Watching movies can be both educational and inspirational for writers or all kinds. But you have to know what to look for.
By tuning in to basic movie forms and conventions, we can observe what is essential for character and plot.
When we learn to think more like a camera (and a little less like a writer), we can connect to the sensations of cause and effect and replace over-thinking with evocative storytelling.
And when we take the time just to notice how movie shots and scenes connect to each other, we understand more precisely how sentences, paragraphs, and episodes have powerful connective ideas as well.
