17 Screenwriting Scenes to Use in Your Novel

by Guest blogger Amanda Patterson

Hope you enjoy the following guest blog. I certainly did. --Elva Martin

17 Screenwriting Scenes To Use In Your Novel

I found this list of the 17 most common scenes found in screenplays on The Script Lab and it got me thinking that authors can, and do, use all of these when writing novels. When we write books, we tell a story in scenes (action) and sequels (reaction). I divided the screenplay scenes, with their given definitions, into these two groups.

Although you are not writing a screenplay, these 17 scenes may give you more ideas for creating conflict, and, for making peace, in your plotting.

Scenes: This is where your characters act. They mostly plan, seduce, argue, escape, search, meet, talk, pursue and investigate in scenes. Scenes take up about 70% of your novel. 

1. Preparation - What will it take to prepare for the task at hand?
2. Revelation - The reader/audience finds out something important.
3. Investigation - Gathering information.
4. Recognition - The character finds out something important.
5. The Gift - Using a prop with emotional investment and turning it into a weapon, emotional or otherwise.
6. Escape - The character is trying to get away, avoid, or hide.
7. Pursuit - The character is trying to follow, capture, or secure.
8. Seduction - Someone must convince someone else.
9. Opposites - Two characters from seemingly opposite poles are forced together.
10. Unexpected Visitor - Someone unexpected shows up. Problems arise.
11. Reversal of Expectations - A character expects a certain, very clear outcome, but another character surprises him, influencing him to reverse his intention and do something else - practically the opposite of what he planned to do.

Sequels: This is where your characters react. They think, reflect, process, rest, accept, and make peace in sequels. Sequels are also used to establish setting, reveal backstory, and show theme. 

1. Setting - Where are we?
2. Atmosphere/Mood - What is it like there?
3. Introduction - Who is it we are dealing with here?
4. Exposition - Necessary information through telling. Quick and brief.
5. Transition - Getting from one place to another. Fast.
6. Aftermath - How does the character feel about what just happened? 

I hope these scene ideas inspire you when you write your book.

If you want to learn how to write a book, join our Writers Write course in Johannesburg. 

 by Amanda Patterson. Follow her on Pinterest, Facebook,  Google+,  Tumblr  and Twitter. 

If you enjoyed this post, read:

• The 16 Top-Earning Authors - 2015
• Make Me Care - Nine Ways To Ensure An Unforgettable Read
• Social Media 101 Series      

Hope you'll comment if you enjoyed this guest blog and share on Twitter and FB.

Elva Cobb Martin 

My Writers' Coat of Many Colors

by Elva Cobb Martin

Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors to show the great love he had for this son.

Contrary to branding principles we're told to follow, I believe Father God has given me (and many of you) a writers' coat of several colors.


I am writing fiction and nonfiction, articles, devotions, and contemporary and historical romance novels. I have written a number of poems and a pourquoi children's story.

 I even have a cozy romantic mystery on the back burner whistling like a tea kettle.

But the latest "color" on my palette is an independently published mini-book, Power Over Satan. Publishing my brief Bible teachings and seminars, a long-time goal, is now becoming a reality. This 40-page book is a primer on the believer's authority and how to discern

and overcome attacks of the enemy. It includes many stories of people who have done just that, including my law officer son who chases criminals using not only his law enforcement authority, but powerful spiritual warfare principles as well. Just released on Amazon in both ebook and print, find it here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N28ORG0

I trekked across the Alps and forded many rivers learning how to indy publish on Amazon.

But that's another blog.

What about you? Have you found a single brand, genre or type of writing that is bringing you the fulfillment you are seeking as a writer? Or do you long to stretch your wings and soar over the walls of "specific brand" to new places the Lord might be leading you to and your heart beats faster to even think about them?

Joseph's coat of many colors led him into trouble and red-hot-lips testing. But, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of Joseph's story" included fame, fortune and being exactly in God's plan for not only himself, but for his family and a new nation being birthed during hopeless times.

 Thanks for dropping by and please do leave a comment and share on Twitter and Face book if you think this article might not bore others.

