Writing Cinematically: 10 Movie Techniques to Apply to Your Novel

by Deborah Raney

If I’d known my first novel—a story about a family dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease—would be made into a movie, I would have written it very differently. But when I got my first glimpse of the script, I understood immediately why the screenwriters had changed so many elements from my novel. Too many of my scenes took place in a character’s head—in his memories or her internal dialogue. I’m so grateful it was my first novel that made it to the silver screen because the experience of seeing my story turned into a script changed the way I wrote my next thirty novels.

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5 Ways to Spark Connections with Your Story

by Michèle Phoenix

1. Find a significant point of connection

As an English teacher, I was constantly telling my students to “write what you know.” By that, I didn’t mean that each one of their short stories, poems and screenplays needed to be autobiographical. What I was suggesting is something I’ve found to be true: if there’s a place, a character or an element of the plot line that links me to the story—so much so that I can write it out of intimate knowledge and personal identification—it will infuse the rest of the book with a sense of authority.

That’s exactly what I did in Of Stillness and Storm. My parents were missionaries to France for forty years, and I lived surrounded by devoted Christians whose hearts were in the right place, but whose priorities were sometimes obscured by their zeal to reach the unbelieving. Lauren and Sam—with their laudable strengths and deplorable flaws—are composites of the family friends who populated my childhood.

Did I have to do research into locations, lifestyles and medical details? Of course, I did. But ministry flows through my veins, and anchoring the book to that real-life knowledge helped me to write confidently and ultimately galvanized the creative process.

2. Look for “the spark” in unexpected places

To be honest, I’d wanted to write a story set on the mission field for some time, but lacked that illusive but crucial spark that becomes the impetus to sit down and start typing. I had bits and pieces floating around my mind—hints of personalities and shades of conflict—but it wasn’t until 2012, when I traveled to Kathmandu for the first time, the novel began to crystallize. I was struck by the beauty and brokenness of Nepal, and I saw in its desolate landscape and difficult living conditions a metaphor for the toll an honorable but reckless ministry can take on good people.

A story centered on a missionary couple’s personal journey from their first encounter to their moment of reckoning emerged from the geographical symbol I’d found while traveling for other reasons.

3. Let your characters teach you who they are

I’ve never been someone who carefully crafts characters before the writing begins, so for me much of the initial process is just waiting for them to reveal themselves. When Lauren first spirited her way into my mind, she carried with her the weight of a past I couldn’t wait to explore. Learning who she was and why she was became a powerful incentive to keep digging deeper.

Loving one’s characters, flawed and fallible as they may be, is also imperative. It empowers the writer to be courageous in exposing their struggles. Because I felt so devoted to Lauren, the evolution of her marriage to Sam was a story I strove to treat with unflinching honesty. The degradation of her bonds with a son she loved so fiercely was an aching exercise in resisting the urge to settle for happy endings. Aidan’s reappearance in her life was a complete surprise, even to me. But once he emerged with those four simple words—is it really you—he became someone I wanted to write boldly, a galvanizing presence in Lauren’s grappling with purpose and identity.

4. Step away, but don’t give up

Of the books I’ve had published so far (there’s one more coming in September 2017!), this is the one that was the hardest to write. Though the first drafts of other novels took me just three or four weeks to pour out, this one took me months. And here I’d thought familiarity with the context would simplify the process! There were times when I wanted to scratch it all and find another story to tell, but there was an intensity to Lauren’s “occupation” of my creative spaces that I couldn’t quell. So I powered through.

Once I found the courage to share what I’d written with select friends and critics, early feedback wasn’t all encouraging—though it was exactly right. When my college writing professor, who had volunteered to read an early draft, sent a rather bluntly-worded email to me, I realized my best intentions and efforts were not paying off. “I’m past chapter eight,” she wrote. “What will keep me reading? Is it coming soon?”

Oh, the temptation to throw in the towel—or throw out the Macbook! I set the manuscript aside for several weeks, perhaps hoping that leaving it unattended would cause a sort of literary fermentation to happen that would miraculously elevate the novel from boring to readable. Still, it tugged at my consciousness, the unfinished story crescendoing from a dull hum to an attention-grabbing screech. So when my period of pouting was over, I set to work deconstructing and reconstructing what I already had, shifting some scenes and deleting others, and generally distilling the book to its most basic, focused form.

