Screenwriting for Novelists - How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

Screenwriter writing at a desk in a library. Photo by Ron Lach.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Welcome back to the blog! If you’re new here, thanks for stopping by!

This blog post features the benefits of screenwriting and how it can broaden your horizons as a novel writer, resources for screenwriting, and a screenwriting format sample page. All references are located at the end of the post.

Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. However, novelists can benefit from practicing screenwriting as well. One way to keep the writing process interesting, exciting, and motivating is to change the format of your writing from time to time or project to project. If you’ve been writing novels for the last few years, consider trying your hand at poetry, screenwriting, or nonfiction and vice versa. Rotating formats and writing styles can help keep the writing process refreshing and can strengthen your skills as a writer.

“Novels, Screenplays, and The Writers Who Do Both” by Annie Ward

In her article, on Crimereads.com, “Novels, Screenplays, and The Writers Who Do Both,” Annie Ward explained how Screenwriting and Novel writing can come together to make you a better writer. She started out writing screenplays but novel writing changed her perspective on writing in general:

“I discovered that by combining what I’d learned from the craft of traditional screenwriting with the freedom of fiction, I was writing more descriptively with an emphasis on thoughts and feelings, and yet managing to remain structured and succinct. My screenwriting training had forced me to learn to reveal story through dialogue and action. It had reigned in my life-long tendency to digress. I could hear my instructor’s voice whispering in my ear, “Get to the point. Show don’t tell. Where is the conflict? Keep it moving.” (Ward 2022)

Although Ward says the reverse, the structures within different types of writing and mediums force writers to explore different avenues of creativity. Sometimes having confines such as a limited word/page count or having to work within certain themes can actually free the writer from their own mind and give them a starting point to work with. I found it challenging but invigorating to write sonnets because the structure of the sonnet itself gave me a framework around which to weave my creative vision.

“4 Differences Between Writing a Screenplay and Writing a Novel” by Dan Brown

In his article, “4 Differences Between Writing a Screenplay and Writing a Novel,” Masterclass Instructor Dan Brown explained that the 4 key distinctions between screenwriting and novel writing are format, dialogue, length, and pacing. In regard to format, he said screenplays are structured using the three-act structure, with direct, concise paragraphs and adhere to the beat sheet in Blake Snyder’s book Save the Cat.

“There are more rules for the industry standard screenplay format than there are for novels. Script format dictates that the page should be full of white space, with each new scene clearly introduced with a scene heading. Screenwriting software is essential for both aspiring screenwriters and professional screenwriters and will help you quickly format your first draft” (Brown 2021).

With regard to dialogue, Brown said:

“Novels typically rely heavily on an omniscient narrator or on the inner thoughts of a main character. Script writing involves a heavier reliance on spoken dialogue….In a movie script, dialogue appears under a character’s name, sometimes preceded by a parenthetical describing the character’s feelings or gestures. In a novel, the speaker is often implied through context” (Brown 2021).

Regarding length, Brown said that novels are typically hundreds of pages longer, and this is true. Novels have many pages and passages for description and scene-building.

“Screenplay page count will vary depending on if you’re writing a short film, TV-show, or feature, but spec[ulative] scripts are typically around 90 pages long—approximately one page per minute of screen time” (Brown 2021).

In regard to pacing, Brown said:

“The pacing in both films and novels can vary wildly—a thriller, for example, will generally be more quickly paced than a character study. Compared to novels, screenplays for major Hollywood films will be faster-paced with more action lines, engaging the audience from fade in to fade out…” (Brown 2021).

Naturally, different mediums have different structures and formatting which will inherently change the way it is written, the story length, and creative freedoms the storyteller can take. It can be argued that novelists can “waste more time” on details and screenwriters cannot. If you find that your writing style is more suited towards short descriptions, and action, try scriptwriting. If you find that a script cannot contain all of your creativity and you need more space for descriptions and scene development, consider novel writing instead. It can be beneficial to try both. Writers can use the same story for both as an experiment to see how the two writing forms differ and how they overlap.

Go to the movies

Look at a variety of movies from various genres and with different formats to see different methods of storytelling via screenwriting. The new Dahmer series on Netflix, although opinions are mixed, is an example of non-linear storytelling with film. The Lord of The Rings films are examples of the classic hero’s journey tale and trope often seen in fantasy.