May you find joy in all you write! Except for that pesky editing. I pray you find endurance and diligence for that.
Elva Cobb Martin

My GPS Writing Life: Recalculating

by Elva Cobb Martin

Driving the other day with our GPS, I suddenly saw how my writing life resembles this navigational gadget. My husband looked on with raised brows as I burst into uproarious laughter. If you read on, get ready to laugh and release some healthy endorphins into your system.

In writing I “put in” my goals and happily slam my foot on the gas doing what I love most these days, writing. But then I find the pavement running out from beneath my wings and must “recalculate.”

Goal: Write the dream novel.

Fall in love with an idea, a genre, a character, a setting, a theme.
Research, research and read tons of novel writing books.
Join a writers’ group.
Attend an expensive writers’ conference.
Plan like crazy getting the main plot points, conflict, MRU’s in order.
Gas up to the speed limit, getting the first draft down on paper.

Email: “Cozy mysteries are no longer selling well.”       Recalculating

 

Goal: Get an Agent

Research sites, friends, writing groups, the kitchen sink and the fence post for good measure.
Research query letters.
Research agents not on the any kind of predator list and their submission guidelines and blogs.
Revise, critique, and polish the query. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Send it to The Agent.

Email: “Sorry The Agent is no longer accepting fiction clients.”  Recalculating

Goal: Submit to an Editor Myself

Research fiction editors and publishers. Repeat, repeat.
Learn how to do a great One Sheet.
Join or start another writers’ group heavy on critiquing.
Attend some more expensive writers’ conferences.
Get editor appointments.
Get some nibbles.
Memorize every word the editors say.
Revise, get critiques, polish, check DPOV, pesky words and tricky errors. Repeat till done (or till you hate the novel).
Send full ms to first editor asap.

First editor response: I really like this but we have just bought a novel with similar theme and setting. Sorry.

Repeat most of the above.

Second editor response: I like this so far, but we are really looking for novels of 95,000 – 100,000 words. Yor're about 20,000 short. Sorry.

Repeat most of the above.

Third editor response: I like this but it’s too wordy. You need to cut about 20,000 words.

RECALCULATING! ---The thing I now do best.

 

What about your writing life? Ever feel like you are on a GPS merry-go-round?

The good news is that my auto GPS, most of the time, even with several recalculations, manages to get me to my destination. I hope the same holds true for my writing life, especially since I have the best model on the market, GHS, God's Holy Spirit.

Somehow I believe we will get somewhere.



If this article made you smile and feel less alone as a writer on the uphill, curvy journey to publication, please leave a comment, tweet it and share on Face book.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Elva Cobb Martin

How to Write a Query Letter for a Novel - Part 2

Hello! Glad you stopped by.

In Part 1 of How to Write a Query Letter for a Novel, we gave you an example of a query letter I wrote recently that received a quick reply and request for a full manuscript (ms). We promised in Part 2 to go over the parts of the query letter for a novel to an agent or editor. It's all about getting their attention. But you don't want to give them a headache or get one yourself!

To begin with, fiction editors and agents are busy people.They like a quick view to get hold of your idea to see if it can be a fit for them. Most of them require a query to be only one page, so you have to hook them with something brief. Brief is beautiful to busy people. Here's how I do it:

Subject Line: (I like to put the agent or editor’s name I am addressing in the subject line even though the queries are often sent to a generic email address)

Romance Query to Agent _________”

(If I’ve met them at a writers’ conference I’ll start with)

Dear ____. It was good to talk with you at the ________conference. Attached is the full proposal you requested (or whatever was requested). Here is the query information I gave you. (This refreshes their memory of your book versus the many they’ve talked to)

At the top left margin I list quick facts:

Title: (in italics, of course)

Genre: (contemporary or historical or suspense romance, or mystery, or whatever)

Completed ms of ___words (Or tell when you project it to be finished and word count)

By: -- debut author so and so (or otherwise)

A stand alone or first book in a series? or leave this line blank

Email: (yours)

Home mailing address:

Web Site:

Blog:

Twitter:

Telephone No.  (I like to put this last so they find it fast to call me!) ( :

   

Pitch: (This is very important and will hook the editor/agent to go on or stop reading. It’s the main gist of your story in a sentence or two. Here’s a pitch worksheet that helped me get on target.)

