Friday, February 22, 2019

style - How can a screenplay writer learn to write a novel?


I am the sort of person that is really great at coming up with amazing ideas, plot-lines, worlds, etc. for stories, but I'm not so good at putting them to paper - at least not in a novel. I'm really great at adapting stories through actions and dialogue. Essentially, I write like I'm watching a movie - I'm fast paced and don't like getting caught up in setting descriptions or internal monologues. Because of this, I can write pretty spectacular screenplays, if I do say so myself.


Now I'm trying to adapt though and write novels. I'm having a difficult time figuring out how to write good prose when I'm so used to writing screenplays. I can say that it's not a matter of practice - I practice a lot. Very little progress is ever really made though... Does anyone have any suggestions for me as to where I can look to learn how to overcome this?




Answer



Obvious answer is to read more novels. At the same time, don't worry about your previous skill set; novels are as much about dialogue as they are prose. Try and have a strong grasp of figurative language while still remaining clear in your description of events.


Otherwise I recommend learning to slow the pacing of the story quite a lot. You have time to be indulgent in v prose that you v don't in a screen play.


For an interesting middle ground, try writing a comic first. Comic writing is almost exactly like screen play writing except for the fact that it allows more structural play.


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