Screenwriter writing at a desk. Photo by Ron Lach.

Read, Watch, Write

Compare how film adaptations change stories and how moving from one medium can influence the telling of the story. Reading books, watching their film adaptations, and comparing and contrasting them can serve as a useful skill for writers who want to take a different approach.

For example, the post-apocalyptic novel Bird Box written by Josh Malerman, demonstrates how the mode of storytelling has changed and with it, the story as well. On the 39th the episode of the No Thanks, We’re Booked Podcast, the hosts Katie and Mollie, and guest Riley Sager discussed how the book was scarier than the film adaptation; that’s because the book forces the reader to imagine the horrors the characters see rather than providing definitive descriptions. The film displays the characters seeing these horrors without showing the audience what they look like. “… [Josh Malerman] takes away…the description…because the characters can’t see, you can’t see as a reader so, it’s left to… your imagination more so than usual when reading…” (Sager 2019). There’s something about invisible monsters that is just terrifying and the fact that the reader can imagine them to be as horrific as they want, is even more effective than the film.

For your next writing project, find a story that’s been adapted for the screen and fits your genre —then read the book, watch the film, and write from what you’ve learned about the two different mediums of storytelling. Consider the amount of time spent in pages compared to minutes on-screen and observe how that influences your pacing.

Watch Interviews With Screenwriters Discussing Their Craft

There are many screenwriters and actors who often direct as well and their advice and discussion of their own work can be useful for your own screenplays and other types of writing. They often offer inside looks at their process, how they direct actors for effective storytelling rather than just acting, and how they convert two-dimensional books and scripts into visually compelling three-dimensional films.

Interviews from Christopher McQuarrie, Aaron Sorkin, and other big name directors such as Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielburg, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Alfred Hitchcock can be especially useful and insightful for writers of all genres.

Lessons from the Screenplay

This is an excellent YouTube channel that produces video essays on storytelling through the medium of film and television. The host, Micheal, deep dives into the various aspects of storytelling and provides clear, concrete examples. He analyzes films and TV shows and weaves in relevant, important key information from craft books such as John Truby’s Anatomy of Story to link it to the film and back up his claims.

The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith

Backstory Magazine publisher and host, Jeff Goldsmith interviews writers, directors, and actors about their latest films. These podcasts are interesting and insightful and can provide screenwriters with tons of helpful, actionable, information on storytelling.

The Good Place Podcast

Holy motherforking shirtballs! With a podcast episode for every actual show episode, the Good Place Podcast is a great look into the writing, directing, acting, and filmmaking of the hit NBC series, The Good Place. The podcast features weekly behind-the-scenes stories, episode and performance insights, and funny anecdotes. Hosted by actor Marc Evan Jackson (Shawn) with a rotating slate of co-hosts and special guests, including actors, writers, producers, and more, this podcast takes a deep dive into everything on- and off- screen. The episodes featuring Michael Schur are especially useful as a writer.

Scripts.com

Scripts.com is one of the largest collections of movie scripts, screenplays and transcripts which is run by a community of amateur and professional writers. This is an excellent place for screenwriters, playwrights, and novelists alike to practice their craft, post their pieces online, and get feedback on their work. You can also use their free scriptwriting tool, but be sure to double-check all of your formatting to ensure there are no errors.

Studio Binder

Although they’re advertising their service, Studio Binder has a comprehensive guide to writing and formatting scripts.

The basics of script formatting are as follows:

12-point Courier font size

1.5 inch margin on the left of the page
1 inch margin on the right of the page
1 inch on the of the top and bottom of the page
Each page should have approximately 55 lines
The dialogue block starts 2.5 inches from the left side of the page
Character names must have uppercase letters and be positioned starting 3.7 inches from the left side of the page
Page numbers are positioned in the top right corner with a 0.5 inch margin from the top of the page. The first page shall not be numbered, and each number is followed by a period (Studio Binder 2019).

That’s it for my blog post about screenwriting for novelists. Do you write screenplays? Do you write novels? Have you done both? Which do you prefer? Please let me know your thoughts in the comment below!