(Your protagonist _________MUST___________________________(critical plot goal) BY______________________(conflict with the Antagonist, etc.) ONLY TO REALIZE ___________________(what the character learns about life that helps him/her change his/her goal during the journey or come to a satisfactory ending.

Sample 1

Jacob Marshall must avenge his father’s honor by implicating Serena Jones’ father, only to realize revenge often hurts the innocent.

Sample 2  (my pitch for my first novel, Summer of Deception)

Rachel York determines to unearth the truth about her brother's reported death by taking a position at a historic Carolina tea plantation, only to realize the truth may destroy her new found love and could even cost her life.

 

Back Cover Copy:  Is the owner of Markham Hall a man of integrity or is he part of the secret Charleston drug smuggling society that caused her brother's death?

(Here you’ll want to put something brief that will hopefully hook readers who will read the back cover before buying a book.)

Brief Synopsis: (Here is where you can expand the pitch into a good paragraph.)

Rachel York, an orphaned college girl, has no idea that love, danger, and a shocking revelation await her in Charleston, South Carolina. What can be better than spending summer taking care of a five-year-old girl on a working tea plantation? Rachel is hopeful the location will allow her to learn more about her brother's plane crash and death reported by the Charleston Drug Enforcement Administration. She arrives and discovers a handsome new widower owner, the little girl’s father. Luke Markham is a wounded hero back from the Middle Eastern conflict. He knows nothing about her job offer by his deceased uncle and looks on her with suspicion but finally gives her the position. Even with his eye patch, bitterness, and distrust, Luke threatens to capture Rachel’s heart until the night she discovers evidence he may be involved in coastal drug smuggling. Can Rachel’s faith survive the tests of deception and danger? Can Luke find faith again? After all the deception is unraveled, and Rachel learns the truth about her brother, can she and Luke find a love as strong as the tides renewing Markham Hall’s beaches and as enduring as the Camelis tea bushes planted in its heartland? (I tell the full ending if a long synopsis is requested with the first three chapters or full ms.)

Marketing Strategies: (all authors are expected to do marketing today)

I am building readership and friends by social networking on three blogs, a web site, face book, and Twitter; by leading writers’ groups; and by obtaining bylines with articles.  I hope to have a virtual book tour and produce a trailer. Other marketing plans include speaking engagements, book signings, TV and radio interviews, endorsements, and obtaining influencers who will write reviews for Amazon and other Internet sites as I have done for author friends.

Brief Bio: (Here is where you need your best bio in 100 words or less)

Elva Cobb Martin is president of the South Carolina Chapter of American Fiction Writers. She has taught school but now devotes her time to freelance writing, leading an Internet prayer ministry, and ministering as a guest speaker. Her articles have been published in Decision, Charisma, Home Life, Mature Living, and The State Magazine. She and her husband of forty years are the parents of a law officer son and a wonderful six-year-old grandson. They live in Anderson, South Carolina, and are active in a local congregation.

Final Sentence:    (Let the agent/editor know if this query is a simultaneous submission, which queries can often be, but not full ms. Check their guidelines.)

This is a simultaneous submission in seeking representation (or publication). I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

Elva Cobb Martin

                                               *********************

Does the above help you write a query for a novel? Do you have suggestions for improvement?

Elva

Elva Cobb Martin is a freelance writer, Bible teacher, and grandmother. She is president of the American Christian Fiction Writers new South Carolina Chapter. She has been published in Decision, Charisma, and Home Life. She is currently seeking representation for her inspirational romance novels. Elva lives in Anderson, South Carolina, with her husband Dwayne. You can contact her by leaving a comment on this blog or through her web site at www.elvamartin.com, or on Facebook or Twitter @Elvacobbmartin.

 

Query Letter for a Novel

Hello there. So glad you stopped by!

