From Prose Writing to Screewriting

The obvious similarity is the fact that both mediums tell a story.

As far as difference, and I struggled with this at first, the biggest is that prose tends to be descriptive and flowery - in that it flows from one sentence to the next eloquently. Screenwriting is lean, often rugged. Descriptions are sparse because less is more. You have to get descriptions, character traits, and story across in as few words as possible.

In prose one might say "the dilapidated shack looms in the foreground of a thunderous sky."

That's too much for a screenplay, there's to many adjectives. In a script, the same sentence might read "the shack stands against a threatening sky."

Not the best in either example, but hopefully you see the immediate difference.

It's okay to set up the mood/scene a little but, and it's a big but, you are dealing with people who have an extremely short attention span. You also have a verly limited amount of space, so it's not good to waste it.

Also you have to think that they may not be able to recreate what you have, same with physical descriptions of people, they may not be able to match it, so it's better to capture the essence of the character rather than physical looks.

A quick and dirty example of an opening scene that would capture both your mountains and sky and still cut right to the chase.

EXT. MOUTAINS - DAWN Sets the scene

A hiker in full gear, mid 30's, treks up the side of the mountain, a carved walking stick as his companion. Who's in the scene.

Action.
A rustling in a large bush draws his attention, he investigates, dropping his pack to the ground.

He reaches for the bush--

A bear jumps out, roaring at the intruder.

It knocks the unsuspecting hiker to the ground, pinning him against a walk.

The anxious hiker crawls a bit. The bear, matted and nasty looking, brings down his heavy paw with one big swipe finishing off the hiker.

It surveys the area, then grabs the hiker and retreats back into the bush to enjoy its sinful meal unseen.

Hope it helps.

Lean. Screenwriting is lean. You have so little room in a script to tell your story, you really have very little room for anything that resembles good writing in the prose sense. The basic rule:

A screenplay is only what you can see and hear, at a pace of one minute of movie action per page.

So you cannot tell the reader in description any information the audience would not have by watching the movie. You cannot say anything about internal thoughts, for example.

It's hard. Writers get in trouble only when they think it is easy. And know that having anything happen with your script is next to impossible. Screenwriting is a written-for-hire game of people who want to move to L.A. and work on adaptations and production companies' in-house ideas. Scripts are only very rarely purchased and produced.

I do think screenwriting should be studied by any novelist working today. The reader is now also the viewer, and have become used to the dramatic conventions of screenwriting whether they know it or not. They don't want sprawling pages of description in novels anymore, either.

I have piled up everything I know in a screenwriting website. The first section, The Mistakes, sums up all the problems I've seen in screenplays over the years, and a later section, The Instructions, is the basics of writing a script:

http://www.loreleiarmstrong.com

the biggest difference is you must write only what you see on the screen. stuff that cannot be seen should not be included. ie - feelings, reasons why someone does something, what they know, etc... does that make sense?

also, know that screenplays are blueprints for a theatrical production. this is why you don't want all those flowery words and be over descriptive. be very concise and to the point that the other people (director, set designers, actors, lighting, sound, etc... involved in the production know exactly what you're saying.

i suggest before you start to read a bunch of scripts first. it seems silly to hear someone say, "i'm going to write a novel even i have never read one."
the same goes for scripts. there are many available online. check out the screenwriting "tips" at the top of this section for links.

The scene in prose:

"The cheap motel room reeked of stale cigarette smoke. What little light that could make it through the filthy windows, illuminated the mis-matched drapes and bedspread. The carpet was worn thin between the bedside and the bathroom, where the toilet tank emitted a sibbilant moan. Mysterious stains covered the sheets, and the bedside lampshade was an illuminated hula-dancer"





The scene in a screenplay.

INT: CHEAP MOTEL

Shitty



(I saw the above description somewhere, and thought it was spot on.)

If you haven't already, check out the screenwriting tips sticky thread, which has links to sites full of scripts free to read for educational purposes, screenwriting software (some free or useable in demo mode), formatting guides, hints & tips, etc. Read 100 screenplays. After that, you'll be surprised how few questions you have.

-Derek