Editing Unwritten: System Reference Document/Playing a Scene (section)

====Establish the Nature of the Action====

The first step you perform on an action is to determine the nature of the action. The character performing the action is the actor and you establish what the goal of your action is, and how you plan to get there.

Before anything else, ask yourself “What is the character trying to accomplish?” You may want to jump straight to describing what your character is actually doing, but resist that temptation. You need to have your intention figured out before you can effectively continue—it is the linchpin for what your character actually does and how well it turns out for them.

Once you have gotten a handle on what you are trying to accomplish, then you describe how you want to get from here to there. Think about what your character would attempt based off of what they know and what strengths they would rely on. If you have a detailed idea of exactly your character will be attempting, then go ahead and describe it. However, if you aren’t sure on the details yet, don’t worry. Just make sure you have a general idea of what your character will be doing. We’ll settle the details when we resolve the action.