Do you know how to write a query letter? Successful query letters for articles, fiction and non-fiction books are all alike in some ways, but very different in other ways. Some folks grit their teeth attempting to compose a query.

But it really doesn't have to be that hairy. I promise.

Below is a query letter I recently sent to a literary agency for a novel, after checking their submission guidelines carefully. The agency asked for a full mss quickly so, hopefully, something hooked their attention. Today I am giving you the exact query I sent (but not the first five pages they also requested that I paste in the same email). In my next blog we will go over the important parts included in this one page query letter.

Title: In a Pirate's Debt

Genre: Historical Inspirational Romance

Completed mss: 71,000 words

By debut author Elva Cobb Martin

A stand alone or first book in a series

Email: elvacmartin@gmail.com

Address: 104 Oak Knoll Terrace, Anderson, SC 29625

Web site: www.elvamartin.com Blog: http://carolinaromancewithelvamartin.blogspot.com

Twitter: Elva Cobb Martin @ElvaCobbMartin

Telephone: 864/226-7024 (h) 864/314-0804 (cell)

Pitch: In a Pirate's Debt is the story of a young woman who escapes a forced marriage but falls into the hands of a buccaneer who is considering taking King George’s pardon. Will the pirate risk his life and heart to help her?

Back Cover Copy: Saving her can land him in a hangman’s noose at low tide in Charles Town Harbor. Repaying her debt to him will relegate her to a life worse than death.

Briefly: Travay Allston flees her stepfather’s house in Jamaica and Sir Roger Poole who has won her hand in marriage in a gambling payoff. Poole corners her at the edge of the Caribbean and she drives her horse over the cliff into the bay. Privateer Captain Lucas “Bloodstone” Barrett pulls her from the ocean half dead and suffering from amnesia. Sailing on his ship, The Blue Heron, Travay regains her memory and has nothing but scorn for the pesky boy of her childhood, son of indentured parents, who has turned pirate—and become strikingly handsome. Love is out of the question, but she owes him a debt for saving her life. Lucas, on a quest to find his parents captured by the Spanish, backs off from the lovely, spoiled Travay. She spells nothing but trouble, especially to a new convert to Christianity. He drops her off in Charles Town and washes his hands of her. He thinks. When Lucas is sentenced to hang for piracy, Sir Roger shows up with a pardon, but only if Travay marries him. Will Travay repay her debt to a pirate by marrying their mutual enemy? Falling in love with the pirate was never part of her plan. . . .

Target Audience: women 30–80

Marketing Strategies: I am building readership and friends by social networking on three blogs, a web site, face book, and Twitter; by leading writers’ groups; and by obtaining bylines with articles. I hope to have a virtual book tour and produce a trailer. Other marketing plans include speaking engagements, book signings, TV and radio interviews, endorsements, and obtaining influencers who will write reviews for Amazon and other internet sites as I have done for author friends.

Brief Bio: Elva Cobb Martin is president of the South Carolina Chapter of American Fiction Writers. She has taught school but now devotes her time to freelance writing, leading an internet prayer ministry, and ministering as a guest speaker. Her articles have been published in Decision, Charisma, Home Life, Mature Living, and The State Magazine. She and her husband of forty years are the parents of a law officer son and a wonderful six-year-old grandson. They live in Anderson, South Carolina, and are active in a local congregation.

This is a simultaneous submission in seeking representation. I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

Elva Cobb Martin

(end of query)

There, doesn't that seem easy? Actually, it's a carefully crafted piece and one I look forward to sharing more about in my next blog.  Thanks for stopping by and do leave a comment. Have you had a successful query recently?

Elva Cobb Martin

Elva Cobb Martin is a freelance writer, Bible teacher and grandmother. She is president of the American Christian Fiction Writers new South Carolina Chapter. She has been published in Decision, Charisma, and Home Life and is currently working on an inspirational romance novel. Elva lives in Anderson, South Carolina, with her husband and high school sweetheart, Dwayne. You can connect with her through her web site at www.elvamartin.com , on Face Book and Twitter @Elvacobbmartin. Or leave a comment below on this blog