Do you guys do the same thing I do? It could be just because of my movie fascination and the fact that I was in theater for so long, but whenever I write I tend to try and take a cinematic approach to it. Meaning I tend to think of how it would play out on a movie screen and then write it like that. Does this make sense? And does anyone else try this approach also? Or am I just losing my mind? -TY
No, I understand what you mean. I often do the same thing, while it's not actually my intent, though. I just start dreaming about my story and then I imagine it as a movie and sometimes it seems like things become clearer somehow (lol)...
Well its good to know I'm not completely bonkers. But it does seem to help! Me being primarily a fantasy and sci-fi writer I love to view scenes with a more cinematic approach, this appears to help more when doing fight scenes, large scale or not.
I wouldn't go so far as to say I write like a screenplay but I do tend to visualise 'scenes' to the extent that I'll even channel details about the characters' surroundings so I can write about them. Sometimes when I'm lacking inspiration I actually watch movies as a way to trigger something or even to help with description. So no, it's not unusual at all. I hope.
No, not like a screenplay. What I am doing is I just imagine like a battle scene, I would think of the camera panning from the feet of the charging horse, to the man riding the horse, and eventually to the target of the charge; I describe it then as such, the feet of the horse, the rider, and the terrified recipients of the point of the spear. Make more sense?
I do it all of the time but I think that I may need to stop as it seems to kind of make it harder to realize that books can't be the same things movies do and vice versa. The glory of writing though is that as a writer you have no budget except for that one set by your imagination and skill with words.
I refer to the cinematic approach as a popcorn POV. What's Your Point (of View)? I see it as something to be avoided, because it distances the reader from the action. The reader isn't in the scene, the reader is watching the scene.
I guess it appears that, like any other point of view, popcorn POV amplifies in effectiveness when used in conjunction with another point of view as well?
I probably write this way, myself. I feel the little quirks of my characters' physical actions are important parts of them and so I often catch myself going too far into detail. I should have gone into screenplays! Hah!
I usually use movies (as well other visual media) as a quick reference, in conjunction with TV Tropes. BUT, I never copy the movie and describe every detail, not even if it's just a writing exercise. Imagine the mess of dialogue it would've been! The only exception is probably scrip writing. The differences is usually because movies have the edge of visual aid whereas writers don't so we have to work the extra mile in describing the scenes in detail but at least we're better in elaborating a moving plot where as TV especially any TV series usually have these 'fillers'. And IMO, we can also get into the minds of characters easily than movies do, hence more sympathetic characters. If we must turn a movie into a book (which hardly happens since it's more of the other way around.) I think it's not important to go into complete detail of everything into account or all you have is a paragraph full of descriptions and less of interest. Write what moves the story, not what is in the story.
Well yeah, I see what you mean, but I wasn't really going that way with it. I wouldn't ever write movie like diologue in my book, that would kill not only myself but also my reader, for sure. What I am talking about is those bits where you have to describe an action packed situation, or some sort of important landscape or something. I describe it like I'm the camera panning in an epic way across the landscape and whatnot. But as said before, this point of view is probably best used like others: in conjunction with different POV's.
I LOVE this type of writing style! I don't see it done very often, but it is VERY cool. I sometimes try my hand at it, but I get confused on certain parts. Popcorn POV is amazing, in my opinion. It's very hard to do, though. If you have any writing with that style, I'd LOVE to read some. See, I'm a movie fanatic too, so this is perfect!
Well that is pretty rockin! I mean, I know I like to try and envision my writing like a movie before I actually write it, not sure if it comes out as cool as it should... but still! Practice makes perfect!
I do the same thing. I don't know how much it affects my writing, however. I tend to visualise the scene (or multiple scenes in a chapter) the same way I'd visualise film action sequences. I'll see [this] character running over to [that] control panel, looking up as an enemy runs around the bend in the corridor and the fear coming into their eyes, dropping what they're doing an sprinting the other way, etc. This is an excerpt out of the novel I'm writing. I can visualise the scene playing out in my head, sometimes from the perspective of the man, sometimes from a 'cinematic' point-of-view.
I've found this for my opening in my own thoughts (it's not explicitly written down yet), however; I am trying to set the mood in this way, and as long as I use the right descriptions among other things, I think I'll be able to avoid isolating the reader.
Thanks. I did actually notice that it felt a little removed from my protagonist's point-of-view and merely changing some "he"'s to "Quin" and some other minor changes, it brings the reader closer to his experience instead of a cinematic POV experience.
If that's the way you write, TY, why should you question it? You shouldn't let other people dictate the way you write. If a method works, why should you let someone else tell you that it's a bad method? And if it doesn't work, then it's up to you to change it. Decide for yourself whether your method works or not.
Well I wasn't really taking advice on this, I was just curious as to if others did it or not, and if there were other methods of going about this, and if so should I get some ideas. See?
I understand what you mean, TY. I just wanted to warn you against taking other people's opinions above your own, because a lot of people on this site do that (unfortunately). It sounds like an interesting strategy, and I do use it from time to time. I mean, I always imagine scenes play out kind of like that, though maybe not the exact camera angles and such.
I appreciate the warning Yeah, I get where you're coming from here, I do try to imagine it as an epic like movie and then write it out like that, not sure if it works but meh, I like it XD
Satisfaction travels the road of complacency to a comfortable mediocrity. To become a better writer, you need to question, and to learn. You experiment, but not to be different. You experiment to learn why some things work well, and why others do not. Eventually, you may even choose to tackle some of the approaches that rarely work, to discover if there are circumstances for which the narrow and treacherous trail gets you somewhere you could not otherwise find. But is that a good strategy for a new writer? Would you send a city-born Cub Scout on a solo twenty mile cross-country trek though the Everglades?
