Scene Compression Exercise

Compress this scene to half its current length:

{{scene}}

Compression Process:

1. ESSENTIAL BEATS
- List every beat in the current scene
- Mark: Essential / Nice-to-have / Expendable

2. DIALOGUE AUDIT
- Which lines can be cut entirely?
- Which can be shortened?
- Which can be replaced with action?

3. ACTION LINE AUDIT
- Which descriptions are redundant?
- Which can be implied?
- Which can be combined?

4. ENTRY/EXIT POINTS
- Can we enter later?
- Can we exit earlier?

5. COMPRESSED VERSION
- Write the scene at 50% length
- Maintain all essential beats
- Preserve emotional impact

6. COMPARISON
- Original word/page count
- Compressed word/page count
- What was lost?
- What was gained?

Determine if compression improves or damages the scene.