Scene Template
Use this template when creating a machine-readable scene file at scenes/chapter-{NN}-scene-{NN}.md.
---
title: "{Scene Title}"
chapter: chapter-{NN}
scene: {N}
pov: {character-kebab}
location: {location-kebab}
characters:
- {character-kebab}
mentions:
- {referenced-character-kebab}
arcs-advanced:
- {arc-kebab}
status: {outline|draft|revised|final|complete}
date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
time: "{HH:MM}"
travel-hours: {N}
outcome: {yes|no|yes-but|no-and}
sequel: {true|false}
dilemma: "{The choice the POV character must make in the sequel}"
state-changes:
- target: {character-or-artifact-kebab}
change: "{What changed and must carry forward}"
---date and time place the scene on the story clock. Set them as soon as the scene's moment is settled: story timeline lists undated scenes separately, and story continuity runs its clock and travel checks (scenes out of order, a character reaching a location faster than the location routes allow) only on dated scenes, so leaving them blank switches those checks off without a warning. date is YYYY-MM-DD; time is a quoted "HH:MM" or one of dawn, morning, midday, afternoon, evening, night. travel-hours is optional: a plain number (not quoted) of hours the POV character needed to travel since the previous scene. Leave it out when no journey happens; story continuity errors when the timestamps allow less. mentions lists characters who are only referenced or remembered in the scene.
outcome is optional: whether the POV character gets what they want in the scene. yes-but and no-and are the complicating outcomes; story pacing warns after three or more consecutive yes outcomes. Leave it out for sequel scenes, which react rather than pursue a goal. sequel and dilemma are optional. Set sequel: true when the scene is the reaction half of the scene/sequel unit; leave them out for ordinary action scenes.
Purpose
What this scene changes for plot, character, theme, or reader knowledge.
Sequel
For sequel: true scenes — the reaction → dilemma → decision half that follows a scene ending in a setback:
- Reaction: How the POV character processes the setback emotionally
- Dilemma: The impossible choice they face between the options available
- Decision: What they decide to do next — the goal that launches the following scene
Continuity Notes
Track character state, object state, knowledge, timing, and location facts that later chapters must preserve.