WHAT FICTION WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM THE MOVIES

Our Writer's Critique Circle has been fortunate to have a screenwriter in our midst for quite awhile. During critique  we're assigned parts, and we read from the work-in-progress. Reading a scene aloud can be quite revealing. We're aware when dialogue is too wordy or out of character or off the mark. We sense when a scene "nails it" or when it comes across DOA.  And we have a heightened awareness of the overall rhythm and beats in a scene. 

Besides reading scenes from fiction aloud to test if we're on the right track, screenwriting techniques offer other ways to make our work better.

What do screenwriters do that the rest of us ought to do?

1) SCREENWRITERS DON'T WASTE TIME GETTING INTO THE STORY. Since we live in a world of sound bites, text messages, IM, and emoticons, our readers don't have the patience to open a book, much less concentrate for long. Therefore, we need to take this attention deficit disorder into account by making sure there's an emotional connection right from the beginning. 

2) SCREENWRITERS START SCRIPTS OFF RIGHT. As novel writers, we must revise the first ten pages over and over and over again. Revision is the only way to get it right. The opening hook is all important. The first few pages of as book can make or break us.

3) SCREENWRITERS CREATE MEMORABLE HEROES AND VILLAINS. We need to make the protagonist in our story a fully rounded character and know that fictional person as well as we know ourselves. This is especially true if the protagonist is the POV narrator.

4) SCREENWRITERS WRITE ECONOMICALLY. Every line in a screenplay moves the story forward. As novel writers, we must make sure every scene is there for a reason and not overwrite. We must delete, kill our "darlings," get rid of "on the nose" dialogue, and cut lots of backstory. Be like Hemingway. Delete!

5) SCREENWRITERS CREATE GREAT DIALOGUE. We need to make sure every character in our story has a unique voice. Dialogue shout reveal character and also move the story forward. Dialogue reveals character and moves the story forwar 

5) SCREENWRITERS KNOW THEIR AUDIENCE As novel writers we need to analyze our readership, the genre we're writing in, and the type of readers we want to attract. Choosing a few Beta readers from this group is helpful during revision.

6) SCREENWRITERS UNDERSTAND THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE. Novel writers can benefit by having a grasp on story structure. By page ten, readers want to be introduced to your hero, know what he or she wants, and feel comfortable in the genre of the story. By the end of Act One, readers should have an idea where the story is headed, what the stakes are, and the obstacles preventing the hero from achieving that goal. By the middle of Act Two, readers expect the stakes to be raised, a new character introduced ,or a more difficult obstacle.  By the end of Act Two, readers predict your hero will be in terrible trouble, backed into a corner, thrown into a crucible, or caught in the midst of some inescapable situation, so that the tension builds. In Act Three, readers see the hero to create a new plan or  escape an impossible situation, and this leads to the big satisfying ending.

7) SCREENWRITERS ARE AWARE OF THEME  Not only are they aware of theme, they keep it consistent throughout the script.  

Theme is a tough nut to crack. When I ask my students the theme of Die Hard, they often restate the film's core concept (or, in Hollywood terms, the "logline"), saying something like, "It's about a cop thwarting a group of international terrorists while saving his wife and a bunch of innocent people." While this is true, it doesn't quite touch on theme. 

If we dig deeper, we discover that Die Hard is really about a man trying to reconnect with his wife. True, this reconnection takes place amidst the backdrop of an action-packed heist, but at its core, this is a story about John McClane discovering the importance of family and the love and appreciation he has for his wife, Holly.

8) SCREENWRITERS KEEP UP WITH THE CRAFT. They watch and re-watch successful movies that are similar. Audiences want the same, but different. In order to deliver, screenwriters must know the competition and what's out there. As fiction writers, we have an advantage if we're readers, reading successful books similar to our own. 

9) SCREENWRITERS KNOW THEIR CHARACTERS. They know what the hero wants, the goal, and what will happen if he doesn't get what he wants (the stakes). They also know what or who is preventing him from reaching that goal (the antagonist or villain). They know how their characters look, talk, act, think. They know the backstory of their characters and know how they will react in situations that occur in the story.

 10) SCREENWRITERS LEAVE THE AUDIENCE WANTING MORE. And we should too. JK Rowling certainly did it wit her Harry Potter series and the scripts that followed her novels did the same thing. 

