If that scene you meant to be emotional, jaw-dropping and climactic isn’t working right, try taking a step back.
All the usual aspects of a good scene also apply to the buildup toward a good scene. As well as including all these aspects into the scene itself, remember that at the point where your awe inspiring scene hits…
- The reader should already feel deep, ‘positive’ emotions for the characters involved, whether that be love, intrigue, or an I love to hate them feeling.
- The reader should already understand and have witnessed the characters struggling in some way with the goals they are working towards during that scene.
- The reader should already have a clear picture of the character’s relationships and emotions, and understand which direction they are moving.
- The reader should already be well-based in the plot and have a good understanding of every piece of information they need order to be fully immersed in the scene.
- The reader should already have a clear picture of the current stakes and playing field, so they can decide what outcome to root for. (Or in some cases, they can feel the same desperation the pov character has as they realize there are no good outcomes.)
Most importantly, remember that there are no perfect first drafts, and barely any half-decent second, third, or fourth drafts either. If you need to rewrite and rewrite a few times over, that’s okay.
Just because the amazing scene in your head seems to fall short once it’s written, doesn’t mean all its amazingness isn’t still buried in there somewhere.