For the first time, a professional writing instructor and movie buff will take you through the steps necessary to craft your own commercial novel using techniques found in your favourite films. It shows how watching Hollywood features can teach you: how to watch films with a writer's eye; how to infuse character traits into scenes and plots; how to use material goals to show internal motivation; techniques for making scenes do double duty, including fore-shadowing and flashback; what is the credibility gap, and how far you should bridge it; and three tricks for fixing holes in your plot, characters or anything else in your story. Thompson takes you frame through the ins and outs of writing a hit, in a text that is packed with 'Quick Tips' and 'Quick Fixes'.