Something I've alway wondered about is how come there seems to be more "how-to" books on screenwriting than there are on how to write novels?
I've always found that with scriptwriting, I'm always at some stage making sure my script conforms to the right conventions (3 act structure, turning points etc etc), all the stuff Syd Field talks about, and like me, I'm sure anything who has written a script, has heard of at least 10 books on screenwriting. Scriptwriting craft theory is just ingrained in you, sort of thing. There is no escape thinking about it. Ironically, the first thing I learned about scriptwriting was Courier 12.
When I wrote several short stories and fiction in high school, there were no guidelines for what you had to do, you just wrote pretty much. At no stage when I was writing short stories did I ask myself or was told by my teacher "we need an inciting incident here, and more conflict by the 1st turning point." As far as fiction writing was concerned, all I was taught was to have a beginning, middle and end, and to write from experience if possible. That was the only criteria we were judged on for fiction.
Whereas there seems to be more rules for scriptwriters. I am sure there are plenty of "how-to" books on novels, but even so "novel craft" or how to write a good novel, has never really reached the same level of consciousness as scriptwriting books. It seems that more people would know about writing if they were a scriptwriter than a novelist, because there's so much more support out there with McKee and Syd Field etc, than there if you wanted to write a novel. If I was to write a novel, it would be a rambling, garbled mess because I don't know any of the craft rules that would apply to novels, as I've never been made aware of what they are.
I'm not a novelist, but if anyone writes novels, what craft rules do you guys have? How are they different from say screenwriters?
rc444
I've always found that with scriptwriting, I'm always at some stage making sure my script conforms to the right conventions (3 act structure, turning points etc etc), all the stuff Syd Field talks about, and like me, I'm sure anything who has written a script, has heard of at least 10 books on screenwriting. Scriptwriting craft theory is just ingrained in you, sort of thing. There is no escape thinking about it. Ironically, the first thing I learned about scriptwriting was Courier 12.
When I wrote several short stories and fiction in high school, there were no guidelines for what you had to do, you just wrote pretty much. At no stage when I was writing short stories did I ask myself or was told by my teacher "we need an inciting incident here, and more conflict by the 1st turning point." As far as fiction writing was concerned, all I was taught was to have a beginning, middle and end, and to write from experience if possible. That was the only criteria we were judged on for fiction.
Whereas there seems to be more rules for scriptwriters. I am sure there are plenty of "how-to" books on novels, but even so "novel craft" or how to write a good novel, has never really reached the same level of consciousness as scriptwriting books. It seems that more people would know about writing if they were a scriptwriter than a novelist, because there's so much more support out there with McKee and Syd Field etc, than there if you wanted to write a novel. If I was to write a novel, it would be a rambling, garbled mess because I don't know any of the craft rules that would apply to novels, as I've never been made aware of what they are.
I'm not a novelist, but if anyone writes novels, what craft rules do you guys have? How are they different from say screenwriters?
rc444
