You NEED Boring Scenes for a Great Book

Hi all, welcome in and welcome back! I hope your writing has been going well, and you are making fabulous progress on your story.

This week we are going to talk about boring scenes! Sounds weird, right?

Listening to all the writing advice out there, at least for commercial fiction, so much is focused on making your writing fast-paced, action packed, eye-catching, full of twists and turns….Literally anything BUT boring.

But boring scenes are actually a vital piece of the puzzle to making your story successful.

Boring does not mean bad

Now, let me clarify—boring is subjective. Of course, you don’t want a ton of scenes in your novel where we watch the main character sit around and binge tv. Or have you write in every time they go to the bathroom along their epic fantasy journey—which would be a lot. And in some very awkward places. 

But there are times in your story when you’ll need a slow scene—a boring scene. You may need to take the time to explain something for your worldbuilding, experience something to give your character growth, or show something to set the scene. And that “something” that is needed isn’t flashy. It isn’t a war, a sex scene, or a witty repartee.

When you’re writing your first draft, these scenes are most likely going to feel clunky, info dumpy, and too much. Almost to the point where you’re tempted to cut them.

And don’t get me wrong—there is a balance. Have these scenes too often or go on for too long, and it can cause issues.

But you can’t just get rid of them either—or avoid writing them!—much as you may want to. To write a strong story that readers can really sink into, they need to see the full picture. The highs and the lows.

There is a rhythm to writing. And whether or not you’ve been conscious of it, you’ve been slowly learning it for years, gaining a better and better understanding of it the more you read, write, and study craft.

It is something that is hard to teach because there is no formula to it. Every book is different and has different needs.

A story needs highs and lows

BUT just like you’ve probably been taught in your craft studies that you need to hit your “story beats,” your story highs,  you likewise need your boring scenes, your story lows.

A perfect example of this—have any of you ever seen the movie Lone Survivor? It’s with Mark Wahlburg and it came out a number of years ago. 

Based on a book! Based on a true story, the story of Marcus Luttrell and his time as a SEAL in Afghanistan during Operation Redwing.

I love war stories, but I have to tell you, I almost didn’t make it through watching this movie in theaters.

And it was because of the storytelling. Because this movie was based on a true story, the creators made a bold writing choice. Once the action started, they cut out the boring scenes.

And again, like before, you may be thinking—how is that a bad thing? Especially for a war movie. Of course you want non-stop action, conflict, and drama.  

But in traditional storytelling, you need boring scenes. They allow you time to process, understand, get more context, take a breather.

Without those, you get no break from the tension, the rising anxiety, a moment to think, to understand, to try and guess what is happening next.

And as a simulation of an Operation where they also did not have that moment, it was so vivid and intense. It was so well done that honestly my palms are still sweating thinking about it. 

I still remember watching them hide on the side of a hill, thinking, I just need a minute. A minute for them to be safe, to joke, to be okay, before the next threat. The next beat. But you didn’t get it.

For that movie, that was on purpose and holy crap did it work. 

But for your book, especially because you are most likely showing your readers a character’s journey over days, months, or even years, you need that down time. You need that rise and fall beat to not only make the story feel realistic (yes, maybe a funny bathroom break here and there), but also to give the reader time to learn, process, and regroup before they are thrown into chaos again.

If you don’t, the reader might get overwhelmed, miss important details, or—like those of us that read a ton—might recognize something is off with your pacing and storytelling, even if they couldn’t tell you why.

So the next time you are revising and editing, make sure to take a good hard look at those boring scenes, and balance your story to have the best combination of highs and lows to capture your reader and keep them coming back for more.

Hopefully this has been helpful! If you have publishing or writing questions, reach out or leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you.

And until next time, keep writing!