Some writers feel a novel should borrow characteristics from movies. These writers feel novels should concentrate on active, dramatic storytelling that evokes vivid images. In other words compete with the cinema in visual storytelling. The desire to do what movies do may stem from the fact that movie writers have stolen tropes from novels or it could be because movies are so popular.

Screenwriters only stole things from novels that they could improve upon them. Slow motion is more visually captivating in a film even though it originated in books, but in films only actions can be slowed down. Instead of competing with film, novels should employ the kind of slow motion films could never.

Pages Of Description

Whereas a film can accurately describe visuals with just a few frames, novels take pages to do the same. Surfaces only tell a portion of the whole whereas a novel can tell it all. Instead of rushing to what happens next, give us a thorough understanding of the setting, places, and things in this story. Instead of worrying about moving the plot forward at all times give it all more context so what does happen next seems that much more real.

Stretched Out Scenes

A novel can treat scenes that would take a few minutes of screen time and turn them into thirty pages. Since a novel can't show pictures it must be able to convey what a film cannot. Show the inner working of the mind that leads to a scene and the in-between thinking that leads to the next action. It's exciting to see drama play out and second best to read about it, so work with what the novel can do that a film can't; tell us what's going through their minds.

Unrelated Asides

Movies are ruthlessly edited. They strive to only include what moves the story along. Novels needn't move so fast since we aren't expecting it to be over in two hours. A novel is a long-term investment where we don't mind detours. So you can turn off the road and show us some sights that might not be completely necessary for comprehension of the story but add to the understanding of the world the story is set in. Instead of slavishly sticking to story alone why not give readers something they can't get in a movie.

Reading Is Not Real Time

No matter how much a novelist may try to mimic the form of a film, they will never succeed. A film plays itself out in real time, which makes for a universal experience for the audience. People read novels at different paces, reread parts and sometimes stop mid-scene. Even if you mimic the visual representation movies do so well, it will never be as vivid or life-like as a movie. A movie can unfold a story just as it does in life, where a minute of screen time can equal a minute in actuality. A book can't offer the same synchronicity so why attempt it.

Why work on the things you just aren't good at when you can excel at things others aren't good at. A novel has distinct advantages over a film, and a film has advantages over a novel. You can't tell the same story in both media in the same way, but you can put the story in the right medium or suit the story to the medium you've chosen. Instead of doing the things a movie can do that are popular, do the things a novel can do that are compelling.