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Screenwriter AND novelist?
- Thread starter kidcharlemagne
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I've written two screenplays, both for college classes. Only one of them I tried to submit anywhere. I've also started a number of novels, as that is my preferred format.
Right now I'm revising a young adult vampire novel I hope to finish and query soon. And there's a movie my husband and I want to work on, but we're still developing the plot. Once we have a solid plot, I want to write the screenplay so we can get some people together and make it an actual movie.
I guess in my experience, I know a lot more about writing novels and the book publishing industry than I do about selling screenplays and the film industry. But that's more because I think of film (writing screenplays and such) as a hobby, whereas I think of novel writing as my (hopeful) future career.
Yttar
Right now I'm revising a young adult vampire novel I hope to finish and query soon. And there's a movie my husband and I want to work on, but we're still developing the plot. Once we have a solid plot, I want to write the screenplay so we can get some people together and make it an actual movie.
I guess in my experience, I know a lot more about writing novels and the book publishing industry than I do about selling screenplays and the film industry. But that's more because I think of film (writing screenplays and such) as a hobby, whereas I think of novel writing as my (hopeful) future career.
Yttar
Paul
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Yup. I'm both produced and published. I've written both in the last eight-nine years... maybe more. Who counts? 
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The plan is to get my novels published and then have someone else turn them into screenplays.
I know this guy who has a few ideas for screenplays, and he wants me to write them with him, but we haven't spoken in a while, and I'm pretty sure it'd be a case of, "Oh Cliff, you write this scene, and I'll edit it later." Over and over again.
I have too many of my own ideas to carry someone else's. But if he really wants to write half of it, I'd probably be happy enough to write my half, seeing as how we'd split the money if it got made into a movie...
Problem is, I don't know the guy too well. And he's a musician, so god only knows what sort of work ethic he has! *joke... maybe*
I know this guy who has a few ideas for screenplays, and he wants me to write them with him, but we haven't spoken in a while, and I'm pretty sure it'd be a case of, "Oh Cliff, you write this scene, and I'll edit it later." Over and over again.
I have too many of my own ideas to carry someone else's. But if he really wants to write half of it, I'd probably be happy enough to write my half, seeing as how we'd split the money if it got made into a movie...
Problem is, I don't know the guy too well. And he's a musician, so god only knows what sort of work ethic he has! *joke... maybe*
Yup. I'm both produced and published. I've written both in the last eight-nine years... maybe more. Who counts?
At least one accountant. There’s the bookkeeper you may choose to employ, and that gang of ever-ready monsters at the tax offices.
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Idea for a screenplay: a guy goes to the tax office for an audit and gets beaten to death with calculators.
Feel free to steal that one from me...
Feel free to steal that one from me...
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I'm interested in people's experiences in transitioning from the screenwriting form to the novel form.
Did people find the transition difficult (in either direction) and are there bad habits that one can pick up in the transition e.g. the book reads more like a script or the script ends up being to full of detailed descriptions and voice overs?
On the other hand are there skills that one picks up in one form that help with the other form?
Writing them independent of each other isn't too difficult a transition, but adapting one from the other can be tricky. For me, anyway.
There's only basic dialogue and movement in a screenplay, so you have to add depth to the story. When starting with a novel, you have to cut all of the inner thoughts and commentary to strip it down to dialogue and basic action.
There's only basic dialogue and movement in a screenplay, so you have to add depth to the story. When starting with a novel, you have to cut all of the inner thoughts and commentary to strip it down to dialogue and basic action.
The biggest thing I took away from my time spent in screenwriting was the three-act structure. It doesn't always apply itself to novel writing, but I've adapted the structure for my novels (to some success, apparently).
The technical aspects of screenwriting were easy enough for me to discard, because I used Movie Magic software for the screenplays. It used specific key combinations to create specific things (dialogue, establishing shots, ect...). Word is way simpler.
The one thing that was hardest for me to overcome was POV. In a screenplay, you can have scenes with the good guys, scenes with the bad guys, scenes with the grocer down the street and a candy thief. This doesn't work quite as well in novels. I can't just insert a three-page scene with this grocer and then never deal with him again--it's an extraneous POV and probably unnecessary to the plot.
Some screenplays are, of course, written in tight POV and we only ever seen scenes that the main character is in. But a lot of movies use a somewhat omniscient narrative style. And since I write first-person, I had to teach myself to not do that.
Screen and script writing is much quicker than full-length novel writing, but the rates of pay are abysmal. Novel writing is more difficult and takes much longer, often without pay at all for long periods, but you can strive to hit the jackpot, rather than struggle along picking up crumbs.
I’m sure that if you’re a writer you can handle both, and also short stories, journalism, column writing etc, but I always hesitate at poetry, that seems a bit too specialised.
I’m sure that if you’re a writer you can handle both, and also short stories, journalism, column writing etc, but I always hesitate at poetry, that seems a bit too specialised.
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"Screen and script writing is much quicker than full-length novel writing, but the rates of pay are abysmal."
I thought movies were where the money was at? Now I'm all jaded, affronted, and a little tired...
I thought movies were where the money was at? Now I'm all jaded, affronted, and a little tired...
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Some screenplays are, of course, written in tight POV and we only ever seen scenes that the main character is in. But a lot of movies use a somewhat omniscient narrative style. And since I write first-person, I had to teach myself to not do that.
Interesting. POV seems to be a major differentiator.
I've heard that the average advance on a novel these days is 5K. The WGA minimum for selling a script is $71,456 for films with budgets over $5 million. Of course if the novel is successful then the sky's the limit with royalties and I do know people get much larger amounts in bidding wars.
Paul
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Paul
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Yes.
The WGA numbers assume you are a working guild member. Your first script will not be. Your first ten may not be, or 100, or...you get it.
Chances are, if you sell your first couple of screenplays they will be for the princely sum of...nothing. Production. A movie that in all likelihood will never be seen. Perhaps never be finished.
Welcome to the glamorous world of spec scripts.
The WGA numbers assume you are a working guild member. Your first script will not be. Your first ten may not be, or 100, or...you get it.
Chances are, if you sell your first couple of screenplays they will be for the princely sum of...nothing. Production. A movie that in all likelihood will never be seen. Perhaps never be finished.
Welcome to the glamorous world of spec scripts.
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If you sell your first script either in the UK or the US then this automatically qualifies you for WGUK or WGA membership.
I've never heard of anyone selling a script for nothing. Optioning a script for nothing, yes, writing a script for a producer for nothing (before he sells it) yes but if the producer sets the film up at a studio or if the indie film gets greenlit and goes to principal photography the writer gets paid and he should at least get WGUK or WGA minimum. For low budget films there are different rates.
Of course, just like novels that are never published you can write a ton of scripts that never sell or that just attract free options/free rewrites that never go beyond the development phase.
I've never heard of anyone selling a script for nothing. Optioning a script for nothing, yes, writing a script for a producer for nothing (before he sells it) yes but if the producer sets the film up at a studio or if the indie film gets greenlit and goes to principal photography the writer gets paid and he should at least get WGUK or WGA minimum. For low budget films there are different rates.
Of course, just like novels that are never published you can write a ton of scripts that never sell or that just attract free options/free rewrites that never go beyond the development phase.
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