How writing a novel differs from writing a screenplay: my last post on STORY

February 24, 2014February 24, 2014beccakinla advice, stories, style, Uncategorized, writer, writing, writing process Tags: advice, book, compare, comparing writing a novel with screen writing, difference, film, guidance, lessons, manual, McKee, movies, novel, process, Robert McKee, screenplay, screenwriting, story, storytelling, strategies, writer, writing Leave a comment

After reading my earlier posts on STORY, you might think I’m 100% sold on the book. I have to admit that I’m a fan, but I do have some quibbles, largely on the adoption of screenwriting techniques for short story or novel writing.

Differences between writing for readers and for viewers that limit the utility of STORY:

1) (The only one I noticed pointed out by McKee) You may get inside the characters heads and explore their thoughts in literature. This creates a greater intimacy between the narrator and the reader. It also means the conflict can be much more subtle and much more interior.

2) Some readers like descriptive, sensory details that can’t be experienced with film — smell and touch can be better evoked, for example (unless you’re viewing in smell-o-rama).

3) The audience must work harder when reading print–in a good way.

4) When contrasted with other useful literary guides, you see some shortfalls. Continue reading →

Most writers procrastinate. But why?

February 18, 2014beccakinla advice, authors, preparing, writer, writing, writing process Tags: article in Atlantic, bright, challenge, delay, distraction, effort, excuses, fear of failure, gifted, praise, procrastination, psychology, put off, school, schooling, talent, why, writer, writer's block, writers 4 Comments

My best friend and fellow writer, Cy, sent me a link to an article in the current Atlantic about why writers are infamous procrastinators. Read it here and tell me what you think. And don’t forget to include the reasons you procrastinate in your comment. Personally, it took a relative taking me aside and disabusing me of the notion that talent is the source of success (or even deserves any praise). But my current biggest barrier to writing is poor time management. I tend to pick distractions or less important writing tasks over the more serious ones.

More about McKee’s STORY: How two of my stories measured up

February 17, 2014February 17, 2014beccakinla advice, authors, movie, novel, novels, writer, writing, writing process Tags: action and reaction, analysis, character, dissection, film, literary analysis, literature, McKee, novel, organizing, planning, prewriting, reflection, rewriting, Robert McKee, scene, screenwriting, stories, story, structure, the gap, writing, writing process Leave a comment

I’m still reading STORY and have so much to say on its utility that you’ll just have to bear with me for a few more posts on it.

THE GAP

Writer! Mind the gap!

McKee has a theory that the material a story is made of is not words, not paper and pen (or computer) but something he calls the GAP. The Gap develops when a main character acts and discovers that his/her expectations regarding the response s/he’s going to get conflict with the reaction s/he really gets. This discrepancy forces the character to adjust and change.

Continue reading →

Reading books on writing–STORY by Robert McKee and how writers cope with limits

February 12, 2014February 12, 2014beccakinla advice, writer, writing, writing process Tags: challenge, conventions, creative limitations, genre, limit, Robert McKee, screenwriting, story, theme, write, writer, writing Leave a comment

“But it’s about screenwriting!” I said.

Story, by Robert McKee is a book that has come up again and again with my writing friends. A colleague even coached me in some of McKee’s techniques. And I’ve recommended it to random people in the library looking for books on screenwriting. But it was not something I’d ever actually read.

I think my block was this: I’m not planning to write a movie. I haven’t even seen one in a theater for (it’s now official!) ten years. Why would I read a book about screenwriting?

Taking the Plunge

After listening to so many novelists and other writers praise the book, I finally decided to read Story.

It’s fascinating so far.

One of the issues that came up in the bit I read today was about the conventions of genre. Continue reading →

Coping with rejection, again.

February 9, 2014beccakinla advice, persistence, rejection, rejection letters, review, revision, writer, writing, writing process Tags: bad, bouncing back, character, cope, coping, cry, editor, good, humble, rejection, tears, write, writer, writing 4 Comments

Okay, so I’ve written about rejection a lot of times. Like, a whole lotta times. But since the story I revised and returned to my wonderful editor is still deemed insufficiently engaging by her, I’m coping with rejection again. (Honestly, she gave me the option of cutting half its length, but I have officially washed my hands of the whole situation.) If I have to cope with it, I might as well post about it. Continue reading →

Exploring other media to conquer writer’s block

February 6, 2014February 3, 2014beccakinla advice, art project, frustration, poem, poetry, writer, writing, writing implements, writing process Tags: art, bad day, blahs, blues, blurry, brain, collage, conquer, creative, creativity, fix, frustration, fuzzy thinking, media, multimedia, nervous, overcome, poem, poetry, project, reboot, snap out of it, trick, trickery, writer, writer's block, writing 3 Comments

So, earlier this week, I had a case of the blahs. I suppose I didn’t technically have writer’s block–the problem was more that I didn’t want to do anything, not that I couldn’t write–but the results were the same.

My muddle

My best friend phoned. I told her my sad story. I didn’t want to write. I felt uncreative and just foggy in the head. She suggested I do something different, maybe go for a walk. Just don’t even try to write. Reboot.

The way out

For some reason, I’ve been getting back into art gradually over the last year. As a child and teen, I loved art, but like many people quit when I realized my mediocrity.

My collage poem.

I’ve been taking a lot of photos lately, even framing them and displaying them in my home. I’ve done a bit of sketching, as well, although that tends to send me back to a place where all I see is my lack of skill instead of getting pleasure from exercising what skill I have.

Anyway, after my phone call, I was itching to make a collage. I didn’t give into the itch right away, but as my kids settled in for homework this evening, I grabbed a couple magazines and a pair of scissors. Continue reading →

Rebecca Klempner

Author page of Rebecca Klempner

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How writing a novel differs from writing a screenplay: my last post on STORY

Differences between writing for readers and for viewers that limit the utility of STORY:

Most writers procrastinate. But why?