Screenwriting : Screenplay or Novel? by Stefanie Sears

I get stuck with the same things. I think it just depends on how long will the story take to tell. Or you could do both. Write it as a novel then a screenplay pilot. At least then, if you don't get an agent, you'll be able to make money off the idea.

I think I cover some of this in my Ideas Blue Book, about matching ideas to the right medium for them... A TV series is an idea that has enough conflict and interesting enough character to go 100 episodes. That is a much different kind of idea than a novel or film idea which is a one shot deal and has a clear ending that everything is moving towards. TV is all about a series of stories about the same characters, and the conflict does not resolve... so the conflict tends to be among the characters themselves ( a sitcom like COMMUNITY) or the characters are in professions that force them to deal with regular conflicts (a cop show like LAW & ORDER) or both (HOUSE or CHICAGO FIRE). A novel idea has a conflict that will resolve by the end. A novel can use thoughts and feelings to tell the story, and it's possible to have an entire novel take place in a character's mind while he's nibbling on a cookie in his pajamas. It doesn't require actions. A movie idea requires physical actions to tell the story and can't show thoughts or feelings unless they are turning into actions (and some just can't be dramatized into actions). Movie ideas are stories told through moving pictures. Actions. A movie idea will also resolve by the end. Other elements of a movie idea are that the story will be shown on a big screen and needs a story big enough to fill that screen. Where a TV show is something we watch in our homes, and tend to be more intimate; a movie idea is a shared dream that we experience in a huge room with strangers. TV ideas are usually smaller and reality oriented, movies ideas tend to be big and fantastic... like a dream. Often, the problem with new writer's screenplays is that they are too small in scope or are dialogue driven instead of being told through the actions of the characters. Another big difference between novels and movies is in "delivery system". This pops up when you have a laugh outloud funny novel that gets adapted into a film and is no longer funny, because what was funny in the novel is the way it was written and that does not show up on screen. Only what is written shows up on screen. In a film, everything must be dramatized into actions.

Looks like you asked the right guy. Thread closed.

No one will give you a better answer than William just did.

I agree, well said William.

I disagree about a TV series needing to go 100 episodes and that the conflict never resolves. Shows like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones are a lot shorter than that and follow a definite story arc. Likewise with films, the Marvel movie series is sort of an on-going story universe. I also disagree that a movie will be shown on a big screen. Most movies I watch these days on Netflix at home, not at the theater. The lines are blurring. And with web series there's no rules. You can do whatever you want. The difference between moving pictures and a novel is more distinctive. William is right. If you're watching something rather than reading, it needs action, concrete things to see and hear. A novel leaves a lot more to the imagination and the grammatical nuance of the author. A book is also something that can be written by one person. Making cinema is a team effort, and you have to understand that other people's input is going to effect the final rendering of whatever vision you had. I see that as a good thing. I think many imaginations are better than one if they work towards a common goal. You have to keep in mind that moving between mediums requires adaptation. I wrote a screenplay and then turned it into a novel, but the novelization wasn't very good. I didn't really think about how I would write it differently as a book first. It's something that you can't just easily turn a script to a book or a book to a script. Writing the adaptation is going to be it's own writing project. I think what I'd recommend, because I'm going through myself with my own story idea, is think of the medium you love the most. What format are you most drawn to, and how do you envision the result being experienced? That's the medium you should choose to write it for. And then layout the story. See how long it is, and it may change as you get into writing. The script for Lincoln was like a tome hundreds of pages long. They were thinking of doing it as an HBO mini-series, but then changed their minds and cut out everything but he last act. Just pick a direction that will get you started and if it doesn't work, change it up.

Not every season has the same number of episodes.

Basic TV knowledge: 100 episodes is the number required for syndication, and syndication is where a show makes its money back. When a TV show "strips" (shows five nights a week in syndication) it can show for 20 weeks without a repeat.

PS: After typing that I decided to google "television 100" and got this as #1 answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_episodes

Thank you all for your help! I appreciate it! :)