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Screenwriting for Novelists: How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

Exploring different writing mediums, such as screenwriting, can significantly enhance a novelist's skills. Engaging in various formats keeps the writing process fresh and invigorating, preventing creative stagnation. Screenwriting's emphasis on concise storytelling, dialogue, and visual elements can teach novelists to "show, don't tell," enriching their narrative techniques. The structured nature of screenwriting, with its three-act format and strict adherence to industry standards, offers novelists a framework that can be both challenging and liberating, fostering new avenues of creativity. By venturing into screenwriting, novelists can broaden their horizons, refine their craft, and infuse their prose with cinematic qualities that captivate readers.

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 discusses the benefits of screenwriting in broadening your horizons as a novelist, provides resources for screenwriting, and includes a sample page in screenplay format. All references are located at the end of the post. 

*I am not affiliated with any of the apps, websites, tools, companies, or content creators featured in this post and I make no money off of sharing them as resources for you here.

Screenwriting, or scriptwriting, is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media, including feature films, television productions, or video games. Novelists can also benefit from practicing screenwriting. To keep the writing process engaging and motivating, consider changing your writing format periodically or between projects. 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 'Novels, Screenplays, and The Writers Who Do Both' on CrimeReads.com, Annie Ward explains how screenwriting and novel writing can complement each other to enhance a writer's skills. 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)

While Ward transitioned from screenwriting to novel writing, the structures inherent in various writing mediums can compel 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. Personally, I found writing sonnets challenging yet invigorating, as their inherent structure provided 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 explains that the four key distinctions between screenwriting and novel writing are format, dialogue, length, and pacing. Regarding script format, he said that 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).

Regarding dialogue, Brown states:

“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).

Regarding 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.

Videos from the YouTube channel, Lessons from the Screenplay. Screenshot by Payton Hayes.

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!

Honorable Mentions (Helpful Apps & Websites For Screenwriters)

Bibliography

Further Reading

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Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 14, 2025
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25 Strangely Useful Websites To Use For Research and Novel Ideas

Here’s a screenie of what it would be like if a nuclear blast went off in my area. Pretty crazy right?

Here’s a screenie of what it would be like if a nuclear blast went off in my area. Pretty crazy right?

Time Lapse

Time travel, virtually and geologically. Watch the world change over the course of nearly three decades of satellite photography.

And here’s a screenie of the Time Lapse website panned in to the Oil Sands. I peeked through the years to see how much the Sahara Desert changed over time. It’s pretty wild.

And here’s a screenie of the Time Lapse website panned in to the Oil Sands. I peeked through the years to see how much the Sahara Desert changed over time. It’s pretty wild.

Please Note: As of February 6, 2025, some of the links in this blog post are broken. For archival purposes, I will not be updating this post but I will release an updated post this spring. Hopefully the owners of the broken links are able to provide updated links for us soon!

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Exit Mundi

Exit Mundi is a fantastic collection of end-of-the-world scenarios. Spoiler Alert: For example, remember in Marvels Infinity War, after the snap, when people just started to crumble into thin air? Yeah, that was great. 😢 Exit Mundi goes in-depth into what the big crumble would really be like for people on Earth. Yikes. For us writers, it can be incredible useful! But R.I.P. Subway guy. 

History and humanity

Ancient History Encyclopedia

From mind-blowing ancient architecture, to prehistoric artwork, this website is a goldmine of historical information. This website even has historical event timeline!

On This Day In History

At the time of writing this blog post, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes is driven from Tenochtitlan and retreats to Tlaxcala, The statue of King George III is pulled down in New York City, Wyoming becomes the 44th state, Germany begins the bombing of England, and Kenyan runner Yobes Ondieki becomes the first man to run 10,000 meters in less than 27 minutes—I had no clue all of these events happened on the same day, over different years. It’s so fascinating and can be really useful for writing books spiced with a little history.

Historical Pics

Historical Pics is stashed in a little corner of the internet, called Facebook. But I like to call it time-waster-extraordinaire, because I always get caught scrolling through this page for hours on end. There’s so many incredible photos from Dovima posing with elephants in a Paris circus, 1955 to a giant human chess game played 100 years ago in Leningrad, Soviet Union.

Inspiration

Looking for inspiration to get the creative juices flowing? Have no fear! These two websites are known for their ability to light a spark in even the driest of writers.

