Whether you’re telling a story for the page or the screen, there are tools and methods that all writers can learn from and use for their own storytelling. Just because a screenplay will be turned into a film – and sometimes by somebody else entirely – doesn’t mean that the same blood, sweat and tears doesn’t go into creating the finished work. Here are some great ways that novel writers can use screenwriting techniques to help develop their own works.

Create an Outline or Treatment for Your Story

Screenwriters often create an outline or a treatment before they knuckle down to create their screenplays. This is essentially a road map or guideline that will keep the writer on track and keep them from going off in tangents that are likely to be cut or edited out when they go back to create the second and subsequent drafts. Having an outline or treatment also helps you to work out any plot holes, character issues or story problems before you hit the ground running. Ironing out the kinks before you start writing is essential, as there is nothing worse than a stop-start writing process. You could find yourself spending a lot of time in the pub with a half-finished novel gathering dust in a bottom drawer if you don’t keep that momentum going. An outline will definitely keep you from distraction and prevent you from hitting any road blocks. Except the self-imposed ones, of course.

Screenwriting Keeps Your Writing Tight

One of the key rules of storytelling for the screen is to cut out any unnecessary exposition and description and to keep the writing tight. This is a great method to put into your own novel writing, as the majority of readers would rather pick up a novel with one or two hands than have to hire a crane to pick it up because of all the unnecessary prose that could have been lost in the edit.

There is nothing wrong with having a long, spiralling novel. Some of the greatest novels ever written are chunky tomes. But there is a difference between a great story that is well written and strong, therefore justifying the length, and having a rambling mess of a story that heads off in too many directions and spends two pages describing something that could have been told effectively in a couple of lines. Learning to edit your work and cut out the writing that isn’t essential for the story is a crucial skill to have as a writer, and in the film world, a screenwriter has to learn to keep their exposition as tight as possible in order to have their work accepted by agents and executives.

For a great example of taut, concise writing for the screen, check out Christopher Nolan’s screenplays for Inception or The Dark Knight Trilogy. For films that all cost more than the entire budget of a third world country, the screenplays for these action packed blockbusters and very concise in their description. Writers of all forms can learn from the less-is-more approach of screenwriting.

Setting a Scene

Whilst being interviewed by Empire magazine, writer/director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) was asked for some advice for screenwriters. His advice was to “start late and get out early, and don’t have a lot of people walking through doors”. Although the last part of that advice was a half-joke, the point that Wright was making was that to keep the pace and momentum of your story moving along nicely, all pointless exposition should be cut out in order to cut to the chase.

For example, if the chapter of your novel started out like this:

Tom walks through the door of his bosses’ office and sits down in the chair opposite the desk. His Boss stares back at him, and Tom tries to avoid eye contact at all costs.

The same scene in the screenplay version would read something like this.

Tom sits opposite his Boss, who is staring at him. Tom avoids eye contact at all costs.

You are only cutting out a line of description, but it sets the scene in exactly the same way. All that has been lost is Tom’s entrance into the office, which is completely unnecessary. On screen, that’s 5-10 seconds of screen time cut. On the page, taking the same approach could save you pages and pages of unnecessary exposition. Unless there is a character moment or story point happening, Tom entering the office is completely unnecessary. Cut it out!

Character and Dialogue

It is a vital part of any story – screenwriting, novel or otherwise – that the characters are rounded individuals who act and talk in a realistic manner. Get this wrong and every aspect of your story falls apart. The relationships your characters have won’t ring true and your readers will be thrown out of the story. Dialogue can often be the toughest part of storytelling for some writers, and screenwriting techniques can really help you work on getting speech patterns and dialogue exchanges right. You don’t have to worry about the ‘he said’ ‘she replied’ stuff either, just start playing around with exchanges and get your characters talking to each other. You will find it incredibly freeing and it could spark some great dialogue exchanges that help shape your characters for the better.

Storyboarding as a Way into a Scene

Screenwriters and filmmakers use storyboarding as a way of communicating their words to their collaborators, and this is also something that writers of prose can use to better form their stories. For example, if there is an action scene in your novel and you are having difficulty describing it in your prose, creating the scene in storyboard form first might unlock the way for you to describe the action in an interesting way.

Screenwriters don’t have to write much detail when it comes to action because the director and stunt teams will take care of most of it, but novel writers have to put across the totality of the story on the page, so adding a visual component can really help writers find a way into the scene. Some of the storyboarding could become illustrations in the book, if they would sit well alongside the story you are telling.