Of Stillness and Storm was born.

5. Live around your writing

Writing is something I do. It is not the measure of my worth. Over the years, I’ve taught a handful of students who boldly declared, as Aidan does in the novel, that they—are—their—art. They were willing to rest their self-assessment and sense of value on an occupation that offers absolutely no guaranteed outcomes. How dangerous to base one’s identity on something as subjective and unpredictable as writing.

Though I’ve always loved the written word and fancied myself an author, I was fortunate enough to discover in my early adulthood that I have other strengths too—skills that have brought me a sense of purpose and productivity beyond the Russian Roulette of traditional publishing. Would my life still have meaning if Tyndale and Thomas Nelson had passed on my books? Absolutely—because there are other areas in it that motivate and fulfill me too.

Writing is important. It can be life-shaping and world-altering. So can kindness, investment in others and finding novel ways of using all one’s strengths for the betterment of self and others.

TWEETABLES

5 Ways to Spark Connections with Your Story by Michèle Phoenix (Click to Tweet)

Step away, but don’t give up~ Michèle Phoenix (Click to Tweet)

Loving one’s characters, flawed and fallible as they may be, is imperative~ Michèle Phoenix (Click to Tweet)

Bio:

Born in France to a Canadian father and an American mother, Michèle Phoenix is a consultant, writer and speaker with a heart for Third Culture Kids. She taught for 20 years at Black Forest Academy (Germany) before launching her own advocacy venture under Global Outreach Mission. Michèle travels globally to consult and teach on topics related to this unique people group. She loves good conversations, mischievous students, Marvel movies and paths to healing. Learn more at michelephoenix.com Twitter: @frenchphoenix

Book Blurb:

“I felt torn between two worlds. Each with its own mystery. One more captivating than the other, but the other more real and breathing.”

It took Lauren and her husband ten years to achieve their dream—reaching primitive tribes in remote regions of Nepal. But while Sam treks into the Himalayas for weeks at a time, finding passion and purpose in his work among the needy, Lauren and Ryan stay behind, their daily reality more taxing than inspiring. For them, what started as a calling begins to feel like the family’s undoing. 

At the peak of her isolation and disillusion, a friend from Lauren’s past enters her life again. But as her communication with Aidan intensifies, so does the tension of coping with the present while reengaging with the past. It’s thirteen-year-old Ryan who most keenly bears the brunt of her distraction.

Intimate and bold, Of Stillness and Storm weaves profound dilemmas into a tale of troubled love and honorable intentions gone awry.

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Going Deeper

by Carol J. Post

Before I was published, I used to enter a lot of contests. One of the first contests I entered, a judge said I needed to learn to write in deep point of view. I had never heard of it and had to look it up. I have to say, that is some of the best writing advice I have ever gotten.

Writing in deep point of view is not for the lazy. Not only is the concept difficult to master, scenes written in deep point of view also take longer to write, often requiring more words. But the result is well worth the extra effort. Deep point of view lets the reader experience the story through the eyes of the POV character. It adds sparkle to that character’s voice and gives the writing emotional punch.

The first step in deepening point of view is to fully know your characters. What do they want more than anything? What do they feel strongly about? What are their goals, motivations and conflicts? What about quirks, things that make them unique and memorable? Don’t just write about the character; become the character. (Click to Tweet)

Here are some tips for deepening point of view:

1. Eliminate “telling” words and phrases. These are words like thought, felt, saw, heard, wondered, decided, realized, and phrases like was sure and was determined. All of these words and phrases distance the reader from the POV character, because the author is intruding on the story, telling what the character is experiencing. Instead of “He heard a gunshot,” try “A shot rang through the air.” Instead of “She felt sick,” try “Nausea churned in her gut.” Instead of “She was determined not to fall for him again,” try “No way was she going to fall for that dark charm again.”

