A prose-craft pattern pairing a proactive scene with a reactive beat where the character regroups.
The scene-and-sequel pattern, from Dwight Swain, splits narrative into two alternating units. The scene is proactive - goal, conflict, and a disaster that leaves the character worse off. The sequel is the reactive breather that follows - reaction, dilemma, decision - which converts the setback into the next goal.
The rhythm keeps a story from becoming relentless action with no interior life, or endless rumination with no forward motion. Sequels are where readers feel a character think and choose, and where the causal chain linking one scene to the next is forged.
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