In this post, we’ll be learning about Chris Sadhill, freelance writer, poet, and filmmaker. He tells us about his journey from filmmaking to prose writing and offers important guidance for fellow writers. Chris shares his thoughts on creative drive, authenticity, and promotion strategies.
Chris, after being immersed in the world of visual storytelling, what motivated you to begin writing prose?
Being an indie filmmaker meant I had to be a jack of all trades, especially when I had a small crew, which was often. I was involved in everything. I set up the lighting, tested camera shots, coached onscreen talent about the day’s scenes, occasionally I’d choreograph a fight, and there was always production paperwork, scheduling conflicts, and other aspects that required managing and organization. When I finally announced it was a wrap, the film was only halfway done and I moved into the post-production phase which involved sound design, editing, color grading, and music scoring to finalize the film. Making a film is not pointing and shooting a camera as some may think. It’s a collaboration between many creatives over an extended amount of time. It’s controlled chaos at best, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
Learning everything simultaneously made me appreciate all the roles in the filmmaking process and how each impacts a film’s success, however, I realized early on it was also a barrier to achieving excellence. The overwhelming number of skills one must attain makes it almost certain you’ll produce less quality work because you’re overstretched, and are forced to make tons of sacrifices. This is why professional filmmakers have compartmentalized and streamlined everything in the process allowing people to focus on perfecting their specialized crafts inside of dedicated departments. When my friends and I were making films, we didn’t have the luxury of a large team nor the experience, so we did it all ourselves. These films usually lost us money and after a while I needed to find work.
I transitioned from indie filmmaking to working in the film and television industry as a production assistant, but I knew it was just a stepping stone. As I explained earlier, professionals need to choose a path and a department to specialize in if they want a substantial bump in pay or to advance their career. Naturally I leaned into the camera department as many directors do and eventually landed a senior videographer job for an outdoor apparel company. Then Covid happened, killing any momentum I had accomplished, the entire film and TV industry, as well as the rest of the world. I could no longer work. I had acquired a bunch of skillsets no one wanted to pay for, as marketing budgets were all on hold, and then I was laid off from my videographer position for over a year.
During my time off, I co-wrote two scripts for an anthology film and reflected a lot on the industry and my future. Eventually, I concluded that I was significantly more interested in the storytelling aspects of filmmaking rather than the technical ones and I preferred writing the scripts, directing, and editing over all the other positions. I felt I had more control over the content and enjoyed managing from the rear. This naturally motivated me towards writing poetry and prose and more importantly writing for myself, but the biggest boost in the butt I needed was the epidemic.
Filmmaking is such a hands-on interactive process. You’ve filled multiple roles from sound engineer through director of photography to production assistant. How does that range of experience translate into writing your own stories?
I mentioned earlier that making a film is a collaboration in that there is an entire team of individuals operating in specific roles or departments collectively working to complete the same project, however many of the positions do not translate directly into storytelling. Each role has its own expertise and though there may be unique opportunities to be creative, many positions are dedicated solely to the greater good of the film or TV show. A non-exclusive list of positions that I think aren’t helpful towards writing are every position in the production department, grips, gaffers, electricians, assistant directors, digital imaging technicians, and sound engineers.
The positions I’ve held that I believe translate the best into storytelling were Director, DP, Camera Operator, Editor, Sound Editor, and obviously Screenwriter. All these positions approach storytelling either directly or uniquely and contribute to the development of a completed story. It’s interesting when you take step back to realize these positions parallel the human senses in some way, which for me is the basis for great storytelling.
As a director it was my job to interpret a script, and then translate it into a visual story by utilizing many elements of storytelling. I would have to identify the motivations and emotions of the characters, envision the setting, style, and tone of each scene, and establish the overall look of the film by interpreting the atmosphere and themes intended. Once I had a strong understanding of the script, I’d transcribe or convert my plans into actionable directives to delegate to each department. This process was much easier when I wrote the screenplay myself and because of this many of my screenplays were written in an un-orthodox style.
When I was the director of photography (DP) I solely focused on the visual aspects of the film. It was my job to plan the lighting, atmosphere, color themes, movement, and camera angles in collaboration with the director’s plans. I’d envision the characters interacting in diverse settings and consider how those settings impacted the mood of each scene. I also planned for the pacing of scenes and developed camera angles that would capture the talent’s emotion. Everything a DP does requires detailed planning and developing vivid scenes which translates perfectly to writing prose. My writing style today is very much visually inspired and I lean heavily into first person POV as if I’m still the cinematographer capturing a scene.
