happening?

Every scene needs to establish these three things in the first few paragraphs, ideally without being heavy-handed. When done well, the reader glides effortlessly into the scene. When missing, the reader stumbles—and might not keep going.

🛠 How to Use This Element in Fictionary

On the Evaluate page in StoryCoach, you’ll assess each of the following:

• POV Anchored?
• Scene Setting Anchored?
• Scene Time Anchored?

Click the blue circle to mark each as anchored when those elements are established early in the scene.

Then, on the Visualize > Story Map, select:
☑️ Scene Name
☑️ POV Anchored
☑️ Scene Setting Anchored
☑️ Scene Time Anchored

You’ll get a clear visual of which scenes are doing their job—and which ones may leave your readers drifting.

🎯 Why This Element Matters

When your scenes aren’t anchored, your reader may:

• Wonder who the narrator is
• Have no idea where they are
• Struggle to piece together the timeline

Worse yet, they may stop reading out of frustration.

And as editors or story coaches, that’s exactly what we want to help our clients prevent.

⚠️ When to Give Feedback

After reading the manuscript, check the Story Map. If:

• One or two scenes aren’t anchored — Leave a note in the scene’s comments
• More than three scenes aren’t anchored — Address the issue in the summary letter and suggest a pattern fix

📌 Important Exception:
If your POV character is waking up in a foggy room or trapped in darkness, intentional disorientation can add tension. Just make sure it’s clear the confusion is on purpose—not poor anchoring.

🧠 Advice for Writers

Want to keep your readers locked into your story? Make sure they’re never confused about:

✅ Who

Identify the POV character early. Especially important in multi-POV stories.

✅ Where

Offer setting clues in the first few lines. You don’t need a full description—just orient the reader.

✅ When

Ground your scene in time. Has a minute passed? A year? Is it day or night? Let readers know quickly.

Examples:

• “It was barely dawn when Mallory stepped into the greenhouse…”
• “Jake hadn’t seen this courtroom since the day his mother died.”
• “They waited in the car for exactly twelve minutes before the knock came.”

Subtle anchoring works just as well as direct exposition—and often better.

✍️ Editor’s Tip

If you find a scene hard to track, it might be missing an anchor. Use the “Anchored” elements to flag what’s missing: POV, setting, or time.

Then suggest the author:

• Add a line that grounds us in time (“It had been three days since the accident…”)
• Shift description earlier in the scene
• Reintroduce the POV character more clearly

Remember: the sooner a reader understands who, where, and when, the sooner they’re drawn back into the story.

🔄 Final Thought

Every new scene is a reset. And every reset needs a reorientation.

Whether your story spans hours or centuries, anchoring the reader in POV, place, and time gives them confidence—and gives your story clarity.

It’s not about writing more—it’s about writing with precision.

Welcome back to The Pencil’s Edge.

What’s the last thing your reader sees before flipping to the next chapter?

The final line of a scene is like a cinematic cut: it either fades to black, slams a door, or opens one. Fictionary’s Scene Closing Type element helps writers strategically shape those final moments to heighten tension, reinforce character, and keep readers eagerly pressing on.

🎯 Why Scene Closings Matter

We often obsess over great beginnings—and rightly so—but how you end a scene is just as important.

Scene closings have a job to do:

• Raise a question
• Create tension
• Reveal a new emotion or truth
• Propel the story forward

When every scene ends the same way—especially with description—readers feel it. Repetition dulls impact. That’s where the Scene Closing Type insight comes in.

🧩 The Four Scene Closing Types

Each scene can end in one of these four ways, based on the last sentence in the scene:

💬 Dialogue

“I’m not coming back,” Jake said.
Ends with someone speaking—often leaving the reader with a direct or emotionally charged statement.

🧠 Thought

Get a grip and pull yourself together, she thought.
Ends with the POV character’s internal reflection, hinting at growth, doubt, or decision.

🌅 Description

The clouds parted over the empty marina as the tide rolled in.
Ends with atmospheric observation or narration—can calm the pacing or reinforce tone.

🏃 Action

He clenched his jaw, slammed the door, and disappeared into the dark.
Ends with movement or physical response—drives urgency and motion.

🛠 How to Use This Element in Fictionary

On the Evaluate page in StoryCoach, choose the appropriate Scene Closing Type from the drop-down menu once you’ve read the final sentence.

After completing your read-through, use the Scene Closing Type insight on the Visualize page to assess:

• Variety and balance of closing types
• Repetition of a single type (especially description)
• Genre expectations (e.g., action-heavy endings in thrillers)

⚠️ When to Revisit a Scene Ending

Your closings might need work if:

• Multiple scenes in a row end the same way
• You notice too much description with little payoff
• The last line feels flat or disconnected
• Readers would have no reason to keep going

📌 Tip: If a scene ends with summary or setting detail, consider cutting back to an earlier moment with a stronger hook—like a revelation, decision, or threat.

