Many of us were raised watching thousands of movies and television shows. The style, technique and methods used in film and TV are so familiar to us, we process them comfortably. To some degree, we now expect these elements to appear in the novels we read — if not consciously, then subconsciously.<\/p>\n
We know what makes a great, riveting scene<\/a> in a movie, and what makes a boring one — at least viscerally. And though our tastes differ, certainly, for the most part we agree when a scene \u201cworks\u201d or doesn\u2019t. It either accomplishes what the writer or director has set out to do, or it flops.<\/p>\n As writers, we can learn from this visual storytelling; what makes a great movie can also strengthen a novel or short story.<\/b> Much of the technique filmmakers use can be adapted to fiction writing.<\/p>\n Just as your novel comprises a string of scenes that flow together to tell your story, so do movies and television shows.<\/p>\n However, as a novelist, you lay out your scenes much differently from the way a screenwriter or director does. Whereas you might see each of your scenes as integrated, encapsulated moments of time, a movie director sees each scene as a compilation of a number of segments or pieces<\/i> — <\/i>a collection of camera shots that are subsequently edited and fit together to create that seamless \u201cmoment of time.\u201d By thinking in terms of segments in creating each scene, writers can create a dynamic, visually powerful story.<\/b><\/p>\n So how can novelists structure scenes with cinematic technique in a way that will supercharge their writing? Here are six steps that will help you structure your novel as if you were a filmmaker:<\/p>\n Think through your scene and try to break it up into a number of key moments. First, you have the opening shot that establishes the scene and setting. Then, identify some key moments in which something important happens, like a complication or twist, then jot those down.<\/p>\n Then write down the key <\/i>moment in the scene \u00a0— the \u201chigh moment\u201d — that reveals something important about the plot or characters. That should come right at or very near the end. You may have an additional moment following that is the reaction or repercussion of the high moment.<\/p>\n Now you have a list of \u201ccamera shots.\u201d Think of each segment on your list, then imagine where your \u201ccamera\u201d needs to be to film this segment.<\/p>\nBreak up your scenes into segments<\/b><\/h2>\n
1. Identify key moments<\/b><\/h2>\n
2. Consider your POV<\/b><\/h2>\n