Directing My First Novel: A Filmmaker's Approach to Independent Publishing

Discover how a seasoned filmmaker tackles the challenges of writing and publishing a debut novel, drawing parallels between the worlds of film and literature.

How Directing Energy Fuels My Creative Process

After spending over ten years writing and directing various projects, I have an almost instinctive urge to control every aspect of a creative project. So, as a first-time novelist committed to independent publishing, I've decided to indulge in the same dictatorial approach. Only, with myself. As I learned more and more about writing prose over the past two years, I've realised that some of the very same knowledge I possess about film directing could be applied to writing novels.

When you direct a film, you can't be the same struggling writer, questioning all things and agonising over every line of dialogue. Well, you can, but no one shall know. There is no time. Go, go, go! Your team draws energy from your passion. My strategy for capturing this dynamic in novel writing is to power through my novel draft as if I'm racing against the clock. This is not an original idea, mind you; it's something Stephen King advocates in his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Interestingly, I came across King's advice long after spending most of a year getting bogged down in details and figuring it out for myself. Nowadays, I sit, I write, and I don't look back. The moment I stop, my crippling sense of perfectionism will take over, and I'll lose my flow

Me, directing

Navigating Perfectionism: Being My Own First AD

In Madame Bovary, Flaubert writes, "Every notary bears within him the debris of a poet," which I would amend to "the debris of a perfectionist poet."  Most folks can't bring themselves to write poorly at first, and so they wait for the perfect idea which will surely generate the perfect first sentence. Personally, I have always managed to overcome this, although it's always been a rather painful experience. I find that the longer I stop writing, if I have to do something else like directing or producing, the harder it is to come back to it. I think in my case, having experienced mental health issues probably made things even worse, as I would wildly (and I mean wildly) oscillate between a sentiment of elation and crushing despair. But somehow, this was always more pronounced during writing periods than directing periods. When you direct, the closest person to you all day is going to be the first assistant director. It may seem like that person is here to help you direct, but in truth, the job is more aligned with production. The first AD holds the schedule and the shot list, spending every waking moment—often losing hair in the process—to ensure we stay on schedule and that no one gets hurt. So as a director, unless you are one of the rare individuals out there who can have all the money and time in the world, you are constantly under brutal pressure to get moving. I believe that this does wonders for perfectionism. You must pick your battles; you must be a perfectionist when it counts and know what can go. I think this sense of priority can be helpful in structuring a novel. Getting bogged down in details is so much easier in written form, so I try to always be my very own first AD and will only step backward if truly necessary.

The set for my film A440

Designing the Visual Aesthetics of a Novel

I act as my own director, producer, and even first AD, but what can also be imported from film? Production designers. On set, they're a tired bunch, always busy, and often humorously frustrated. But their frustration is earned after painting rooms, changing curtains, and replacing frames, only to end up as a blurry backdrop in a close-up shot. Still, all these details matter. You never notice great production design, but you certainly notice a bad one. When I read a very vivid book, I feel transported by the descriptions, colours, even the smells. So, as an emerging author, I'll be my own fatigued production designer. For each chapter, each scene, I will create mood boards. These will include framing, colour palettes, architecture, and texture references. The 'feel' of the book. Do I want this habitat to look like a Wong Kar-Wai film with a Sergio Leone vibe? Or perhaps the sunset of a moon over a character is reminiscent of a Jacques Audiard macro-lens shot? The mood boards themselves will never be public but will consume my time; hopefully, just like good production design, they will contribute to the whole and make it feel 'right'.

Sound Design & Music: Using Music to Enhance Writing Focus

It's Danny Boyle who said that 70% of the experience of a motion picture is sound, and I completely agree with this. In my work in animation and film, I always make sure never to show drafts to non-film folks if the sound is not done, as it's so incredibly jarring. But how can that be applied to writing novels? Well, I make very long playlists of non-disruptive music, which I think will manipulate me into writing in a specific character's voice. Listening to the right music helps me set the pace of my writing without overthinking it. Sometimes the music can take me to somber places, making the return to reality a bit jarring. The only thing that I find crucial is that it's non-disruptive... If the piece is too 'good,' then I cannot not listen to it, and my immersion is broken. I like atmospheric, film and game OSTs. Basically, anything that's the right level of inspiring without overwhelming the senses. By the way I have started my own YouTube Channel and collaborated with a composer friend of mine to make non-disruptive soundscapes for writers. Feel free to check it out.

Photo by Alexandre Debiève on Unsplash

Producing My Own Narrative: Balancing Creativity and Self-Promotion

Lastly, the hardest bit. Always. Promotion, getting there. Good execs possess a thick skin and know how to push while also protecting their creative team. This is something that perhaps novelists with excellent agents have; I had agents in film and acting, and it didn't quite feel this way to me. You probably need the right person at the right time. Ultimately, a good exec cares about what people think of the film, of course... But as long as it succeeds in some way, they will have achieved their goal. In other words, I don’t think an exec cares for the intrinsic quality of a piece in the same way a director or a DP does. They do but their determination to bring it success, whatever it takes, means they take things a lot less personally. Putting that hat on is pretty tough for authors or filmmakers, as our work is our soul, but at the end of the day, it seems like publishing houses don't really market the majority of books anyways, so there it is.

The Stigma of Being Independent in Film vs Publishing

It's rather striking, coming from film, how stigmatised independent authors are compared to independent filmmakers. In film, pretty much everyone starts out as an independent filmmaker; that's how you make stuff, no one will hand anything to you—unless, of course, you come from the aristocracy of film, but that's a different universe. In fact, independent film is even considered edgy and can produce gems. There is nothing that a trendy festival likes more than finding the new, completely wild film out there, and so on and so forth. In publishing, it's the exact opposite. Despite having a distribution format that is dramatically easier than film—film requires a ton of money—independent authors apparently face a huge stigma in the industry. Maybe that’s why, because it’s so much ‘easier’ than traditional publishing. I personally studied how to make movies in 35mm film, so for a very long time I struggle to accept people on Youtube making non-cinematic content to mega audiences. But the genie is out of the bottle. I think gatekeepers will always freak out when things change and I fully understand how a published author feels swamped by a competition that can bring out content ten times faster. I made a short called Leave to Remain in 2022, it took me three years between the funding application to its final release as a Vimeo Staff Pick last December. Now it sits at around 14,000 views. Yet some people made some films on their phones and have millions of views on Youtube and this might very well get them a Netflix gig. That’s how it is now, there is nothing anyone can do. No one apart from industry insiders truly cares about how much of a gauntlet of selection you’ve been through and how rare that makes you. I have nothing at all against the traditional publishing industry, by the way. In fact, I plan to keep funding some of my film stuff traditionally, but I do both as a filmmaker. I always did both funded and independent films. Shame that publishing is different. 

I have an inkling though, that in ten years' time, things will have moved even further away. In the meantime, I'll keep my little internal film crew going and put on my first AD hat: Press that subscribe button! Go, go, go!