Novels vs. Scripts
© 2007 Daniel Arenson
You might be considering writing a script based on your novel, or vice versa. Let's discuss some differences between movies and novels.
The Beginning
You've seen the movie trailer, and you're seated comfortably in the
theatre, popcorn in hand. The movie begins, and you lean back.
What are the odds you'll step out of the theatre now? Slim to
none. You've already bought your ticket, and you'll probably give
the movie at least fifteen minutes to get interesting.
With novels we don't have that luxury, especially if we're not a
household name. Editors and readers will often decide if to buy our
book based on the first page. Therefore, we must grab their
attention immediately, right from the first sentence. The opening
must hook the reader, forcing him or her to keep reading. If the
first sentence, paragraph, or page are slow, we might lose the sale.
Your script's first scene might be slow and mood-setting, which
could work great for a movie, but a novel should start with a bang.
Sound Effects
Sound is a major component in movies. Sound effects can be
powerful, whether they’re the shrieks of aliens, the ringing of
swords, or booming explosions.
Novels, obviously, do not emit sound. However,
we can create “sound effects” with similes. We can write that
"monsters screeched like nails on a blackboard" or that "the
dragon's flapping wings sounded like wobbling saws". That way,
we're describing sounds that the reader already knows.
Music
Music is a major component in most movies,
helping to set the mood. Imagine "Star Wars" without John William's
epic score, or “Psycho” without the creepy violins.
We cannot add music to novels. We can, however, add
“music” by describing it. We can write, “As Trog raised his
sword, angels sang" or "The goblins marched down the hill, beating
their drums and chanting deeply." Not as effective as a Williams
score, but it can help.
Ultimately, we must rely on our writing to set
the mood, without the aid of a score. If we write powerfully
enough, we won't need music.
Visuals
Visuals are another component that novels (unless they are graphic
novels) lack. But visuals can be described. You probably have an idea of how every scene looks.
I often think of my scenes cinematically. I imagine the way the
scene might look in a movie, then describe it. I have to “see” the
scene before writing it.
And hey, a movie studio would spend a million
dollars to create a computer-generated dragon. In a novel, we can
create one in a few sentences!
Points of View
So far, I’ve described components movies have
and novels lack. Novels, however, have a powerful tool unique to
them. Novels can describe characters’ thoughts.
In a movie, we’re seeing everything. We’re
passive observers. But as a novelist, I can place the reader into a
character’s head. The reader will see through the character’s eyes,
hear through his ears, even read his thoughts. This is powerful.
It lets us explore characters’ hearts and minds in a way movies
cannot.
Consider the following paragraph.
“Trog wandered the dungeon, hunger gnawing on
his belly. The dungeon smelled like rotten leaves and wet fur.
I wish I were home with my wife Molly, eating her apple pie,
Trog thought.”
In a movie, we couldn’t show Trog’s hunger. We
couldn’t describe the stench of the dungeon. We could perhaps see
Trog holding his nose, but we still wouldn’t know that the place
smelled like rotten leaves and wet fur. Finally, we wouldn’t know
that Trog wished he were home with Molly, eating apple pie.
Length
Novels are longer than movies. A movie is over
in two hours. A novel might take ten or twenty hours to read. That
gives us more room to expand upon plot, setting, and characters.
Enjoyed these writing tips? Check out my own writing.
Read
chapter one of
Firefly Island, an epic fantasy novel.
More Fantasy Writing Tips