C. S. Lakin here wishing all a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are feeling truly thankful for all the blessings God showers on us daily. We should all be thanking him daily, not just one day a year, for because of him we breath and move and have our being, as Paul says in Acts.
I thought I would share a critique checklist I put together for my soon-to-be-launched-but-nowhere-near-ready-yet new website www.CritiqueMyManuscript.com, which will be solely devoted to critique services for writers.
Hi everyone, C. S. Lakin here with some useful info on novel writing, seeing as many are participating in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). I can't think of anything I'd rather do less, since I write two novels a year and spend all the rest of my work time reading, editing, and critiquing manuscripts--mostly novels. But I know for some people it's a great discipline.
Hi, C. S. Lakin back again to discuss further using a cinematic lens in crafting your novel. We looked at a number of camera angles that you can use in your scenes to give them a dynamic structure as well as point your reader to pay attention to the things you want her to notice. Deliberately writing your scenes using camera technique will take your writing to a more visually powerful level than ever before.
Hi, C. S. Lakin back to discuss further how to use camera techniques in creating scenes for your novel.
We looked last time at the two types of camera angles--static and dynamic or moving. I discussed how there are numerous camera angles that are stationary, such as Close-up, Establishing Shot, and Long Shot, and these are effective and useful in sections of your scene. But I began to show you how important it is, in creating a powerful and engaging scene, to move your camera to lead your reader to notice what you want her to notice. I'm going to give you some examples of how to step back and consider ways to utilize great camera technique to create a powerful novel.
C. S. Lakin here continuing on the topic of using a cinematic lens to create visually stirring scenes.
My last two posts were basically an introduction to the concept of utilizing camera angles found in screenplays in a deliberate way in constructing a novel. I say deliberate because many of us unknowingly use camera directives instinctively. I’m sure some of that “instinct” comes from the thousands of hours we have all spent watching TV and movies throughout our lives, and these subconscious camera angles we use infiltrate our fiction writing. That can be a good thing. My hope is that by learning about different camera techniques and why they are effective, you will choose to consciously use them for a specific effect.
Hello from C. S. Lakin. Hope you are all enjoying the start of summer. Last month I gave an introduction to this series on using camera and filming techniques in your novel. Having been raised in the world of television and exposed to hundreds of screenplays gave me a cinematic slant on my writing. The first things I wrote as a child were plays and short stories that read like a movie script and TV episode pitches. And when I moved into writing novels twenty-five years ago, I carried over the way I see scenes unfolding.
Continue reading "Creating a Visually Dynamic Novel ~ Part 2" »
Hi Susanne (C. S.) Lakin back again for more on the writing craft. We just covered a few sessions on first scene structure, and there is so much more to that. However, since I'm gearing up to start teaching workshops at conferences this summer and fall on screenwriting-related topics, I thought I'd share some of the techniques I'll be teaching on. In particular, how to utilize camera direction in your novel to make it dynamic and physically "moving" as opposed to static, which is often the case in scene structure.
Continue reading "Creating a Visually Dynamic Novel Part 1" »
C. S. Lakin here continuing with first scene essentials. We've gone over numerous elements that need to appear in your first scene, including the asking of the MDQs--the major dramatic queries--both plot-related and spiritual-related. I thought what I'd do today is share my first page checklist I use when doing one-on-one critiques with editing and writing clients at conferences. This is something you can copy and paste into your own document, add elements of your own if desired, and keep it in your writing notebook or file folder or tape it to your wall above your work station.
Hi, Susanne (C. S.) Lakin here with part two on first scene essentials. To briefly review what I introduced last month, I'll mention the first important elements again (and if you want more elaboration, retrieve that blog entry and peruse it).
Some of the main points discussed involved picking just the right starting place to begin your book. This means the story starts in present action, in the middle of something happening, with your POV character right in the situation and revealing her (or his) fears, dreams, needs, or goals and the obstacle that is in the way and presenting a problem. The visible "goal" of your protagonist needs to be revealed in some measure in the first few pages, and what we'll explore today is the need to establish both the plot question and the spiritual question your book is raising.
It's C. S. Lakin here with writing tips for the last Friday of the month.Because I read hundreds of first chapters of novels a year as a writing coach and copyeditor, I've been compiling my list of essentials for a first scene. When you think of all you have to accomplish in the first few pages of a novel, you really understand how writing a great first scene requires numerous hours of study, practice, and concentration. It takes examining successful, long-lasting novels to see how that first scene was constructed. Have you ever read a first chapter that took your breath away? Made you cry? Shocked you? If you can accomplish an emotional reaction in your reader that quickly--hopefully by a quick attachment to your protagonist--half your battle is won.
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