tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post2304899281336437196..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: 5 Important Tips Fiction Writers Can Learn From Screenwriting by Caitlin EhaStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-32870229379843912212017-06-06T13:31:06.617-05:002017-06-06T13:31:06.617-05:00Great, Lucy! You should be able to find some onlin...Great, Lucy! You should be able to find some online examples of screenwriting format and even some templates, if you want to use that to help you. Of course the outline is the important thing in this case, not the exact format :) Good luck!authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-13887102172976257652017-06-06T13:28:26.839-05:002017-06-06T13:28:26.839-05:00My pleasure! So glad to help. :)My pleasure! So glad to help. :)authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-50575189083542149812017-06-06T13:27:35.851-05:002017-06-06T13:27:35.851-05:00Hi Bethany! I've heard that about playwriting ...Hi Bethany! I've heard that about playwriting vs. screenwriting as well. If I remember correctly, plays are limited in their settings by what can be done with the set design on stage. Movies get to use CGI. ;)<br /><br />Good luck with your writing! I feel your pain about the rambling problem, but thankfully we can always edit after getting the first draft on paper! authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-28408905388981136132017-06-06T13:23:39.237-05:002017-06-06T13:23:39.237-05:00You're absolutely right! Good storytelling is ...You're absolutely right! Good storytelling is good storytelling, whether you're using novel or screenplay format. Thanks for reading! authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-17306590111677001982017-06-06T13:21:33.777-05:002017-06-06T13:21:33.777-05:00Awesome, Vera! I'm so glad to know that an act...Awesome, Vera! I'm so glad to know that an actor found this information valuable. :) It's remarkable how different forms of fiction, such as novels and screenplays, can overlap. Thanks for reading!authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-17601392767797620942017-06-02T15:06:55.195-05:002017-06-02T15:06:55.195-05:00I love the idea of outlining using a screenplay fo...I love the idea of outlining using a screenplay format! I might just have to try that. Megan the Nutmeghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978560952822239158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-57230444661002164602017-06-01T09:55:01.330-05:002017-06-01T09:55:01.330-05:00WOW! This is amazing! Thank you so much for these ...WOW! This is amazing! Thank you so much for these tips! I will use them in the future! XDGJEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-1860437440357583932017-06-01T09:11:02.697-05:002017-06-01T09:11:02.697-05:00Ooh. Interesting. I've enjoyed studying playwr...Ooh. Interesting. I've enjoyed studying playwrighting, but it is so different than screenwriting! For example, my professor once said that in screenwriting, the focus was more on the setting and everything else (what the camera sees), while in playwrighting, the focus was more on dialogue. <br /><br />I think I would like to try focusing more on setting. I don't do it nearly well enough. O.O Also, including the right details. I have a rambling problem, especially in first drafts. Bethany Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160544671105522363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-11264012852020110632017-05-31T20:20:01.925-05:002017-05-31T20:20:01.925-05:00Hi Olivia! I have the same tendency to over-descri...Hi Olivia! I have the same tendency to over-describe when writing my novels. It's actually a great ability to be able to imagine your scenes as if they're part of a movie; I do the same thing. However, the trick is to focus your "vision." You might see every detail of a scene in your mind's eye, but you only have to write out the details necessary for producing that image in your reader's eye. <br /><br />For example, if you're describing a familiar setting such as a grocery store, you probably don't have to explain how each aisle is organized or explain every kind of food exhibited on the display stands. Your reader's mind can easily fill in those unspoken details. But if this was a grocery store during the American Depression Era, for instance, you might want to draw the reader's attention to the empty spots on the shelves to create the impression that food is scarce.<br /><br />Hmmm as far as your question about body language...I would say that, again, it all comes down to context. Ask yourself, is the body language essential to understanding the dialogue, or does the reader get the point without the body language? Sometimes body language descriptions really give the dialogue a "punch." But other times, the dialogue can stand on its own. <br /><br />Try this: write out a scene of yours with just some dialogue and simple phrases like, "Joe said." Don't let yourself describe their body movements. Then read over it (maybe ask someone else to read over it too, if you need a second opinion). See what parts of the dialogue work independently, and what parts need some clarification from body language. Keep it real, also - how many eye movements do we make in real life when we're talking? People-watch for a while and see what you observe. :) Hope that helps! authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-10280374000986995502017-05-31T20:10:03.660-05:002017-05-31T20:10:03.660-05:00This is great, Caitlin--I have a mild interest in ...This is great, Caitlin--I have a mild interest in screenwriting, though I prefer novels enormously. The idea of using powerful descriptive