Daley is a writer and filmmaker who wants to help his fellow writers to get out there fully confident and armed with a great novel. He can be found struggling with his own career at www.daleyjfrancis.com

So I know Les Mis has been out for several months, but what can I say? I don’t have time for movies these days as much as I used to. So if you’re reading this, you’ve probably already seen Les Mis and have drawn your own conclusions by now. However, I still think my opinions can generate a pleasant discussion about this movie. Now that I’ve got that disclaimer out of the way, let’s move onto the review, shall we?

Before I tell you what I thought of the movie, I feel the need to apprise you of my history with this musical: When I was in sixth grade, I became obsessed with this soundtrack. One of my older siblings had bought the soundtrack to the London Broadway production of Les Mis, and I listened to it daily. (I know – total nerd! But at least it was good music, unlike some of the rap that my other friends got into.) This obsession lasted for a few years. For my thirteenth birthday, my mom took me to the Broadway showing at the Capital Theater in SLC, Utah. We were at the very back, but we’d brought binoculars and I could hear the music just fine. I loved it! It was fantastic to see the play with the music and I was further enthralled with this story.

I also read the unabridged book of Les Miserables when I was in ninth grade. The book was difficult to get through – not something I’d recommend to fellow readers unless you enjoy the classics, but I’m glad I was able to get the complete backgrounds on each of the characters.

Now that you have my background with this story, let me tell you my thoughts as I watched the movie on the big screen with some of my favorite actors (Hugh Jackman!).

Pros: It was incredibly well done. I appreciated that the director stuck with the story and didn’t get too carried away with doing some fantastical visual effects, like other movies tend to do. The actors were stupendous and I felt they portrayed their characters to the best of their abilities. If you’ve never seen the musical before, this is a great way to watch it. The story itself is full of hope, betrayal, and love, despair and faith. I don’t know if there’s a more moving story.

Cons: The music wasn’t as great of quality as it is on Broadway. As much as I love some of these actors (and they all did a terrific job!), some of them couldn’t reach the notes as perfectly as I wanted them to. And I felt that the song “Lovely Ladies” fell pretty flat. Another thing that bothered me (and this could just be me here) was when the characters sang their solos, the camera was in a close-up on their face almost the whole song. It got to be a little boring for me.

So, was it a good movie?  Yes – definitely! Would I recommend seeing it? You bet. Is it better than the Broadway production? No way. I think the Broadway production is still the best portrayal of this story. If you come for the music, you’ll want to see it on Broadway. But if you’re in it for the story, you should be satisfied with the movie itself.

What are your thoughts about it?

I’ve been noticing a lot of posts on Facebook and Twitter lately that have influenced today’s blog. It started with people changing their profile picture to an equal sign. Since I’m pretty out-of-the-loop on a lot of things, I had to ask a friend what it meant. She explained to me that it was people trying to show their support for gay marriage rights. I thanked her and moved on with my day.

After that, I began to notice a lot of “debates” on Facebook and Twitter about gay marriage. Some of the comments were just downright rude! And this was coming from both sides. It reminded me of when we had the presidential elections several months ago. A lot of posts and discussions turned into rude jabs about other people instead of issues in the campaigns. So after reading through some of these comments and posts, I felt sick at what people were doing with their time.

After all, if you feel strongly about something political, wouldn’t it be more worthwhile to contact your local governor or senator about it? People in the social media sites have pretty much decided their standpoint on whatever issue is current. Responding to their post and saying that they are stupid or ignorant is not going to generate any kind of productivity or change their mind. Yes, it WILL generate a big argument from people on both sides of the issue. And yes, it will generate negativity, but what’s the point of that? Is it because you feel that strongly about a political issue, or are you trying to get some attention? (Rhetorical question – please don’t answer.;))

I happen to be a very opinionated person myself. I hold strong beliefs about certain things. I’m not writing this to share those opinions, however. I try to keep those things to myself and intimate friends whom I feel comfortable talking with, even if we have opposing views. And the reason why I like to keep my opinions to this close circle is because I know that my selected friends will listen to what I say, respect me for my opinions, and then calmly share what their opinions are and why they think what they do. There is no condescension when I talk to these people. We all think highly of each other and are comfortable sharing our view points without the worry of being judged for them.

When I’m online, I do not express these opinions. I think of them as too personal to share publicly and try to keep online discussions about things that everyone can contribute to without it turning into an online mob-fest.

You know that old saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”? I think it still applies to us today. Even though we have such wonderful modern technology and we can reach to people across the globe doesn’t mean that we can be rude to each other just because we’re not face to face. Let’s try to get to know each other, shall we? How about we have discussion that will help others see what you are like as a person, and keep political views out of it.

(Okay, rant over now. Thanks for indulging me on my soapbox!)

