Scene Goal

A scene goal is what your point of view character wants to accomplish in the scene. Anything from picking up his son at school to facing off with the villain in the final battle. All scenes should have a character scene goal.

And when your crit group says, "there's no scene goal," or, even worse, asks "what is her scene goal?" And you can't answer (like on Sat.) you (I) feel really stupid. There was, like, a very hidden scene goal that could, perhaps, be inferred...but...

Most times it's good to state the scene goal up front in the first few paragraphs. "Genista wanted to make a new life and she was on her way to her first job to do that." (I didn't actually write that). Sometimes you can be more subtle "Time to become a different person – or at least continue to become the person she wanted to be, leaving the past behind. Someday she’d be able to integrate her past persona and her new life, but it wouldn’t be today. With the autumn came memories."

So, may YOU make all your goals today.
Robin