Thinking In Scenes

As I write, I can literally see scenes unfolding before my eyes. Images bring the story to life. I see the setting before I describe it. I watch my characters move through it. Light falls across a room. Shadows lengthen. A glance changes the meaning of a conversation. Being a visual artist has taught me to write scenes before sentences. It is film that has made my novels cinematic.

I am a fan of Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. His thrillers can be watched over and over always revealing another new detail showcasing his craftsmanship. I revel in his ability to use sets to express mood. Rear Window is my favorite, though I will watch any Hitchcock film that’s on. Such a simple premise. A man trapped in his apartment overlooking a courtyard full of normal everyday folks. Except one has murdered his wife.

Hitchcock never lets the camera leave the apartment. We know only what Jimmy Stewart knows. We see only what he sees. Even when Grace Kelly crosses the courtyard to search the murderer's apartment, we're left behind at the window, waiting helplessly.

It’s magic. The constraint creates the suspense. Hitchcock refuses to give us the whole story. Instead, he leaks clues one at a time until we're certain we understand what's happening … just before we discover we don't. The audience is held prisoner in the apartment, waiting alongside Jimmy. Hitchcock sees it as delightful.

Jimmy sits alone. Grace is out of frame. The phone rings and Jimmy answers, thinking it’s his detective friend, but it’s not. With a greater sense of dread, he knows he’s vulnerable only to realize he's betrayed his solitary vigil to the murderous neighbor. The man across the courtyard opens the apartment door and enters. The audience’s frame of reference is violated by the murderer, trying to eliminate the only witness to his crime. The climax leaves Jimmy hanging out of the window, literally breaking through the window frame which has been our reference perspective for the entire movie.

All of it works to preserve the audience’s suspense. Small room. Tight shots. Dread and worry. Murder at the door. Delicious. It's marvelous cinematography, acting, lighting, and set design working together to achieve Hitchcock’s exceptional suspense.

Keeping my stories constrained. Keeping my readers engaged is what film has taught me. Does my story compel my reader to turn the page? Do they work their logical mind to predict the end? Does the whole production leave the reader satisfied?

I see my novels as films before I see them as books. I want them to be well constructed stories with unforgettable characters living unimaginable lives. A failure for me in a movie is a predictable ending. So, in discovering my novel’s trajectory I often ask myself, would I predict this next scene? Would I predict this ending? If I can predict the next scene, so can the reader. That's when I stop and ask my characters what they want to do instead. Their answer usually surprises me.

When a new story begins to take shape, I don't see words first—I see a film. I scout locations. I cast characters. I block scenes. I edit conversations. Only then do I begin writing. By the time the first sentence reaches the page, I've already watched much of the novel unfold in my imagination. The writing is simply my invitation for readers to see it too.

Of course, it never hurts to have a bowl of buttered popcorn nearby.