💬 Examples: One Scene, Four Closing Styles

Let’s say your scene involves someone discovering a betrayal. Here’s how you might close it differently:

• Dialogue: “You knew all along,” she whispered.
• Thought: I should’ve seen it coming.
• Description: The shattered photo frame lay at her feet, glass scattered like confetti.
• Action: She turned and ran, the letter still clenched in her fist.

Each version reveals something unique—emotion, tone, pace, and character response.

🧠 Advice for Writers

As you revise:

• Use the Scene Closing Type insight to avoid repetition
• Match the closing style to the tone and purpose of the scene
• Choose closings that create forward momentum—a reason to read on
• Use closing type to reveal character traits (passive vs. proactive, emotional vs. calculating, etc.)

🎯 Pro tip: If your genre thrives on suspense (thrillers, mysteries, YA), lean into action and dialogue. If you’re writing introspective or literary fiction, thought and description may be more dominant—but still require variation.

🔄 Final Thought

Your reader just hit the last line of your scene. What do you want them to feel?
What do you want them to do?

If the answer is “keep reading”—then your scene closing type better make it irresistible.

Use it well. And use it wisely.

Welcome back to The Pencil’s Edge.

What’s the first thing your reader sees when they start a new scene?

If your answer is “uh… description, probably?”—you might be missing a key opportunity to grab their attention.

The Scene Opening Type is one of the most underrated elements in storytelling, yet it plays a huge role in pacing, tone, and reader engagement. With Fictionary’s StoryCoach, this becomes a trackable—and improvable—element of your craft.

🧩 What Is Scene Opening Type?

Every scene in your novel begins one of four ways:

1. Dialogue – A character speaks
2. Thought – A character reflects or reacts internally
3. Description – The setting or surroundings are introduced
4. Action – Something physical happens

Each of these has its strengths, and a well-written novel uses a variety of them to keep the storytelling dynamic and engaging.

💡 Why It Matters

Readers subconsciously look for momentum. The first line of a scene tells them whether they’re about to plunge into conflict, reflect on emotion, or learn something new about the setting.

If every scene starts the same way—especially with description—the story starts to feel static. Predictable. Easy to skim. And for writers, that’s dangerous territory.

A good balance of scene openings ensures:

• Tighter pacing
• Better engagement
• Clearer shifts in tone and purpose

✍️ How to Use This Element in Fictionary

In StoryCoach, you’ll tag each scene’s opening type using the drop-down menu under the Plot tab on the Evaluate page.

Here’s how to identify the opening:

✅ Dialogue

“Don’t touch my dog,” Susan said.
💬 If the first sentence includes speech—even with a tag—it’s dialogue.

✅ Thought

Since Lance didn’t like personal messages on his cell, Shannon wrote a note.
🧠 If it starts in a character’s head, it’s thought.

✅ Description

The sun rose over the Atlantic, the waves breaking like glass.
🌅 Any narrative that sets the scene visually is description.

✅ Action

Jake scrambled forward and pulled Shannon’s tether.
🏃 Movement without speech or internal commentary = action.

Once you’ve tagged each scene, visit the Scene Opening Types insight on the Visualize page to see your balance. Is it weighted heavily toward one type? Could that type be used more strategically?

⚠️ When to Reconsider a Scene Opening

If you notice:

• A string of scenes starting with the same type (especially description)
• Your genre demands more motion or tension early
• Readers may be confused about who’s speaking or acting
• The opening doesn’t match the tone or purpose of the scene

…it’s time to revise.

Example:
If your protagonist just experienced a traumatic loss and the next scene begins with a scenic panorama of the beach, you might be dulling the emotional impact. Try opening with thought or action to keep the emotional momentum.

🧠 Advice for Writers

Here’s a quick guide based on scene intent:

🎯 Tip: When using thought or dialogue, don’t delay revealing who else is in the scene. Readers need quick grounding to stay oriented.

📖 Genre Matters:

• A thriller might rely more on action and thought.
• A literary novel may favor description and internal reflection.
• A romance could open scenes with emotional thought or interpersonal dialogue.
• A YA mystery might benefit from rapid alternation between action and clues.

🔄 Final Thought

You’ve got one line to hook your reader—use it well.

The Scene Opening Type doesn’t just set the tone—it determines whether your scene surges forward or stumbles at the gate. With Fictionary, you can track, balance, and refine this element until every opening hits just right.