Pintrest

Infact, Pintrest users coined the term/hashtag #inspo due to the ability to inspire almost anything in anyone who happens to find themselves down the rabbit hole of aesthetic pins and boards.

The Moth

The Moth is an incredible website that will surely inspire you to hone your craft of storytelling and deep dive into humanity’s stories. The Moth is dedicated to sharing engaging, well-crafted stories that honor the diversity and commonality of human experience. (And their stories come in text and audio formats!)

Location and worldbuilding

Google Earth

“The Sieka of Sahn’Jatar” is set in my fictional world of Aviiyen, but the desert is inspired by the Sahara over in the middle east and Google Earth was so useful in bringing that story to life. I’ve never been to the Sahara Desert but I would love to go there in person someday. For now, I’ll just visit from my computer screen.

Zillow

If you’ve done some house hunting lately, then you know how useful Zillow can be for finding the next perfect place to live. But you might not know how great it is for house inspiration for your novel characters! Much like Google Earth, Zillow is great for visualizing locations and helping to bring your story’s fictional setting to life.

Here’s a screenie from Zillow! While one day, I hope to move to Seattle, for now I can happily write about my dream city from the comfort of my Oklahoma home.

Here’s a screenie from Zillow! While one day, I hope to move to Seattle, for now I can happily write about my dream city from the comfort of my Oklahoma home.

100,000 Stars

Earlier in this list, I mentioned people wanting to yeet themselves into space by hitching a ride on SpaceX’s rideshare cargo but now you don’t have to do that! Just check out 100,000 Stars for a stellar interactive visualization experience with the stars! As per their website: “From their website: “100,000 Stars hows the location of 119,617 nearby stars derived from multiple sources, including the 1989 Hipparcos mission. Zooming in reveals 87 individually identified stars and our solar system. The galaxy view is an artist's rendition based on NGC 1232, a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way.”

Here’s a screenie of the 100,000 Stars website. Pretty amazing right?

Here’s a screenie of the 100,000 Stars website. Pretty amazing right?

Geoguessr

So, you think you’re a worldbuilding pro? Let’s find out just how well you know your setting with Geoguessr—a website that transports you into a place with one goal in mind: to determine where you are on the map. You can play across the global map or try and identify famous locations from spectacular natural wonders to astonishing man-made structures.

And here’s a screenie from Geoguessr. Any ideas where this satellite image is from?

And here’s a screenie from Geoguessr. Any ideas where this satellite image is from?

Murder and Horror

Okay so these websites might not be for the faint of heart, but I promise, we have some more happier/positive items to come later in this list! But these potentially disturbing websites can prove super useful for writers working on murder mystery novels and horror/thriller.

Homicide Monitor

A worldwide homicide map where you can see how many people were killed where. This might be useful if you’re writing a novel and need homicide statistics or in need of a story idea. However, you might want to avoid looking up you town… 😬

Goodbye Warden

This website has a chilling list of last words from 565 Texas death row inmates.

Murderpedia

Murderpedia is a free online encyclopedic dictionary of murderers and the largest database about serial killers and mass murderers around the world.

Names

Baby Names

Pretty self-explanatory, but if you’re trying to find the perfect name for your main protagonist, Baby Names is the site for you!

Behind The Name

Maybe you already have your names picked out but you want to do a little more research on their origins or meanings? Check out Behind the Name for in-depth etymology on almost any name you can imagine.

(A great honorable mention (because it’s not a website, but a book rather, is Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names. There are thousands of names in this book and it was a life-saver for me when trying to come up with names for my WIP fantasy series.)

Strange, but useful facts

Uber Facts

Once again, we have another time-suck of a webpage, but truthfully I love this one as much as the Historical Pics Page. This is a Facebook page that puts out some of the most interesting facts I’ve ever seen. Save facts for story ideas or go down the rabbit hole of interesting information.

Today I Found Out

Want to know why kids learn languages fast than adults? Or maybe you want to read more about why the human heart doesn’t get tired like other muscles? The Today I Found Out website is a great place for random, interesting information that might inspire your writing.

How Stuff Works

Who came up with aglets? How (and why) is the U.S. Experiencing a coin shortage? Is French press really the best coffee? How Stuff Works has all the answers you could ever want and more.