As much as I was involved in the camera department, I also did a little sound editing and will go to my grave arguing that sound is the most essential element in filmmaking. Sound has such a significant influence on how each scene is perceived because it evokes emotion immediately and sets the tone of a film. In prose, the ability to describe compelling onomatopoeia that keeps a scene fresh or authentic is pivotal to establishing realism and authenticity with the reader, and if done right it can propel a good story to be excellent by immersing them into the world a writer has created. The key to writing great sounds in a story is a strong vocabulary as well as thinking outside the box on ways to describe how a character hears things or the way in which a sound can be made. This is still an area where I need much improvement, but a fun exploration regardless.
Being a film editor prepared me for writing great stories because if you’re not editing your writing then you probably aren’t writing that well. A film editor will make numerous passes when putting the film together. Refining your work is essential to developing a great film or story. Much how an author writes a first draft and edits many more after, an editor will make a rough cut and then make subsequent cuts as they progress. The goal for both is to polish the piece until it has reached its final form by adjusting or cutting scenes, adding extra layers, and tightening up the transitions.
Regardless of whether a story is visual or written, what makes one compelling is if the observers are engaged enough to forget where they are for a moment. If I’ve done that, then I’m doing good. Each of these roles without a doubt has influenced my writing style and helped shape my voice.
Writing is generally regarded as a solitary pursuit and can sometimes be boring. Chris, what strategies have you implemented to ensure that you can approach your work-in-progress with enthusiasm?
My first secret is not a secret at all. I only pursue stories I’m highly interested in. As a creative, it’s my top priority to be involved in things I love because there are plenty of times when it feels like your story is a thousand-pound boulder being dragged through twenty feet of mud.
My advice for all writers is to ensure that your story is grounded in passion, and if you ever find yourself in a writing slump it’s crucial that you reconnect with the initial spark that excited you in the first place.
The next strategy I encourage is to act immediately. If I wait too long, I often lose it and when I lose it, it’s gone for good. Right away, I’ll begin developing the story in my mind before ever writing it down. In this stage, I must create a character that has the motivations and a backstory that I strongly relate to. The majority of my work is in first person. When I write I teleport myself into the character. After pondering for a while, I will write an outline and begin attacking the story until its finished.
Participating in writing competitions are another approach I make to staying excited about writing and my work. I’ve only recently written competitively, but I’ve experienced a tremendous uptick in my productivity since doing so. Writing competitively stirs up my creative juices while offering an opportunity to test my writing skills against my peers. I thrive on competition and sometimes I only write to compete. Many competitions enforce a strict deadline and for me a deadline is quite helpful in pushing my story across the finish line. The whole process is like working out at the gym for my mind. It has even reignited my passions for old stories and gotten me pumped about new ones I want to pursue. My favorite competitions are Writing Battle, and Twist in the Tale because they have such a strong community and the competitions allow for you to have a little more control over your story, which again circles back to my need to be passionate about my writing.
Having access to a writing community can be an asset to any writer. Sure, writing is generally regarded as a solitary pursuit, but it doesn’t have to be. I tend to be unsociable, but participating in these communities have been a great experience in cracking my shell, and they’re also amazing for sharing and receiving feedback on works in progress. Receiving feedback re-energizes me and has helped me maintain excitement for writing, and at times my sanity. On any given day there’s always something to read, someone to talk with, or a new publication or a book launch to celebrate. It’s comforting to interact with peers who are similarly struggling and it becomes therapeutic to be exposed to a variety of people experiencing every stage of the process along with you. I love that you’re not alone in the trenches. Many writers have encouraged and mentored me, and all of them have inspired me to continue forward. Though its taxing to interact all the time, it’s nice to know I don’t have to be alone if I don’t want to be.
When I’m reading short stories, I’ll often come across a hidden gem where the author has little to no internet presence—such a shame. You recently designed your own website to house your writing portfolio and serve as the main source of updates for those who sign-up to your newsletter. What resources helped you with this process and what advice can you share with emerging writers about the importance of self-promotion?
My best resource is. I continuously write in order to have plenty of content to share, otherwise there would be no reason to offer a place to showcase my work. Regardless of how popular I get or successful at networking I become, the most crucial part for me is I don’t lose focus on developing and maintaining my craft. We all dream of writing a book, but the only way to accomplish a novel length manuscript is by writing as often as possible regardless of life’s distractions. Writing should the foundation of everything and something you always return to when you get lost in the monotony of the internet.
For my website I use google sites, which is free for anyone, and it’s fairly easy to learn. There are limitations to it, but I’ve made them work as I’m quite frugal with everything I do. I did however purchase my domain for two years with Hostinger because I thought it was fundamental in maintaining consistency in my marketing efforts and offered an easier way for people to reach me rather than a mile-long URL. In the future I plan to explore domains that offer ecommerce options whenever I get that big book deal, maybe sooner.
