#27: The 6 Scenes Every Performance Story Needs

In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every performance story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:30] Performance stories center around a character who wants to achieve something specific in order to prove their worth to the world. For example, they might want to win a certain award, climb Mount Everest, be the best in their field, or be famous. [02:25] Readers choose performance novels because they are extremely relatable. Every day we deal with the pressure to perform on the world’s stage, and we are constantly faced with decisions that could result in success or failure. [03:00] Obligatory scenes are the key events, decisions, and discoveries that move a protagonist along their journey from point A to point B. They help us writers craft a story that works AND a story that will deliver a specific emotional experience. [04:35] Key scene #1: A scene where your protagonist faces some kind of challenge or opportunity to perform. [05:45] Key scene #2: A scene where your protagonist’s initial plan for achieving his or her goal (or gaining some kind of external validation) fails. [06:45] Key scene #3: A scene where your protagonist commits to a specific “big event” which could be a fight, a play, a tournament, a recital, a solo performance, or anything like that. [08:15] Key scene #4: A scene where your protagonist suffers some kind of defeat and realizes he or she must change their approach in order to succeed. Is the external validation still worth it? [09:30] Key scene #5: A scene where your protagonist participates in the big event and either wins or loses. [10:25] Key scene #6: A scene where your protagonist is rewarded (usually on multiple levels) whether they’ve won or lost. [11:45] Key points and episode recap. Subscribe & Review in Apple Podcasts Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode! Especially because I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. So, click here to subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts! If you're already a subscriber, and if you enjoy the show, I would be really grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts, too. Those reviews help other writers find my podcast and they’re also super fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the show is. Thanks in advance! Links mentioned in this episode: Episode Freebie: Performance Genre Key Scenes PDF Cheat Sheet Performance Obligatory Scenes: The 6 Scenes Every Performance Story Needs (article) Performance Conventions: The 10 Things Every Performance Story Needs (article) FREE QUIZ: Take this 30-second quiz to get a custom action plan that'll help you move from stuck writer to published author! Support the show