Too much or too little?

[Svrtnsse]

I've recently started writing on my novel again. Last night I was editing and polishing a scene I'd written when I realized I wasn't sure it was actually needed. Nothing that happens in the scene moves the story forward or has any outcome on how the story will end.
It does add a bit of detail to the world and it adds some depth to one of my side characters. I can reference this scene later on in a conversation about said side character so it can be said that it adds some depth to the story, but strictly speaking, it's not actually needed.
Bearing this in mind I still continued working on it until I was happy with how it turned out.

Now, my question isn't whether to cut it or not, my question is how do you act in a situation like this? Do you keep working on it until it's done or do you stop and move on to another, more important, scene?

My reasoning for sticking with the scene is that it's easier to have it done and cut it than it is to go back and put it back in later on. If I find that when my story is done there is enough depth of world and character I can cut it out easily, but if I need to add more depth of world and character later on, then that's not as easy.
Does that make sense to you? How do you feel about it?

 

[Philip Overby]

If I'm digging a scene, even if I know it might be cut later, I finish it anyway because it may help me find a new direction I didn't expect or give me insight to a character I hadn't planned on having much insight in. I think any scenes that do multiple work are always going to be more preferred. Scenes that progress the plot, establish character, and build the world are preferable in my own experience. I know this can't always be the case though. I usually like to do scenes like you're describing after something of major significance happened or I just need to slow the pace down a bit. It allows characters to get to know each other more, soak in what's happening in the story, and plan things out.

 

[Gryphos]

I always follow the rule of thumb that a scene has a use if it:

A) Advances the plot
B) Develops a character
C) Develops the setting

Only if it does none of these things is it a truly useless scene. But if it only adds a small bit of detail and takes a disproportionate amount of time to do it, then it should be cut down a bit.

 

[TWErvin2]

Include it, and take note of it...so that in revision, the necessity can be revisited once the full scope of the novel can be considered.

 

[Penpilot]

I use the same metric as Gryphos, advance the story, develop character, and expand the world.

The standard I use is it must do two of these things in order to be even considered to be kept in. If it only does one, the scene gets cut and the elements get moved into other scenes.

With a scene that only has two of the three things I mentioned, I look to find ways to add the missing element to the scene or I look to distribute the elements of the scene into other parts of the book if possible. But in general, there's nothing wrong with having a scene that doesn't advance the plot as long as you don't have too many of them.

 

[Svrtnsse]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It's good to hear some of my reasoning echoed by others. I'll keep writing and making each scene as good as I can with what's meant to be in it and then once I'm done with all of them I'll decide what to keep and what to cut out.

I read somewhere that "no writing is wasted writing" I guess that will hold true here. Even if I don't keep the scene in the finished story, it will have benefited me in some way to have written it.

 

[skip.knox]

My scenes have this domino effect, sometimes. If I cut a scene, there might be something two chapters later that I have to revise. You know, oh they can't say this here, because now that never happened back there. Sometimes the dislocation is minor, sometimes major. I'm just saying, if you can remove the scene without repercussions, count yourself lucky! Some surgeries are more delicate than others.

 

[kayd_mon]

Great advice so far. I keep a file of "deleted scenes" for reference, or possible inclusion later on. I wrote a flashback once, and I ended up cutting it out completely. But it may be useful later on, so in the file it goes.

 

[Addison]

If it's a scene that I'm writing then I don't worry about it. If I'm editing but not sure then I do the basics, I keep going to read the parts that follow and come back to it when I'm done.