2. Try to describe emotions rather than naming them. This isn’t to say that you will never name an emotion, but showing the character feeling and acting is much more powerful. Abstract words don’t evoke emotion. When describing an emotion, consider its physical effects on the body, the actions and behaviors of someone experiencing it, and thoughts in keeping with that particular emotion.

In Out for Justice, the heroine, a homicide detective discovers that the latest victim of a serial killer is her cousin. Telling her reaction using a shallow point of view, we would say, “Lexi was shocked and horrified.” In deep point of view, the reader instead experiences those emotions with Lexi:

No.

Lexi shook her head. The ground seemed to tilt beneath her and she took a stumbling step backward to steady herself. A scream of protest clawed its way up her throat, followed by a wave of nausea that almost brought her to her knees.

Alan’s words finally penetrated her befuddled brain, several seconds too late.

“Lexi, it's Kayla.”

3. Try to eliminate dialogue tags as much as possible. By their very nature, dialogue tags (he said, she whispered, etc.) are “telling.” Action and emotion beats show the reader not only who is speaking but also what that character is thinking, feeling and doing. Instead of “talking heads,” we have real flesh-and-blood characters. In the following snippet of conversation from Trust My Heart, the action and emotion beats give the reader insight into the characters that simple tags wouldn’t.

She picked up her coffee cup and washed the Danish down with a loud slurp. “So you’re single? No wife? No girlfriend?”

He cocked a brow at the intrusion into his privacy. But something told him this fiery-haired Bernie wasn’t much for convention.

“I’m not married.” He’d made that mistake once. Two years and a quarter of a million dollars later, he was once again single.

“Don’t worry, you’re still young.” She gave his hand a couple of pats. “You’ve got plenty of time.”

He stifled a snort. Thirty wasn’t exactly young. And if single was an ailment, he wasn’t looking for a cure.

4. Incorporate sensory details. Showing what a character is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling is one of the most effective ways to immerse a reader into a scene. Choose two or three vivid details, but make sure they are things the character would reasonably notice at that time. Here is the beginning of a scene from Hidden Identity that incorporates the senses of sight and hearing.

Time moved at a snail’s pace.

Meagan sighed and dropped her gaze from the clock on the wall to the book of poetry lying open in her lap. Voices buzzed around her, and across the room, a mother tried to quiet a crying baby.

A half page later, the hero appears, and we have the senses of smell, sound and touch.

A familiar scent wafted toward her, the faintest hint of evergreen, tipped with spice. Her thoughts tumbled over one another.

“Mind if I interrupt your reading?” The voice close to her ear was liquid smooth, sending goose bumps cascading over her.

For more information on this topic, Kathrese McKee, author and editor, offers a great resource. She has written an amazing booklet titled Mastering Deep POV, which takes a passage, sentence by sentence, and transforms it from shallow to deep point of view. She offers the booklet free to all her newsletter subscribers. You can find her at http://www.wordmarkeredits.com/.

Now go back through your current work in progress and see how deep you can go. Reach into the heart of your character and tap into all that emotion. And step out of the way. Your reader will remember your story and characters long after THE END.

TWEETABLES

Going Deep: Elicit Greater Emotion Through DEEP POV by Carol J. Post (Click to Tweet)

Don’t just write about the character; become the character.~ Carol J. Post (Click to Tweet)

From medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol J. Post’s resume reads as if she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She currently pens fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense stories. Her books have been nominated for a RITA® award and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award.

Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida with her husband, who is her own real-life hero, and writes her stories under the shade of the huge oaks in her yard. Besides writing, she works alongside her music minister husband singing and playing the piano. She enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of a fat and sassy black cat and a highly spoiled dachshund.

Connect with Carol at her website, www.caroljpost.com, Facebook (www.facebook.com/caroljpost.author), or Twitter (www.twitter.com/caroljpost). For regular updates, sign up for Carol’s newsletter (http://bit.ly/2dKK9CE)

Book Blurb:

Grant McAllister arrives in Murphy, North Carolina, with one aim: to sell his inherited property and leave as quickly as possible. The big-city lawyer has no interest in his late, estranged grandparents or the dilapidated mansion he just acquired. After his high-profile divorce, he should be avoiding perky reporters, too. But Jami Carlisle is honest, funny, and undeniably appealing.

