Scooby Doo scenes

If you ever watched Scooby Doo you'll remember the scene they invariably have at the end of every episode--the gang gathers round as Velma explains what the bad guy did and why. Even as a kid,I always hated this scene. It assumed the viewer was either too stupid to "get" everything on their own, or that the show had done a poor job of communicating the essential clues along the way for everything to be clear by the end.

The same is true of a good novel. If you feel you need to include a scene that points out to the reader every detail you threw in so you can make sure your brilliance is evident you're showing your readers one sure thing--you aren't confident enough in your own writing to TRUST that the reader can fill in the blanks. Readers love to read between the lines. Sure they appreciate a good twist, a great conclusion. But they want to be treated as intelligent adults. They want to speculate on your intent. The mystery when those messages aren't specifically laid out for the reader allows a much deeper pondering by your reader--it will last longer than your simple scene.

If your main points aren't self evident, then you need to go back in the story and consider spots to bolster your themes within the context of the story. Show your readers what you mean. Scooby Doo scenes are by their nature telling. If you can't seem to find places where your theme naturally inserts itself, then you need to reconsider whether the theme you'd intended is indeed a part of this novel. Perhaps it's a message you're passionate about but it needs to be brought out in a future work. If the theme isn't natural, your reader will be able to tell--it must be intrinsic to plot or it will feel pasted on, preachy and thus will be off putting.

Now, I know that even great, best selling novels have these scenes. But the truth is--they'd be better without them!

More tomorrow,
Traci