What works for great movies works for great books
Novelists can learn a lot from successful movies. Some of the same rules that apply to movie plots, characterization, emotional scenes, and plot pacing also apply to a good novel.
One speaker at the Florida Writers Association mini-conference at the Hilton Orlando in Altamonte Springs, Florida last weekend covered how to use the features of a good screenplay when writing books. She recommended the Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screen-Writing You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder. I agree. I bought the book and I’ve already read it twice. I am using it to improve my next Carlos McCrary novel Double Fake, Double Murder.