Cool Interesting Stuff

From chilling true-crime mysteries to alien autopsies and urban legends, Cool Interesting Stuff has tons of random, weird, and borderline creepy facts to inspire your next thriller. Pro Tip: Don’t read this website before bed.

Oddee

Oddee is a website that entertains million of visitors every month with stories about parrots teaching each other to swear (and then laugh about it) and brain-eating amoebas found in Texas water supplies—Yikes!

Space Facts

Did you know there’s a couple of dwarf planets named Eris and Makemake, or that Eris was once considered for the position of tenth planet? I didn’t! And that’s exactly why we need this site. I love space and talking about all things celestial, but I need more of it in my life. Since my books are sort of sci-fi and fantasy genre bending, this site is great for all kinds of stellar facts.

And that’s it for my list of 25 strangely useful websites for writers! What did you think of this list? Have you ever used any of these sites for your own writing? Do you have any ideas that are missing from this list? Let me know in the comments below!

—Payton

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Classic Romance Reading Challenge for February

A themed reading challenge for February encourages readers to explore classic romance novels, celebrating love and heartbreak through iconic literary works. Suggested titles include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Readers can follow the challenge by starting with the most romantic stories and ending with the most dramatic for a full spectrum of romantic emotions.

Hello readers and writerly friends!

If you’re a returning reader, welcome back and if you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by! In this shorter blog post we’re talking about classic romance reads, since it’s February and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

I am giving you guys a romance reading challenge for the month of February! If you’ve ever heard of Booktober, when every year during October, the bookish community participates in various spooky reading challenges to get in the Halloween holiday spirit. Instead of reading horror or thriller, we’re going to be reading romances, with a twist—we’re reading classic romances! Not only will we start the year off strong with popular classics but this list will keep our heads and hearts in the right places as Valentine’s day draws nearer. Let’s get reading!

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, a young orphan under the care of her cruel, wealthy aunt attends the Lowood school where her life is less than idyllic. She studies there for years before taking a governess position at a manor called Thornfield, where she teaches a lively French girl named Adele.  There, she meets a dark, impassioned man, named Mr. Rochester, with whom she finds herself secretly falling in love with. However, this classic romance transcends melodrama to portray a woman’s passionate search for a wider and richer life than that which Victorian society traditionally allowed.

 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I could go on and on for days about Austen’s Writing and she definitely has the novels to support that loving rant, but I’ll save you guys the sifting and just say that if you’re going to read Jane Austen, why not read her quintessential romance novel, Pride and Prejudice. It has all the elements of an amazing romance novel and is one of, if not the greatest romance novel of all time. It’s a witty comedy of manners that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues.

 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

An American classic that inspired one of the most influential movies of all time, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a classic romance that opens with the unnamed narrator meeting for the first time, Holly Golightly. The two are both tenants of an apartment building on Manhattan’s upper, east side. As the story progresses, the reader learns more and more about Holly and the relationship between her and the narrator as he recounts fondly their memories and finds himself quite enamored with her curious lifestyle. She, a country girl turned New York Café Society, works as an expensive escort (not prostitute) and hopes to marry one of the wealthy men she accompanies one day.

 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Another novel from the other Bronte sister, this wild, passionate romance story of the intense and almost obsessive love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine’s father continues to strike readers today. The story is one of, if not perhaps the most haunting and tormented love stories ever written and tells the tale of the troubled orphan, Heathcliff and his doomed love for Catherine.

 

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

What list would be complete without a little Shakespeare and especially, his most famous story, Romeo and Juliet. Though anyone who has actually read it will tell you that the story doesn’t have a particularly happy ending. Romeo and Juliet is classic tale of forbidden love that showcases one of the most important questions humanity has ever faced, and that is: how far will one go for love? Elizabeth Eliot said, “There is nothing worth living for, unless it is worth dying for.” which eloquently and succinctly describes Romeo and Juliet.

 

Try reading these in order of most romantic to least romantic to start the month out with a really romantic read and finish it out on a little reader heartbreak. Or, read least to most romantic to end February with a happy ending.

What do you think of my February Classic Romance Reading Challenge? Have you read any of these stories before? Which of these five is your favorite and which is your least favorite? For me personally, I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and I look forward to rereading it this month, however I’d say Romeo and Juliet is coming in at on my list. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

 
 
 
 

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Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 20, 2025
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