After breaking up with her safe-but-smothering boyfriend, Jami is determined to ace her first big assignment. A story about the McAllister estate is too intriguing to ignore—much like its handsome, commitment-phobic heir. Thanks to her digging, the pieces of Grant’s fraught family history are gradually fitting into place, but also upending all his old beliefs.

The two draw closer as they share their dreams, until misread signals and misunderstandings begin to test their trust. But in the unspoiled beauty of the Smoky Mountains, there’s healing and forgiveness to be found. And for Grant, this unplanned detour may be just what’s needed to finally guide him home…

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Edit, Declutter and Write! by Kelly Klepfer

Edit Your Life and Declutter Your Brain

by Kelly Klepfer

I want to downsize and move into a much tinier home. "Ok?" You might respond. "Whatever floats your boat. But the last time I looked this blog is about writing fiction."

Exactly. I'm headed there. The past couple years I've grown intrigued by the minimalism movement. Why? Because it is not about she with the fewest toys wins. It’s about curation. As a museum curates the art it contains and seeks, we have the option to choose only the best of what we want into our lives. It is like editing our lives.

An edit slices the unnecessary, the redundant, and the excess from our writing. I know this freshly firsthand because my co-authored book has been edited to death and reinvigorated by those edits. Out of the Frying Pan has been a long time coming. Michelle Griep and I started this novel nearly a decade ago. Though it spent many months of that decade in different doneness and languishing in our computers, the darn story just kept calling us back. We finished it. And then the fine tuning began. So, many edits later, it is polished and in book form and the editing process has become such a picture for me.

If you feel like you are not at your most productive or most focused, maybe you could benefit from decluttering your physical surroundings. Picture a sink with dirty dishes piled and a countertop full of cooking implements vs a full dishwasher, empty sink and wiped down gleaming counters. I'm going to guess you feel better looking at the second scenario. Our writing spaces aren't much different. They can get crowded with tools and evidence of our creativity. 

Raise your hand if you have back copies of writing magazines in your possession. How about a pen collection? More than one coffee/tea mug sitting on your desk? Idea boards covered in sticky notes on each wall so that you can't focus on what you are currently working on?

Do you sigh with anticipation when you sit to write in your space, or sigh in frustration? Or have you abandoned your quiet corner in your own home for the public hum of a coffee shop because your corner makes you want to scream?

Do you want a space to write that is just that? Or are you better suited to laptop and couch and your "office" has become the junk room? Honestly, I have discovered tremendous freedom in getting rid of the extraneous. There is less time spent organizing and cleaning spaces because I have deleted some of the stuff that filled those places.

Curating or editing my life has left me with a knowledge of items that are my favorite—items that bring me joy. 

3 Simple Steps to Editing Your Life

1) Editing includes getting rid of extra words that don't move the story forward. They slow reading down and muddy the waters. So, in your office/life, get rid of the obvious items that have no use, especially ones you have to relocate in order to work. With every stack of mail, or every shopping bag that comes into your home you bring unnecessary clutter. 

Go through the piles you've created. One piece of paper at a time. Toss/recycle or file every bit. Chances are real good most of it can be recycled. Take a photo or scan little items like important jotted notes or receipts and get rid of the paper. Put a box or file or whatever makes sense for you to keep on your desk for the detritus of paper that comes in and repeat this process weekly or monthly if not daily.

2) Redundancy in a manuscript is annoying and sloppy. Say it once and trust the reader to get it, right? So delete duplicate items in your life. Do you really need 27 pairs of socks? 40 pens? Or 15 sticky note pads? How about writing craft books? How many do you use/refer to/need? Now, you might be thinking about clutching these to your chest and whimpering. But think about the value they might have in someone else's life. What would you have given for a solid how-to-write book when starting out?

3) Lack of clarity in writing is death to your story. If the story is not clearly communicated you have not done your job. In life, lack of clarity can easily happen when you have too much stuff. White space is important in your area of creation. The bulletin boards around the office with little stickies are a useful tool, but if you still have three books worth of pictures and stickies on finished novels or way future projects how can you find what you are currently focused on? 