How do they do that? Screenwriters create a memorable script with a climactic ending that's satisfying to the audience. The ending is fulfilling, the central problem is resolved, an important character trait is revealed and/or tested, and there's a satisfying surprise toward the end. They create an "aha" moment that makes audiences connect with character and story.

 One more thing. They find their tribe. They brainstorm and play with "what if" scenarios. They allow others to offer input and take credit. They often work in a team, ask for help, and they get the job done. All too often, authors are working in isolation and are reluctant to show their work, fearing either rejection or theft.

Let's follow the example of screenwriters, learn from them, and get our job done too.  

STRUCTURING YOUR STORY

Building Your Story

My memoir is my story, not my brother's; he has his own story.

Story structure is similar in both memoir and fiction. Each has a beginning, middle, and end. Each has a main character or protagonist, an internal and external journey, a story arc and character arc and a theme. While fiction is a made-up story, a memoir is a story that has been lived and that means the author knows the outcome. 

Once you narrow all your turning points and figured out where they occurred in your timeline, you can decide how to tell your story. It might work well told chronologically, if it's  coming f age story or a story of psychological healing. 


Often a linear chronological structure—point A to Point B—is the easiest and best way to tell your story. A coming of age memoir works well with a linear structure; so does a memoir showing ychological development and transformation. 

On the other hand, a braided memoir that weaves back and forth from present and past in alternating chapters might work best. In a framed memoir, like Wild by Cheryl Stayed, the main story is on the trail while the author picks up threads from the past and weaves them in through flashbacks. A wrapper story also works well when a narrator tells the story to others. By developing the narrator as a visible presence in the memoir, you help the reader gracefully move back and forth between the time frame of the person writing the book and the time frame of the character who lived through the earlier events. In Colored People, Henry Louis Gates tells his children about the old days in order to help them understand where their ancestors have been. In Tony Cohan’s memoir Native State, his father lies dying, and while he is stuck in California, he reminisces about his childhood and about his experience as an expat in North Africa. 


Travel can be used as a wrapper story.  Such memoirs are used as containers in which the author spends so much time exploring the past, or reminiscing about it, you begin to wonder if the story is about the journey or the memories. This dual use of a travel memoir, as both a story of a journey and a wrapper story of a previous time, is especially noteworthy in: Zen and Now by Mark Richardson: As the author follows the path of Robert Pirsig’s original motorcycle ride, there is plenty of time for reflection about his past. The travel memoir as a wrapper story introduces the potential for telling a story in two time frames at once.

Another technique jumps all the way into the two-frame concept and weaves two parallel stories, one from earlier in life and one later. These authors have managed to start the story right in the thick of it, and then go back to give the backstory without diffusing the power of the book.  


Once you have a general idea of your theme or themes and know how you want to structure your story, you will have a better idea of what to include and what to leave out. There will be a lot of wonderful stuff you won't want to cut out. Save it for a personal essay or memoir piece for a magazine. What goes into your important memoir must be what moves your story forward. 

One looming question when writing memoir is What about my family? Your memoir is your story and no one else's. You are unique in the universe and your story is unique. Your story belongs to you; your brother's story belongs to him. We each have the right to tell our own story from our own point of view.

It’s clear that writing a memoir is indeed a process—challenging but rewarding! It takes time to sort things out, but every time you make lists, brainstorm, and research how other authors have solved these problems by reading memoirs, you are figuring out the challenges of writing, and creating skills that help you write a successful book that will be meaningful to others.

BLAME IT ON BATY

November & NaNoWriMo!

BLAME IT ON BATY & HIS KICK-ASS OPTIMISM

You can blame it on Chris Baty. He'll encourage you to get 50,000 words down on paper in 30 days. You'll wind up with a really rough, poorly written draft novel. If you do that much, its something other writers only dream about. 

Chris Baty founded NaNoWriMo (National Writing Novel Month) in 1999. This November marathon that began with 21 people working on laptops in a San Francisco coffee shop now attracts over 300,000 onlne participants each fall.

"The world is a lot more fun when you approach it with an exuberant imperfection," Chris Baty says. 

And you just might have a blast. Whether you sign up online at the NaNoWriMo site or simply decide to do it on your own, it's worth the trouble. Not only did i manage to get my 1,500-2,000 words written each day in past Novembers, I got  really into this endeavor and was motivated to continue. 

