On Writing : In the spirit of November Write Club by Lauren Hackney

Hey, Lauren Hackney. I have less time in a short script than a feature script, so I have to get to things faster in a short, like the inciting incident.

Yes. Novels have demands that scripts do not, and scripts, especially TV Series have significant structural and dramatic demands. I have a book manuscript called The Final Warning, that takes its time establishing the as-is and antagonism follows. In adapting it for TV - which I am doing now - I need to let the secret of the antagonism happen earlier or it won’t work. The needs of Teasers and Tags for TV are well known too. I’ve probably adapted five books now for TV/Feature. James Paterson books are written like movie scenes so he managed a close correlation - most books are not written that way.

Wow @david - sounds like you have quite a few good stories to tell! Are you doing November write club?

I haven’t done two version of the same story, but I definitely find my novelist habits die hard xD it just feels wrong to be super concise when writing a script lol but I definitely try ;p

I have quite a few projects complete, quite a few on the go, and a queue behind those, and write all the time. I don’t know what write club is but it’s unlikely I will join it.

Yeah, I can feel the difference between a novel and a screenplay.

A sci-fi novel demands much more scientific plausibility and detailed explanation, while a screenplay only needs a few well-crafted scenes — like scientists working in a lab — to convey the same idea visually.

yes a script format prompts tightness and ti be streamlined. I can become colourful in descriptions in prose and a script narrows that to be succinct.

Not just the format. The type also. I am a far different writer depending if I write a drama or a sci-fi. In drama I focus on the characters and emotions. In sci-fi I focus more on the World and the plot.

I love that you posted this! I have a horror novel that I am thinking of converting to a screenplay.

For me the biggest difference I've noticed is that in novels, I am so much more internal than I ever could be with a script.

That's actually why I want to covert that particular novel. The protagonist tortures the crap out of me while I'm writing him. Maybe in script form, I can get an extra layer of separation from him.

This has been the most eye-opening aspect of screenwriting versus novel writing. I am a confirmed plantster for novelwriting. The main points confirmed and then winding my way and letting the characters have their say. But in screenwriting-- I have noticed I am SERIOUSLY tight on what is said and done. It's not necessarily bad, but it is definitely something to explore.