phrases, such as "who was born old," really catches my imagination. Such phrases are obviously useful in scripts, as you said, but it's interesting to think of them in context of novels, where longer description is allowed. Powerful phrases like that don't lose their weight in novels, and they can be combined with plenty of other stuff in novels to give an even fuller picture. Thanks for the post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06433886456986052001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-52281105876931593772017-05-31T20:05:16.404-05:002017-05-31T20:05:16.404-05:00Aww, thank you, Jill! And thanks for the great rec...Aww, thank you, Jill! And thanks for the great recommendation you included with this article. :) It means so much to get positive feedback and assistance from authors I admire. <br /><br />I'm so glad the article was a blessing to you! I love the screenwriting way of introducing characters as well, because I tend toward overloading my readers with unnecessary descriptions. It was such a revelation when I started studying scripts and realized that some excellent character introductions were extremely concise. authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-68607165563932301732017-05-31T19:59:35.008-05:002017-05-31T19:59:35.008-05:00That's awesome, Hannah! Screenwriting is serio...That's awesome, Hannah! Screenwriting is seriously fun, and it's nice to have the option of another format to tell a story. I've discovered that some of my story ideas work much better as a script than as a novel. :) <br /><br />As I told Lillian, be sure to check out The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier if you haven't already. It's SO helpful! I've learned what I know from that book and my college courses. If you take screenwriting courses, not only can they help you learn to write scripts but they can help you find a good screenwriting mentor. That's what happened to me!<br /><br />Good luck with all your writing. ;)authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-43627003961594474022017-05-31T18:15:56.671-05:002017-05-31T18:15:56.671-05:00Thank you, Caitlin! This was an awesome article. ...Thank you, Caitlin! This was an awesome article. I especially liked it because as an actor, I often work with scripts, although they are for the stage. I loved how the connections from two parts pod my life really came together as I read this. Thank you so much! True Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13040336998083343748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-13810016999548634592017-05-31T15:09:30.103-05:002017-05-31T15:09:30.103-05:00I think your tip on limiting description would be ...I think your tip on limiting description would be really good for me to practice. I am a visual learner and tend to imagine my scenes like they come from a movie. Thus, I tend to want to include all the details as I see them rather than by the impression I receive from them.<br />I also have a bad tendency to overemphasize body language, particularly eye movement. Do you have any suggestions for how I might move away from that?<br />Thank you so much for sharing, Caitlin! I'll definitely have to revisit this article to absorb all your good tips.Olivianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-44652513804316497042017-05-31T12:13:31.995-05:002017-05-31T12:13:31.995-05:00I've never read or watched Harry Potter, so th...I've never read or watched Harry Potter, so the example there doesn't make sense to me. I've never watched the Pirates movies either, but you gave the exampled for that. <br /><br />Now, let me clear up what I meant for both you and Lillian.<br />I do believe describing the character's personality is important and I don't believe in going into this long-winded physical description of the character, but to be able to visualize in a novel, you need the basic hair, eyes, and skin description.<br /><br />I've never written a screenplay, so I don't completely know the details to that, but I do think there are some differences as you said since it's more about the actor hired. With novels, you aren't hiring an actor.<br /><br />But everyone has a difference in how they write and that's good thing. We can't all write the same way or else we'd all be boring. :)Ivie Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07078528126219230207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-76079124063574383542017-05-31T11:39:02.566-05:002017-05-31T11:39:02.566-05:00No, I haven't heard of that book. Thanks for r...No, I haven't heard of that book. Thanks for recommending it! I'll look it up.Lillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08536776325742774435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-40846942903206184462017-05-31T11:27:02.016-05:002017-05-31T11:27:02.016-05:00I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! Thanks for ...I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! Thanks for reading. :)authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-43278700153695234852017-05-31T11:26:05.505-05:002017-05-31T11:26:05.505-05:00Hi Lillian! So glad you enjoyed the article. :) Ha...Hi Lillian! So glad you enjoyed the article. :) Have you ever read The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier? That's the mainstay for any screenwriter and a great place to start learning! Also an easy read and super helpful reference book. :) And, as you mentioned, reading through existing screenplays is also a great way to learn! authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-28529360201754443212017-05-31T11:21:52.748-05:002017-05-31T11:21:52.748-05:00Hi Ivie, thank you for your comment! I'm a wri...Hi Ivie, thank you for