I've discovered throughout my attempts to write fiction that I tend to become easily bored with scenes. I can write great sensory details, but often forget to add dialogue or action if I get too caught up with describing the setting and expressions. If I start out writing dialogue I forget to include details about the scene and the action. And if I concentrate on the action, I neglect dialogue and setting.
I've found that one of the best ways for me to not become bored with a scene by the time I finish it is to simply jot down the basics of everything; the little details that I don't want to forget later. I include a basic summary of the major plot points, and everything that will remind me later of how I'm picturing it in my head now. Then later, I can come back to fill in the details, and don't have to go through the scenes in any particular order.
For example, the following is an exerpt from a piece of original fiction, written first in the outline format and then in a more detailed manner. The second, more detailed, segment is not necessarily complete, but is certainly more so than the original. Once all of the story is done, I can go back and edit the whole thing together to check for continuity and such.
Outline: The main characters gather in a classroom for their first meeting. Tina looks around and takes note of who else is there, then the door opens again. Lucas enters, looking like he's trying to not be noticed. Tina is surprised that he is here; their eyes meet and Lucas turns to leave when he realizes she is there too. She tries to stop him, grabbing his arm and calling his name. He screams that her former friend died along with the rest of his family and runs off.
Product: [Tina has already looked around to see who else is in the room; they have all been described.]
The door to the classroom swings open again and Tina spins to see who it is. A boy cautiously slinks in, head down, sticking near the wall. Tina accidentally allows a small gasp to escape her lips when she realizes who it is. This boy she knows well... a bit too well. His eyes snap up at the gasp, peering suspiciously through thick locks of black hair. Green eyes meet green, and they stare at each other for a moment before he turns abruptly back to the door with the clear intention of leaving.
"Wait!" Tina calls softly, tentatively reaching out for him. The boy dodges her grasp and quickly closes the gap between himself and the door. Just as he is opening it she catches his elbow. "Lucas..."
He whirls around, sparks igniting in previously dead orbs as they lock on hers once again. "Lucas is dead!" he spits in her direction. "He died along with his parents." Then his arm wrenches out of hers and he is gone.
--
Sometimes I get a really great idea but just don't feel like writing, so I'll jot down the idea on a scrap piece of paper and leave it somewhere where I know I will see it later. Unfortunately, most of the time by the time I get to it, I have completely forgotten the details of my original idea and am no longer able to creatively write anything based on it. That is one reason why I have started using this method. Just a couple of brief paragraphs can easily be turned into several pages; that "Outline" I used as an example wound up being about two pages long once I wrote it out.
Advice to take away: Don't always assume that you will have the same views on certain ideas in the future. They come and go quickly, and you have to grab them while they are there. It can sometimes seem hard to get into the "writing mood," or to get past numerous distractions. But if you just set aside 20-30 minutes each day to stretch your "writing muscles," you'll find that it isn't so hard after all.