As far as self-promotion advice, all I’d be doing is repeating what everyone else preaches about social media, marketing, and the importance of building a diverse platform. I won’t bore anyone with that especially since I haven’t found much success in it yet. Personally, I just want to write. I hate everything social media and would rather not have to participate in society’s social experiments, but I will offer advice in regards to how to interact on social media when building your author platforms.
Being authentic in everything you do online is important. Don’t plant seeds you aren’t willing to water regularly in any community, social group, or new friendship. It takes a lot of time and energy away from your craft so make sure you invest in who or what will benefit you the most, and make sure you benefit them as well. My advice is to start small and build from there. When I first started trying to market myself, I joined every writing group I could find on Facebook, yet I only participated in three. Don’t waste your time. Think about what kind of writer you are or want to become and then build a strategic plan to grow your brand. Yes, you must think of yourself as a brand.
It’s better to develop relationships that are wholesome rather than just knowing a lot of people who are fake. It’s easy to be infected by the “like for a like” or “follow for a follow” culture out there, but I recommend taking the time to visit and vet the people you are liking and following. Take a moment to comment on their posts and align yourself with people who are likeminded or who you want to become. In the long run you will have a higher caliber fan base when it comes time to promote your first books.
Begin developing your platform immediately. I read somewhere that you should start at least two years before you plan to launch your first book. Start now, learn it, and fail at it often so that when it matters later, you’re an expert. Employ a never give up attitude. I’m coming out of a three month stretch of very little growth on social media, but I still post daily despite it. Consistency in marketing has a significant impact on your success. You must be able to weather the storm, be patient, and adapt if necessary. As much as I hate social media, I recognize it’s not going away any time soon and encourage newer writers to embrace this inevitability. So, kids get out there, play nicely in the social sandboxes, and start making tons of friends who will later buy your books.
Chris, are you still writing songs or has prose format taken precedence? What can we expect to see from you in the near future?
Songwriting is not in my foreseeable future. Even when I was “writing” songs I don’t think they actually counted as songs, and I don’t recall ever finishing one. Music has always been an influential part of my life, but songwriting requires special skills and techniques I had never taken the time to learn when I was younger. I won’t rule it out completely, but if I ever did get back into songwriting, I’d approach it differently.
You can expect to see me competing in several writing competitions, and to release the short stories I created for them on my website. I’m also dedicated to refining past work, and will be submitting to literary journals and magazines for publication. My hope is to be accepted by 2-3 this year. My other pet project is to write a novella adaptation from a screenplay I previously wrote, which was inspired by Edgar Ellen Poe’s A Tell Tale Heart. I’ll be engaging more in online communities and networking as often as my social battery will allow. For the second half of 2024, I’ll be creating a newsletter to help my fans stay informed on everything Sadhill. Hopefully all this will keep me busy enough to make it until Christmas and entertaining enough to keep my fans excited about 2025.
When writing for publication, an important consideration is that the public may not respond to your work in the way you imagined. Chris, how do you push past the fear of not being liked? What advice do you have for emerging writers about receiving feedback?
Writers must recognize that the fear of being disliked is inherent in all of us. After all, we are a social species who evolved from tribes long ago and at our core we seek approval in many forms. This is how we’ve progressed throughout time, but historically we’ve done it in much smaller groups with substantially less exposure than what we experience today and since the advent of social media everything we experience socially has exponentially intensified.
The way social media has changed the landscape of how we interact is quite fascinating, but also horrifying for our future. It’s not normal for us to be exposed to millions of people at once and to be judged by a worldwide audience. I accepted this long ago, and I encourage others to recognize it too as well as understanding that our biological evolution may never catch up. It’s crucial that we manage a realistic expectation of what feedback or criticism we receive on the internet and practice taking many things with a grain of salt.
I recommend reverting back to our tribal ancestry and I think it starts with surrounding yourself with quality opinions that are diverse. I like to encircle myself in small enough groups that I’m not socially re-wiring my brain, but large enough to be exposed to enough constructive criticism and push back that I can grow. I strongly believe that burning the forest down makes room for new growth and by having those I trust around me offering honest feedback, I’m less defensive or fearful when I read negative things about my writing and I’m overall more mature when confronted with criticism.
It’s important to know yourself, what you represent, what your brand is, and the type of stories you intend to share with the world. The more confidence you have in yourself and what you’re doing, and the more conviction you hold in your pursuits, the better off you’ll be. I don’t change anything about myself or my work to cater to anyone, and even though sometimes I do care what people think, I tend to rely on the critical feedback that makes me a better writer or enhances my story. I ignore the rest. I don’t take things personally which is hard for a creative to do because I invest my soul into my work like many creatives.