Baty says, "I found myself realizing that the thing separating people from their artistic dreams is not a lack of talent, it’s a lack of deadline and structure."

And it's having a deadline and some structure that makes it work for those of us who put off doing the inevitable: getting that rough draft down on paper.

"A deadline is, simply put, optimism in its most kick-ass form," Baty says. "It's a potent force that, when wielded with respect, will level any obstacle in its path. This is especially true when it comes to creative pursuits.”

Anne Lamott, author of the seminal, Bird by Bird, encourages us to go ahead and write shitty first drafts and not expect perfect writing to simply flow out right away, but we must write regularly whether we feel like it or not and whether we think what we're writing is any good or not.

It doesn't matter. We are writers and so we must write. 

When we get stuck, we must work on our elevator pitch or develop our theme or incite change. 

Chris Baty, author of No Plot? No Problem,  says, "Incite change. If your story is losing momentum, juice it up by inflicting some major changes on your characters. Crash the spaceship. End the marriage. Buy the monkey. Change is scary because we have to figure out what comes next. But feeling afraid is ten times better than feeling bored, and your book will benefit from your risk-taking."

So whether you officially sign up or simply try it on your own, I suggest following Chris Baty's advice: We’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do this quickly, and it’s gonna be bad. 

A couple hours a day is doable. My best friend trained for marathons, putting in at least ten or twelve hours a week. We waste a lot of time, puttering around, sorting the mail, checking social networking, watching the recap of the news, dusting shelves, and all that time can be used for writing. 

We have to carve out time. Years ago, when I was raising four kids, working on a graduate degree, participating in organizations, and teaching full time, I still found time to write in the hours while everyone else was sleeping. 

We have to carve out space. It's possible to write anywhere. I've written in closets, on rocking boats, in pantries, bathrooms, cars, garages, parks, patios, trains, and airplanes.

We must ignore the inner critic and write fast. It's much more efficient that way.  No matter how bad the writing, we have to keep going because even a small amount of progress each day is motivational.

Besides that inner critic and our perfectionism, we have to let some things go, to say "no" and feel okay about it, and develop some habits that allow us time to write. A writing instructor once told me that dust bunnies under the bed and dishes in the sink prove whether or not someone is serious about being a writer. It's all a matter of priorities.

JOURNALING CHANGES YOUR LIFE

Often when I'm facilitating a journaling workshop, people will stop by and wonder what's going on in the room. They look through the window or open door. "What's going on?" they ask. "Everyone seems to be having a good time, and they are all so involved." 

How do I explain journaling? It's writing, of course, but it's much more than that, more than I can possibly explain in the 20-word class description in the city brochure.

"Writing? You mean, those people are writing?"

Well, yes, but not exactly.

Journaling can change your life for the better.

Writing is a gift, and writing regularly can definitely be cathartic, therapeutic and bring about positive changes and benefits. The secret we've discovered is that journaling can change life for the better.

JOURNALING CAN HELP US MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD.  We write through resentment and anger. We wrote through loss and grief. We write through financial setbacks, aging, health issues, decision-making, transitions, crises, confusion, longing, depression, happiness, sorrow, problems, and joy.

JOURNALING EVOKES THE CREATIVE WITHIN. Writing helps us to get back in touch with that childlike self. Being creative helps make our lives more interesting and more satisfying. Through creativity, we are able to explore new ideas, make connections, see with the eye of an artist,  and find deeper meanings.

JOURNALING IS GOOD FOR THE BRAIN. Writing helps us remember things. Anyone who writes poetry, fiction, or memoir can benefit from journaling. As we create or recall sensory details of fictional or real life events, the wires in the brain are connecting. As we attempt to put the right words into the right order, we are improving brain function.  

JOURNALING HELPS US COMMUNICATE BETTER. There is nothing more frustrating than feeling misunderstood, as we struggle with emotions, desires, and thoughts we cannot express. Writing allows us to share our feelings, evaluate them, and reach others who can relate. 

JOURNALING MEANS DISCOVERING A NEW LIFE. We write; therefore, we are writers. We are, however, more than writers. We are better people when we journal. We create a new reality. We are more confident. We see from the point of view of others. We are grateful for each new day and mindful of the opportunities hidden within. We live happier and more satisfying lives.  

That's all part of journaling, and I haven't even begun to discuss all the poetry, memoir, personal essays, therapeutic prompts, and unique thinking that emerges during our weekly workshops.