Your Monday mote

Seeing my book like a screenplay (and that's okay)

Photo by Pereanu Sebastian on Unsplash

I was going to call this post “On writing a scrovel” but despite my love of portmanteaus, even I had to admit that sounds a bit dubious.

Here’s the thing. When I finally sat down (stood up, sat in bed, perched on a bench etc) to write my first novel, I assumed I'd have to throw away everything I knew from screenwriting.

Novels are sprawling, free-wheeling beasts, while scripts are tightly structured and neatly organised into acts, arcs and scenes, right? They’re totally different. Or so I thought because, in fact, what I’ve found is that instead of getting in the way, my screenwriting brain is actually helping me.

Because when you come from a background where you're trained to think in terms of story beats, acts, reversals, set pieces and pay-offs, you can't help but see a novel a bit like a giant, luxurious screenplay.

Each chapter feels like a scene. Each section break feels like the end of an act. And rather than feeling boxed in, it’s giving me a brilliant kind of scaffolding to build the story.

Yes, sometimes I wonder if I'm doing it ‘wrong’ but then I remind myself that there is no wrong. A story needs momentum, whether it’s being read or watched. It needs rhythm, escalation, moments of stillness and big emotional turns. These are just as crucial in novels as they are on screen.

I’m over 12,000 words in now (surely that deserves a medal or some kind or chocolate-coated biscuit?) and something must be working, because the story is flowing and characters are surprising me in the best possible ways.

Of course, there will be more drafts and editing. A LOT of editing. But I’m starting to realise the shape I'm seeing isn’t a limitation but a strength. It's giving me a backbone to build around, while still allowing all the gorgeous detail, voice and interior life that a novel demands.

I’ve noticed that if I ever feel doubt at the use of my three-act brain, I’ve been able to remind myself that this is only the first draft - and that no-one cares. Nothing is at stake.

The important thing is to keep going, one scene, one chapter, one page at a time. It’s showing me that sometimes, the thing you think might trip you up, ends up being the thing that keeps you moving.

SCROVEL FOREVER!

SCROVEL FOR LIFE!

Lisa