← Chapter 13
English Composition · Chapter 13

The Scene / Summary Mixer

One night, nine beats, three speeds. Scene the moments your point depends on, summarize what only carries the reader there, and cut the rest. Set each beat below and the draft rebuilds on the right — then change the controlling idea and watch which beats suddenly deserve the space.
Step 1 · Choose the controlling idea
Step 2 · Set the speed of each beat
The gold dot marks the speed that fits the controlling idea you selected. It moves when the idea moves — which is the whole point: the controlling idea is not a moral you bolt on at the end, it is the thing that decides what gets space.
The draft as you have set it
Scene words Summary words Cut
0
Beats at scene
—
Proportion
—
Fit to the idea
What a reader would say