Although I’ve never tried writing a screenplay, I’ve been known to read about screenplay writing from time to time. I actually think books on screenplay writing can be very interesting and informative. So much of the advice is applicable to novel writing, as well.
One of my favorites is a fantastic book on screenplay
writing called Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias. One of the reasons I especially like this book are
the tons of concrete examples Mr. Iglesias provides to illustrate the tips he outlines. I think these are
particularly helpful, since you get to see his techniques and advice for
creating emotional impact in action.
Out of all the anecdotes Mr. Iglesias shares, there is one
that really stuck with me. In one section of the book, he discusses the age-old
writer’s adage: show, don’t tell. (Yes, this tip has to make an appearance in
just about every writing book in existence, I think. But hey, it’s so
important, it’s always worth repeating.) Then he shares an old story out of
Hollywood, about a playwright who struggled with an overly long scene meant to
depict a rocky marriage. The scene contained seven pages of tense dialogue
between the husband and wife. A writer from the old silent film days was
brought in to help par this bloated scene down. His solution: replace all this dialogue with a scene in which the husband and wife get into an elevator and the
husband doesn’t remove his hat. (I guess this was a polite gesture for a
gentleman to make toward a lady back in those days.) However, at the next
floor, a pretty woman steps into the elevator and the husband immediately takes
off his hat. His wife shoots him a dirty look. End scene.
I think the subtlety of this is just brilliant. Pages and pages
of dialogue replaced by less than thirty seconds at the most—and the tension in
the marriage is still perfectly conveyed by the scene! Sometimes actions really
do speak louder than words.
Mr. Iglesias also gives a great tip I’ve never considered:
watch old silent movies for a lesson in the art of showing versus telling.
Folks in the silent film industry had to be masters of this, since they had to
convey so much without dialogue.
In my opinion, tips and examples like this make Writing for Emotional Impact a very good
choice if you’re in the market for a book about screenplay writing—or fiction
writing in general.
Do you study films or read up on screenplay writing? What favorite tips have you walked away with?
Do you study films or read up on screenplay writing? What favorite tips have you walked away with?
Very timely information as I'm looking carefully at some of my dialog and seeing a bit more telling than showing. I've also been watching movies recently with a more critical eye and your suggestion about silent movies is perfect. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! The silent movie tip is one I'd never heard before reading Writing for Emotional Impact--and I thought it was a very useful piece of advice.
DeleteI've always found screenplay writing technique surprisingly applicable to novels as well. Check out my brother's blog on scriptwriting (he was the story writer for the Sweet Home Alabama movie and teaches scriptwriting in California). Not only is it interesting insight into how the industry works, but he often has good writing advice!
ReplyDeletehttp://letsschmooze.blogspot.com/
Yes--it was surprising to me, when I first started reading books on screenplay writing, how much applied to writing fiction of any kind. Thanks for the link to your brother's blog. It looks very informative, and I look forward to perusing it in depth.
DeleteThanks for sharing this, Dawn. My editor and I are working on the screenplay for the second Young Inventors Guild book (the first one is with Two Ton films who have also optioned the second and third books) and sometimes a single glance can help cut pages and pages of dialogue. It is a challenge allowing the screenplay to be its own thing and not feeling the need to follow word-for-word (ie following the spirit of the book instead of the word of the book).
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine the challenge of transitioning a book to screenplay, Eden. Yet reading about the screenwriting process has really helped me consider just how much extraneous material we writers can cut sometimes. You're right--sometimes a glance is worth more than pages of dialogue. It's such a good reminder!
DeleteSilent movies! I never would have thought of that, but it's a great idea. I love movies, anyway, because of the visual aspect and the music, and usually I'm thinking ahead while watching, although I've only recently started trying to analyze them. Movies today have a faster pace, far more action scenes, and less dialogue than older movies.
ReplyDeleteI thought the silent movie tip was a great idea, too! Most writers I know love movies. It makes sense--we love stories, and movies are just another form to tell them.
DeleteGreat post, Dawn! I love the idea of the silent movies! I never would have thought about that. It's brilliant, though.
ReplyDelete