What can you do to minimize the visual clutter? Maybe transcribe all the notes onto a couple of index cards and file. Or take everything down, keep it in order and put it in a file until you need it. Do you have too many inspirational signs or pictures or collectibles around your desk? Gift friends with meaningful ones that you are ready to let go of to add more white space to your writing nook. How about candles or cozy items that have multiplied like bunny rabbits? Pick your favorites, put others elsewhere or out of the house and see if you don't feel like you can breathe a little deeper. 

Our muses are finicky enough. Don’t hide your inspiration behind piles of unnecessaries.

Kelly Klepfer had ambitions to graduate from the school of life quite awhile ago, but alas . . . she still attends and is tested regularly. Her co-authored cozy/quirky mystery, Out of the Frying Pan, is the culmination of several of the failed/passed tests. Kelly, though she lives with her husband, two Beagles and two hedgehogs in Iowa, can be found at Novel Rocket, Novel Reviews, Scrambled Dregs, Modern Day Mishaps, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter with flashes of brilliance (usually quotes), randomocities, and learned life lessons. Zula and Fern Hopkins and their shenanigans can be found at Zu-fer where you always get more than you bargained for. 

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Author Answers ~ Catching Up with Cynthia Ruchti

What two or three things would you do differently if you were starting your publishing career today?

Since I was 58 when my debut novel was published, I’d have to say, “Start earlier!” But on the other hand, I can trace back through thirty-three years of ministry in radio—a good portion of my adulthood—and see that God prepared me, informed me, deepened me, worked on maturing me (that process will never end), created empathy in me, and accomplished untold other prep work in me before I ever signed my first contract.

I would apply myself to better and more efficient filing methods if I were starting now. Not only do we have greater access to tools that help us accomplish that goal these days, but I understand all too well what it’s like to have bins of material that need filing, scraps of paper with a brilliant idea buried under other scraps of paper, and what it’s like to waste time re-researching a bit of information I already have somewhere in the office. And this is coming from an author who has a “decent” filing system. I’m working toward becoming more streamlined now, uncluttering the paper jam of my life. That too, I wish I’d started sooner.

What one issue makes you struggle the most as an author? How do you handle it?

By necessity, because of the many facets that accompany publication—marketing, reader communication, research, development, editing, planning, interviews, conferences, speaking—and because, like many authors, I have a day job too, finding the sweet spot in time management is always an issue. What is most important for this moment? Some people have a word of the year. This year, I felt led to adopt a three-word phase that has often helped guide me in time management decision-making. My phrase for 2016 is “More of Less?” The question mark is there intentionally. Throughout the day, I ask, “Do I need more of this in my life or less of it?” It’s been an exercise that causes me to approach every assignment and every request with greater intentionality. And when I ask the question, I’m asking both myself and God…and listening for His answer.

What one issue ignites your passion? Does your passion fuel your writing? What would you do with your life if you didn't write?

My writing tagline, but also for my life, in its extended version (my tagline, although let’s say my extended life, too!) is “I can’t unravel. I’m hemmed in Hope.” Landing on that tagline was like coming home to harbor. It seems to fit what I believe, what I practice, what I write, and what I long to pour into others. The stories I’m compelled to write are not all happy-happy-joy-joy stories. They’re careful, intimate, sometimes raw peeks into the very real struggles humans face, and sometimes the ones we don’t want to admit—like the character who isn’t sure she wants to be around her husband that much in retirement (Song of Silence from Abingdon Press). But hope isn’t just the last paragraph of the final chapter. It is woven throughout the story, even in the tough parts, because that’s what God does. He hems us in hope so we can bear life’s ravages—emotional, financial, health-wise, spiritual—without unraveling.

If I didn’t write, I would find some outlet where I could continue to encourage people with the irresistible wonder that God has created hope for every situation we can face.

And I’d consider editing or coaching other communicators. Or…take on more speaking opportunities for women’s events.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work, or struggle in a particular area such as writers block or angst driven head-banging against walls? Please share some helpful overcoming hints that you’ve discovered.

