So I want to write a novel, my first, but I have trained myself for years now to write screenplay-- i.e. terse, only what is seen and heard, no character thoughts, no sensations other than visual and sound, no knowledge of the past or future-- only the hear and now and what we see or hear, no POV issues. I have tried converting a screenplay to a short story for a couple of short screenplays, now I want to try this for a feature screenplay I have written and rewritten and rewritten. What I am wondering is could I post even a half page of screenplay (~100 words) along with my conversion into prose and get some critique on what I might be doing right, wrong, ideas for improving the converted prose? I don't think this would quality as belonging in the Writers Workshop here on this site, i am just looking to get help on a very short excerpt example, to see if I can learn by example?
It absolutely belongs in the Writing Workshop. You are looking for feedback. However, I'd leave out the script version. It doesn't matter what the prose started from (as long as it's yours, not someone else's writing), and focus solely on its effectiveness as prose fiction. You need to get into a prose fiction state of mind, and out of your script state of mind. It's like speaking in another language. If you think in one language and translate on the fly, the result falls far short of the results of thinking and speaking in the target language.
I agree with Cogito as regards not posting the screenplay original. It's unimportant as regards the end product of prose. It would be the same as posting your notes or scribblings prior to writing. We all have notes and scribblings that came before the writing of the actual prose. We don't post that. When you feel ready to post, make sure you read the Forum Rules regarding Workshop requirements.
Will do, thank you. I am going to find some Workshop posts of other writers' work and do my best to add some constructive critique.
It will be like going full circle for me, lol. I started out screenwriting and worked with a mentor who had to teach me to cut out all the prose I would write. Now I have to learn to get back to that state of mind and write prose to immerse the reader in an imaginative world. I will indeed post a sample of my writing in the Writing Workshop. First i will have to do a few constructive critiques there as best I can. Thank you.
i've mentored many aspiring screenwriters, short story and novel writers, sw, so i know well what you're going through... you'll have to work on going back to your old ways... the best way to do that is to read prose fiction constantly, stop writing and reading scripts for the duration... it's entirely possible to be able to write both scripts and prose at the same time, but you need to get back in the prose saddle first...
i have much the same issue as you in the sense that i could write screenplays but now im so use to writing prose that screen plays are out the window completely, could this be reversed guys?
Each medium has iys own strengths and weaknesses. A good writer will write the story in a way that takes advantage of the medium's strong points. Adapting a story written for one medium to another often requires a change in overall approach.
