Novels to Screenplays

Ezekiel667

Ezekiel667

Well-known member
Ive been a writer for the better part of 5 years. For the first 4 of those years i was strictly novel/novella. But when my friends got together and made an amateur film crew i joined in as the writer. Now for the past year or so Ive been writing screenplays. I do an OK job at it, but its still hard for me to write screenplays as apposed to novels. I tend to over describe and drown everything.

Could i get some advice on how to cut back on the stream of consciousness writing style I'm used to?
 
Oh, my dear friend, have I been in that boat. When I first started writing years ago I wrote short stories and eventually novels. Then I got into poetry and journalistic pieces. Most recently I have found script writing which, according to some, I do great at. That being said, I tend to over-describe things to (see the responses to my ScriptFest entry "NO Matter What" by clicking on my signature banner).

For me, I enjoy describing things in detail - not Crime and Punishment, painfully specific detail - but enough detail to where a valid image can be created in one's mind. The thing is, this is frowned upon by most in the industry. My advise to you is, when writing a screenplay, just keep it to the bare minimum. If two people are in a house, leave it at that - don't discuss the size, the color of the walls or the firmness of the mattress unless it is absolutely necessary for the story. Talk only about what people are doing and be concise about it. You should only mention something if it is important to the story and will help the director, actor, etc.

It will take time. Just work on it slowly and soon you will be able to adapt depending on what you are writing. I hope I was able to help, maybe we can get some format Nazis in here to help you out a bit more. :)
 
Amateur myself, got chastised by my mentor writing my first feature screenplay for being overly descriptive in prose also, learning. Keep in mind a screenplay is a blueprint for the director and actors, so just the essence is needed. A movie is visual, we can see most of what might need to be described in detail in a novel, so no need for the detail in the screenplay and that only slows down the reader (the person screening the script for purchase or not, the director when planning shots, etc).
 
As an amateur, I've pondered this myself and have looked into it a bit.
I think I've read where director's don't care to see suggested camera movements within the script. He or she would consider that the director's job. When you're writing a novel, it's essentially your baby as an author. When you are writing a screenplay, you have to take into account that several other creative types will be taking your story and giving it life.
I guess I find the way different media types are handled to be fascinating.
 
Just write it all out. Then in later drafts start slicing and dicing. Like the Vegematic. Remember the mantra of Strunk and White, "Omit needless words"!
 
I would never write camera movements, shots ("tight in on Bob's face..."), etc. unless there was some truly overwhelming need for it for some specific, defined reason. I also never use the words "we see", as in "we see a gun in the drawer..."

But I do describe enough of the scene to establish the overall mood and anything relevant and important to description of a character. A cellar is not a cellar.....a cellar can be brightly lit with fluorescents, like a workshop. Or it can be dark, dank, gloomy with a dirt floor. A character's bedroom can be neat as a pin, or completely disheveled, with pizza boxes and beer cans all over the place -- which speaks to the character of that particular person.

Transitioning from novels to screenplays is a challenge. But I think it would be much harder to try going the other way -- from screenplays to novels.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the advice! I'll definitely take it into account during my next project, which is in fact TwilightFest. So hopefully i can use the smaller scripts I'll be writing for the Fest and get in some good practice for the longer ones I plan on writing.
 
The fomats are pretty different.

In writing a screenplay, first lay out your plot points. I usually laugh when I hear "I've got a great idea for a screenplay", because what they usually have is two characters, the first plot point, and possibly the last plot point. When you have all of your plot points, and your up moments and matching down moments you truely have an idea. When you have that, start hanging the meat on those bones. When all this is done you'll have your first draft. Step away from it for a week then come back to it and start grooming...

Remember, a picture tells a thousand words. Try to reduce the dialog as much as possible. The images shown should be spot on, while the dialog should be 'off'. Never tell a story, show it.

Recommended Reading (in order): Screenplay by Syd Field, Save The Cat by Blake Snyder, and Story by Robert McKee.

Good Luck,

Bob
 
Great advice from Bob.

I read someone recommend once (can't remember who) that you should try to write your first rough draft with no dialogue at all. It won't be very good as a script, but it will force you to SHOW instead of tell -- and then you can go back in rewrite and put in the dialogue that is necessary to flesh it out. I admit I've never tried that, but it might be an interesting challenge.
 
Like BrianLuce stated. I write it all out and then I go back and cut, condense and rewrite.

My best advice. Write a script for the next Scriptfest. You'll have to fit your story into a set amount of pages, this will force you to edit yourself down to the bare essentials that have to be told.

The feedback from the Scriptfests is invaluable. I felt my craft improved greatly from scriptfest one to scriptfest two due to all the constructive critiques I received from fellow DVX writers.
I would encourage you to read some scripts in the current scriptfest.

There are things to learn just by reading some of the scripts and then reading the feedback they received.
I would say keep an eye out for any feedback Alex Witmer writes. He has a great eye for structure and a lot of knowledge about format.
 
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