There are many different tools and methods for improving narrative writing skills. Using movies to that end is a relatively recent method that has gained popularity among tutors and students. Forbes lists watching movies and using the same techniques that screenwriters use to write scripts among the lesser-known ways to ramp up your writing and storytelling skills.
Most people, students included, enjoy watching movies. It makes so much sense to combine fun with learning. So, keep watching your favorite movies to advance your writing skills.
Still not convinced? Let us explain in greater detail how it works, so let’s jump right in.
Creativity
Anyone who has ever taken a stab at writing knows that creativity is one of the main assets good writers have in their arsenal. Creating original content, developing gripping stories, and engaging the reader takes a lot of practice and unconventional thinking. Those who use college essay help to complete their assignments know what I’m talking about.
Not only that, creativity broadens your horizons and drives you to open up non-traditional perspectives and angles that will make your writing stand out. Movies, especially good ones, are made by creative minds. The more high-quality films you watch, the more likely you become to write and tell stories that will capture the attention of your audience.
Enhancing your vocabulary
In addition to improving your storytelling skills, you can make much progress in expanding your stock of words. Movies of different genres are using different types of vocabulary, jargon, or slang. Even if you are a native English speaker, you might not know all the words and phrases you come across.
If you have ever used the services of professionals to write college essays, you’d know that good writers draw on an impressively rich stock of words and phrases. You can turn watching movies into a language training exercise if you turn on the captions. Write down any new words, phrases, concepts, or terms. Try to put together sentences using the newly learned words.
Describing movie scenes in your words
Some tutors use movies for practical language exercises. They ask students to watch a specific number of scenes and then describe them in their own words on paper. This is a really efficient method, which helps students practice both their memorization and writing skills.
In fact, you do not even need a tutor to give you such a task. You can do it yourself. Just pick your favorite movie or scene, watch it, and get down to writing their description. Trust me, you will be surprised by how much you will be able to capture and how good you will become at describing people’s actions, behaviors, and developments in the background.
Noting stylistic devices
Good writers use lots of stylistic devices to keep the reader engaged. A combination of metaphors, similes, epithets, and other tropes enriches your writing style. It makes you look really advanced in your trade. Keep noting any of these when watching your favorite movies.
On the face of it, watching movies is all about having fun. It is, but it can have the added value of improving students’ writing skills. Some of it happens inadvertently. You develop your creative storytelling skills as you keep watching.
If you want to double the benefit, you can take deliberate steps to enhance the effectiveness of your learning. From time to time, you can turn the process of watching movies into a fun exercise. Before you know it, you will see how well you start putting your ideas into coherent and compelling paragraphs.