your comment! I'm a writer who likes to plan out my characters' physical attributes to the last detail, so I understand the temptation to include all of that information in the novel. However, I think Lillian hit the nail on the head. The key is to include physical descriptions of your characters that serve a purpose. <br /><br />Check out the example of Will Turner from the Pirates movie. The writer didn't shy away from a physical description, but he used it to reveal something about who Will is. Moreover, he didn't bother to include details - such as Will's hair color - that don't matter to the scene. <br /><br />For another example, think of some Harry Potter characters. We all remember Harry as the boy with his father's messy hair and his mother's green eyes behind broken glasses, right? But those attributes are important because they say something about Harry, about his connection to his parents and about his social situation when he lives with the Dursleys (they didn't buy him new glasses). We remember the physical attributes because other elements of the plot have made them inseparable from the character himself.<br /><br />I hope that cleared things up a little. :) Thank you for reading my article!authorcaitlinehahttps://caitlineha.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-30376979755738589362017-05-31T10:24:43.765-05:002017-05-31T10:24:43.765-05:00Thanks so much for this great article, Caitlin. I ...Thanks so much for this great article, Caitlin. I really enjoyed it and am going to strive to incorporate these techniques into my fiction, especially the first one. Such simply descriptions stay with readers, I think. We can always find other places to mention hair or eye color, height and other physical qualities, if we have need. But I like this method very much for that first description of a character.Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-37721706815328798592017-05-31T09:49:36.038-05:002017-05-31T09:49:36.038-05:00Ah. I'm planning on pursuing screenwriting as ...Ah. I'm planning on pursuing screenwriting as a career. This was really good connecting the two world's. (I'd also like to be published one day as well) <br />It's so cool that there are so many ways to tell one story. Hannah Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02032229483859881446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-28550528420405520162017-05-31T09:27:24.488-05:002017-05-31T09:27:24.488-05:00Thank you so much for this article, Caitlin! I'...Thank you so much for this article, Caitlin! I've never attempted to write a screenplay before, but I hope to someday, even if it's just for practice. I think it sounds so fun to write something so concise like that. Also, I'm in love with the formatting!<br /><br />I love reading through screenplays and seeing how they were written. Character descriptions in particular are my favorite, because they add so much flavor to a person.Lillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08536776325742774435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-30251290055582723072017-05-31T09:22:21.399-05:002017-05-31T09:22:21.399-05:00You make an interesting point, Ivie, because while...You make an interesting point, Ivie, because while novelists have more room for long physical descriptions of characters, are they any more important than in a screenplay? Do readers care if a person has ketchup-colored hair, a bulbous nose, eyes the color of a cloudy sky, an old torn jacket with soup stains, and one shoe if they can be told he's a sickly redhead with a wardrobe picked from the trashcan?<br /><br />It seems more important to me to give the important details--and only the important details--that show who a person is rather than what they look like. After all, movies may give us actors to look at, but books rely on readers' imaginations to visualize characters. We don't fall in love with a character for his gorgeous face in a book--often--we fall in love with them because of how they act and what they think.<br /><br />Screenplays do give description of characters, but it's only what's necessary to get a feel for their personality and lifestyle. I think most books would do better to give their characters that kind of description. I'll forget a description in ten seconds if you tell me the character has black hair and a green jacket, but if you tell me he has a jagged haircut and a scar on his upper lip, I'll remember him.Lillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08536776325742774435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-34445629613338107492017-05-31T08:45:12.564-05:002017-05-31T08:45:12.564-05:00As someone who loves writing and movies, I really ...As someone who loves writing and movies, I really enjoyed the article. It made me think about things I really haven't thought of much. Great job!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09802310913107674147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-78404453424912821432017-05-31T07:48:19.152-05:002017-05-31T07:48:19.152-05:00While I think some of these tips could be helpful,...While I think some of these tips could be helpful, you mentioned not going into much about the description of the character in a physical sense and use more of a sense of what the character is like. I think with screenplays, you kind of have a visual of what the character looks like, so it isn't a problem. With novels, you have to give a description at some point of what the character looks like or else it might not convey well in the book.<br /><br />That's just my opinion. I think some of the tips you put here can be helpful. :)Ivie Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07078528126219230207noreply@blogger.com