When I’m finished writing a piece, I remain open to the idea that it’s never perfect, so when someone suggests a correction or offers an opinion, I listen. I thrive on harsh criticism from others and often invite it, yet my biggest critic has always been me. My philosophy is that you should be more critical of your own work than anyone else is, therefore it’s more difficult for you to become upset when someone offers a harsh opinion. I encourage writers to expose themselves as often as possible to constructive and/or negative feedback because I firmly believe that the more exposure one faces the more familiar one becomes.
Also, don’t be close-minded like many writers I’ve seen asking for feedback and then arguing or complaining about the results, especially if they are not what was expected. One way to combat this is to lower your expectations. We are not as special as we may think and we have tons of flaws in real life, let alone our writing. Remember as popular and successful as Stephen King is, there are heaps of people who think he cannot write a good ending and probably have opinions of a dozen other things.
Having higher standards is key. You don’t know how many writers I’ve seen who are excited with putting out mediocre work and are right now self-publishing what I assume are second or third drafts. I’ve read a ton of stories that needed months more editing. I don’t seek the “feeling” of success by just completing a story and putting it out there, I seek “flawless” and keep improving it until it is near perfect. I request my beta readers to tear my work apart just to receive a different perspective on the piece, and then I dismantle and rebuild it many times to get it right. You know when you’ve read something brilliant. The next time you do, I recommend taking time to figure out the magic behind that brilliance and learn how to apply it to your writing in order to enhance it. The idea I’m suggesting is to never to remain stagnant and always feel like you’re never quite good enough.
One thing about me is I’m rarely satisfied with my work. Once my piece is out there, I’m already onto to the next thing I can improve. It may sound sad and discouraging, but I’d argue that if I was surrounded by a bunch of people-pleasers all telling me how amazing I am, it would be much more depressing and detrimental to my success in the long run, and it would make me defensive or combative to true criticism. People need honesty to help them develop and though honesty can seem like a forest fire blazing across your ego, never forget there’s an amazing growth after the smoke clears. As long as the honesty stems from a place of helpfulness and is presented in a constructive way, I feel writers must learn to take the worst.
Basically, you need to grow a thicker skin if you want to be a great writer. You should expose yourself to all types of criticism more often and stop surrounding yourself with “Yes Men” so when you’re faced with a bad review, or not-so-great feedback, you hold yourself with poise, handle it respectfully, and then use it to become greater.
Above all, remember that everyone is different and that each person has a unique style, taste, and preference. You cannot please them all, so instead please yourself. Stay grounded in who you are, embrace your special style and voice, and never forget your purpose. If you apply any of that advice to your regiment, then feedback shouldn’t impact you as negatively.
Put yourself out there and let your people find you.
You share your list of current reads via your website, but do you have a favourite podcast or other form of media that assists you with writing, character development, or story inspiration?
I’m currently up to date with every episode of the Writing in Progress podcast and have watched tons of Alexa Donne videos on YouTube. Also, I often sign up for Reedsy and Authors Publish events just to be exposed to new ideas or approaches to writing. Once in a while I’ll search tutorials videos on YouTube, but I feel a lot of my experience comes from reading others work and writing as often as I can.
I do plan to read “On Writing” by Stephen King and just heard R.L. Stine has a new book titled “There’s Something Strange About My Brain,” that offers insight to his writing process.
So, you’re for hire. Tell us a bit about what you do and how to reach out.
I’m new to offering writing services and still learning what works best for me as I build my portfolio. Right now, if it can be written I’ll write it, but I do plan to narrow my focus in the future. Story and character development are my specialty as I do not have a background in formal English or grammar.
On the creative writing side, I offer screenwriting and analysis, beta reading, critical reviews and assistance in world-building, character development, and overall story, and creative writing tutoring.
I also provide special occasion writing services such as: poetry, invitations, stationery, speeches, proposals, wedding vows, and advertisements.
Professionally, I offer copywriting, content writing, and commercial script writing for television.
For anyone seeking writing services, they should email me at ChrisSadhill@gmail.com.
Is there anything else you’d like to share or promote?
I’m always on the lookout for great Beta Readers and would be stoked to add a few more dedicated members to my Sadhill Reading Army. If anyone is interested in becoming a Beta Reader, please send an email to ChrisSadhill@gmail.com and stress your interest in reading for me. The position does not pay, but I will be offering various perks in the future that you will NOT want to miss.
Later this year I plan to develop my first Newsletter and would be stoked if everyone helped grow the Sadbastard Nation by signing up for my newsletter. All you need is a name and email here: Newsletter Sign Up
For more Chris Sadhill:
Website: https://www.ChrisSadhill.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrissadhill
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissadhill
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chrissadhill
Newsletter: Chris Sadhill Newsletter Sign Up
Cover Image: Photo by Monica Silvestre on Pexels.com
Pauline Shen 