I’m just now getting serious about the benefits of setting a timer to create boundaries for writing and intentional breaks for moving and accomplishing the non-writing facets of this business. I’m finding my rhythm in about twenty-five or thirty-minute block of focused writing interspersed with ten-minute blocks (the recommendation is five, but ten works better for me) in which I keep myself from writing (unless in the last throes of a deadline) and force myself to walk around, unload the dishwasher, exercise, check email, put a stamp on an envelope, tidy the family room… Anything that is not actual writing. I implemented the plan—my home-tweaked version of the popular Pomodoro Technique—in the last two weeks of a very tight deadline. My productivity increased, and I felt as if I were still engaged in home life, rather than completely ignoring it. The body needs to move, but if I sat at my computer until the work was done, I never would move. The work is never “done.” And that is a natural frustration to my personality type. I’ve made it a regular practice now. It’s bringing a sense of energy to my writing, greater efficiency (although I had to DO it before I was convinced it could), keeps me from endless minutes or more staring at a blank screen because I’m eager to get back to the manuscript, manages distractions in a positive way, and also manages my guilt for what I in the past wasn’t accomplishing when in writer mode.

What is your favorite source for finding story ideas?

Life. More specifically, listening to life.

The kind of stories I’m compelled to write are inspired by listening to people’s heartaches, the story of their struggles, and watching for where that intersects with God’s story.

I find ideas—whether for fiction, nonfiction, or devotions—by staying alert and looking for the story in any small incident or observation.

One of my first fiction instructors had us create a paragraph in fifteen minutes centered on something in that room. “What item?” He said, “Pick one. It doesn’t matter. There’s a story everywhere you look.” I’ve taken that to heart and found it not only true but empathy-building.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why? (Doesn't have to be one of your books or even published.)

I don’t look the type, don’t fit the profile, but I was challenged to write a Spoken Word piece for a specific sermon our pastor intended to preach the following Sunday. He wanted a Spoken Word on the Old Testament Joseph and the story of his going from a literal pit, thrown there by his brothers, to a place of prominence where the salvation of his nation depended on his forgiving his brothers. I had a heavy schedule at the time and told him, “I’ll try. But if it doesn’t come quickly, I’ll have to say no.” Within an hour, I emailed the piece to him, and reread it as if seeing it for the first time. An “in the zone” experience.

Since then I’ve done two other Spoken Word pieces—one for Christmas and one for Easter. I can’t say I’m “proud” of them, but that I am blessed to have been given the challenge, and stirred by how God poured His thoughts into me when I approached as an empty vessel ready to be filled.

It also reminded me of the power of poetry, and its importance in communicating deep truths. Sometimes when I’m in a rut in my writing, I’ll stop and read poetry. It restores my infatuation with the beauty and musicality of writing, the love of language, and the power of story.

What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?

I’m one of those writers who needs a title to inspire me as I write. It’s so much more difficult for me to create chapters, plots, characters, if I don’t have a title in mind, even if it isn’t the final title the publisher and I agree on.

What gives you the greatest writer buzz, makes the trip worth the hassles (besides coffee or other substances, or course)?

My heart swells with joy when I read a note from a reader or a reviewer that shows they “got” what I attempted to communicate through story. But more thrilling than that is a reader whose life was enriched, comforted, encouraged, or newly hemmed in hope because of their connection with something I’ve written. It means I got out of the way so God could say what He wanted to say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in hope through her novels, novellas, nonfiction books, articles, and devotionals, drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry. Ruchti has 17 books in print, and her books have received numerous awards and nominations.

One of Ruchti’s greatest joys is helping other writers grow in their craft. To that end, she has served as worship and devotions staff and faculty for the Write-to-Publish conference and teaches at other writers’ conferences across the country and internationally as opportunities arise. She also serves as the professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers.

To keep up with Cynthia Ruchti, visit www.cynthiaruchti.com. You can also follow her on Facebook (Cynthia Ruchti), Twitter (@cynthiaruchti), and Pinterest (cynthiaruchti).

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