 

 

 

 

Have you ever gone on a hike and just reveled in everything that’s in nature? Smelled the trees and flowers, listened to the birds tweeting, feeling the fresh air on your face? Or have you ever been to the ocean and smelled the salty sea air, listened to children giggle while waves made that soothing sound? Do you like the feel of hot sand under your feet as you walk along the water’s edge?

Did any of these questions help bring you out on a nature walk or to the beach?

Sensory is very important for painting a picture with words. It’s something writers try to focus on so that the readers can really immerse themselves in the story. I tend to forget the sensory details when I’m writing the first drafts of my books, especially during action scenes. Luckily, I have a fantastic critique group that’s always asking what the sounds, smells, and touches are like.

For instance, there have been times when Leisha twists a man’s head to kill him. But when I describe the sounds of bones popping, the feel of them twisting under her fingers, and the body falling to the floor in a flopping thud,  you get a much better visual of what’s happening in the story.

Sensory can also help a reader understand the characters in more depth. If there’s a hardened warrior riding his horse into a village, what smells will he notice? Will he note the smell of the stables first, or maybe the perfume coming from the local whorehouse? Perhaps he’d smell the freshly baked bread nearby, or the stink of the privy. Any one of these things that would be described would reflect on what this particular warrior notices and what’s important to him at that time.

When I try to think about all these things as I write my characters, it helps me to realize how much we rely on all of our senses to experience life. This last Easter my kids got Runts candy in their Easter baskets. I hadn’t eaten those since I was probably eight or something. When my son shared some of his candy with me, I felt nostalgic from the first bite. Sudden memories of my childhood and who I played with during the summer popped into my head. It was crazy to realize something so innocuous as cheap candy can bring back fun-filled memories for me.

I have a friend who doesn’t like to go to hospitals because the smell reminds them of when their mother died of cancer there.

After a long day with work and the kids, my husband can relax me by simply putting his arm around me and pulling me into his chest.

Sensory makes our lives richer. If it’s not in the stories we read, then the story isn’t rich and deep. George RR Martin is quoted as saying, “A man who reads lives a thousand lifetimes, and a man who doesn’t read lives only one.”

Well, if you’re going to live a thousand lives through books, make sure each life is vibrant and full of sensory!

 

The Sundance Film Festival is an internationally recognized festival of filmmaking talent,  acting prestige, and abounding wealth. From its humble beginnings as a localized, independant film festival to a monolith cinematographic proving grounds and Hollywood pipeline, Sundance is associated as much with the glamour of film stardom as it is with big corporate sponsorship dollars. What is often overlooked is the fact the hundreds of local business play an integral role in promoting and facilitating the success of the Sundance festival. Everyone from the local hotels of Park City’s main street to the companies supplying the vendor tents contribute heavily to the success of Sundance.

Sundance Film Festival’s growth in prominence has led to a huge amount of sponsorship dollars and an influx of infrastructure investment and tourism to Park City, Utah. While  generally supporting the festival site, much of this enormous growth has led to controversy over the role of celebrity culture and mass media advertisement in defining the festival and making the showcase of film a secondary focus.

Some even claim that the merits of independent film and the importance of exploring challenging subjects through film have been diluted in favor of extending a vicarious consumer obsession with unaffiliated haute couture and brand sponsorship to the festival. This has been a contentious issue among festival executives, filmmakers, and the general public. One important caveat to all of this remains, though: local businesses.

While Park City, Utah is never as glamorous as it is during the Sundance Festival, local business maintain and grow the town the other 358 days of the year. The city enjoys a revenue and tourism boost during the week of Sundance but the city still rests on the local energy. The many local bars and restaurants of Park City supply culture, food, and important venues for activity throughout the week. This is one facet of a successful festival that can’t be imported from outside. If the town itself doesn’t have a welcoming, lively nature, no amount of celebrity hubris will affect the festival vibe for the better and drive a memorable festival year after year. Ultimately the town makes the festival.

Even more undervalued are all of the workers and local volunteers at the heart of the festival. The people waiting your table, pouring your drinks, changing your sheets, cleaning the bathrooms, mopping the floors, tending the theatres, shoveling the sidewalks, and checking your tickets are the backbone of the festival. Everything else is just decoration. Local retailers, tent rentals Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Film Society, and suppliers of everything from lighting to transportation help define the Sundance Festival for the internationally acclaimed festival it is.

Looking at the Sundance Festival on a more granular level helps to keep the glamor in perspective and appreciate the thousands of local efforts that continuously make the festival sustainable and memorable. The cumulative efforts of everyone from the festival’s board of directors to the chair lift operators at Deer Valley should be recognized as vital elements that make Sundance happen each year.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

By Ben Vaughn

Ben Vaughn is a proponent of local businesses and supporting sustainable communities through art, music, and film. He writes extensively on Park City tourism and the Sundance Film Festival.