# Writing considered as movie making



## ShortHair (Aug 13, 2012)

Sorry if this idea has been discussed already, couldn't find it.

When you make a movie, you have a script, a cast, a crew, locations, all the ingredients. Until you start shooting, though, you don't have a movie.

With writing, until you start putting words on paper, you don't have a story. You may have a plot, some characters, and a setting, but they don't mean anything by themselves.

Here's my point. When you write a scene, consider it the first take. A director doesn't necessarily have the luxury of reassembling all his ingredients to shoot it over, so he'll do the same scene several times or until he gets something he likes.

On the other hand, you as writer can come back to any scene at any time. You can change a line, a facial expression, the color of the drapes, the mood, the whole point of the scene. All you have to do is change a few words. You're the ultimate director. If you don't like something, change it, or change it back, or do something completely different.

Time and time again writers tell me they've painted themselves into a corner. I say, you created the house, take away the paint, take away the corner, take away the room, take away the house if you must. When you can't come up with an answer, change the question.


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## JCFarnham (Aug 13, 2012)

ShortHair said:
			
		

> Time and time again writers tell me they've painted themselves into a corner.



Whenever I hear someone say this I can't help but think "Really? That's what you're thinking?"



			
				ShortHair said:
			
		

> I say, you created the house, take away the paint, take away the  corner, take away the room, take away the house if you must. When you  can't come up with an answer, change the question.



Exactly. There is practically nothing you can't do with your novel


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## danr62 (Aug 13, 2012)

This reminds me of the time I was in a novice movie for a church project. We shot the same things over and over and over again. It was really annoying.

I can see writing yourself into the corner if you've got a series going and have already published books in the series. You have  shown your audience the rules of your world and your character's personalities, so you have to work within the constrainsts you've created for yourself in order to solve problems in a satisfying way.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Aug 13, 2012)

danr62 said:
			
		

> you have to work within the constrainsts you've created for yourself in order to solve problems in a satisfying way.



That's why writing yourself in a corner is a good thing. You have to be clever (or should I say the characters must be clever) to get out.


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