Did you ever write the same scene twice?

Prawn · Feb 11, 2007

In a similar vein to this post about revisions, I had a flash of insight and realized that I needed an important scene between two characters, only to discover when I returned to my WIP that I had already written the scene a few weeks ago. Did it ever happen to you that you wrote the same scene twice?

Sage · Feb 11, 2007

Not a full scene, but certainly there are times I add a little dialogue between two characters only to realize they had already had that particular part of the conversation before. Sometimes I explain something in narrative twice too. Usually, it's something I had been planning to be included for a while, & just forgot the time when I actually did include it.

Mud Dauber · Feb 11, 2007

Cool. Then you can pick the better of the two, come revision time. Unless of course both scenes were identical. That would be freakishly weird. :tongue

alaskamatt17 · Feb 11, 2007

My second book contained several scenes that closely mirrored each other. It was frustrating having to choose between two scenes when I knew they both presented the same information about the plot and characters.

johnzakour · Feb 11, 2007

I am sad to say that has happened to me on more than one occasion. The older I get the more it happens.

Saundra Julian · Feb 11, 2007

No, this has never happened to me. (But probably will...)

My pet peeve is when one of my characters asks a question and never got an answer...from anyone. What's with that?

When I edit and come across this, I just look at the screen and say, "Well, damn...would be nice if someone answered him/her!"

Isn't editing fun?

scarletpeaches · Feb 11, 2007

Not whole scenes, but often pieces of dialogue. I seem to develop 'catchphrases' for my characters!

FloVoyager · Feb 11, 2007

I've made notes to include something, and then gone to the appropriate section in my WIP and found I already did it. That always encourages me to think it must have been a good idea to begin with.

Sage · Feb 11, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I seem to develop 'catchphrases' for my characters!

Ugh, I hate it when I do this. My MC seems to favor "The last thing I need is..." right now. Really, really need her to stop saying & thinking it.

jclarkdawe · Feb 11, 2007

Prawn said:
In a similar vein to this post about revisions, I had a flash of insight and realized that I needed an important scene between two characters, only to discover when I returned to my WIP that I had already written the scene a few weeks ago. Did it ever happen to you that you wrote the same scene twice?

My damn continuity expert allows that to happen way too often. He needs to be fired, but he's such a nice, friendly guy, I don't want to lose him. Wait a minute, he's me and I'm him. Oh, oh. My favorite is when the two scenes end up differently. Ouch! Maybe that's why some people use these things called "outlines?"

Jim Clark-Dawe

Josie · Feb 11, 2007

Oh no!!!! This happens more often the older you get, you say?

Argh

ebrillblaiddes · Feb 11, 2007

Haven't done the scene repeat thing...but sometimes when I'm working out a dialogue-heavy scene in my head, I realize that the conversation's gone in circles about three times.

johnzakour · Feb 11, 2007

The good news is, the second time I write the same scene it's better.

ScallyKat · Feb 11, 2007

Maybe there is a lesson in that. If happening to write the same scene twice makes it better perhaps all the scene needed was a little more thought.

For me, double writing like that only happens when I didn't quite think a scene over all the way before I moved on, or if it was of great importance in the story. As annoying as it can be, it does draw my attention back to that section for a certain reason, as stated above, and has usually only helped.

Zoombie · Feb 11, 2007

I think the only time I've done that was when the MC was talking to a mage who controlled Fate/Time, and to demonstrate she moved time backwards three or so seconds, repeating some dialouge.

But I don't think that counts.

ebrillblaiddes · Feb 11, 2007

ScallyKat said:
Maybe there is a lesson in that. If happening to write the same scene twice makes it better perhaps all the scene needed was a little more thought.

For me, double writing like that only happens when I didn't quite think a scene over all the way before I moved on, or if it was of great importance in the story. As annoying as it can be, it does draw my attention back to that section for a certain reason, as stated above, and has usually only helped.

Hmm...I see what you're saying...to compare it to mine, when the dialogue in my head goes in circles that many times, I think it's a sign that I need to write it down and look at it and see what's going on.

Welcome, BTW!

Zoombie said:
I think the only time I've done that was when the MC was talking to a mage who controlled Fate/Time, and to demonstrate she moved time backwards three or so seconds, repeating some dialouge.

But I don't think that counts.

Nah, that's special effects, not a goofup.

seun · Feb 12, 2007

I don't think I've repeated scenes but I have discovered (especially in the edit of my WIP) that I used a couple of the same tricks more than once to show atmosphere and emotion.

Vincent · Feb 12, 2007

Well hell, Lawrence of Arabia wrote the same BOOK twice. He lost the first draft on the train.

Julie Worth · Feb 12, 2007

I wrote the same scene twice in my first book, but that never happened again. I still tend to repeat character tics and actions, but less than when I started

Prawn · Feb 12, 2007

I think the fact that I wanted to write it twice must mean that I needed to beef it up and have it a more important part of the plot.

P

Ashtal · Feb 12, 2007

I did exactly that in my NaNo Draft, which I am in the middle of revising. There it is, Chapter Six, and I have basically the same scene twice and occuring right about the same time, one just shifted slightly after the first.

*facepalms*

Where's that delete key? *grumble*

L'Vaeryn · Feb 13, 2007

I actually just realized that I did this in my current WIP. I'm in the process of revising/rewriting, and checking a detail in a chapter later than the completed revision revealed the duplicate section of dialogue. At least it should be fairly easy to fix...

PeeDee · Feb 13, 2007

I've done it a few times. It's maddening to have happen.

Even worse, I wrote a scene and then stopped, dead convinced that I'd written this scene before. It was horrible deja-vu. So I frantically searched all my recent stories for that scene to no avail.

I was stymied for a week. Then, while working on something else, I happened across a small handwritten note in one of my notebooks, indicating that the scene I'd written needed to be erased. So I'd erased the scene, forgotten about it, wrote the scene again, liked it, had deja-vu.

Dead inefficient.

brunoshouse · Feb 14, 2007

Glad to see you PeeDee. I missed you.

PeeDee · Feb 14, 2007

brunoshouse said:
Glad to see you PeeDee. I missed you.

It cheers me no end that people notice when I'm not around...

Did you ever write the same scene twice?

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