5 Things Screenwriters Know
In my decades of working with writers, I have always turned to movies as a point of reference for The Art of Story. All writers—including novelists and memoirists—should study films. Why?
Audience. Screenwriters know their Audience. From the first kernel of an idea to the last “FADE OUT,” the Screenwriter keeps his Viewer in mind. The Moviegoer makes a big commitment. They must schedule the time. Hire a babysitter. Pay for popcorn and soda and candy. So it better be worth it. In the same way, Novelists and Memoirists must value the commitment of the Reader, who has paid for the book, or gone to the library. Who has scheduled the time, our most precious commodity. Who has taken the risk of opening to the first page. It better be worth it.
Cinematic Sensibility. Today’s Readers, as well as Viewers, have seen thousands of hours of Story played out on their screens. They know—if even on a subconscious level—how a Story works. And they know if it doesn’t work. Furthermore, watching movies can help you the Writer develop your visual knowledge, so that you can make your story visually compelling.
Hook. Writers, you have about ten seconds to hook your Readers. Look at how they do it in the movies. Think Jaws. You’ve no sooner taken the first bite of popcorn when the monster attacks. That’s how much time you have when you write a book.
Economy. Screenwriters know they may not waste a single page, not a single line. Any given page of a screenplay will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to shoot (if not more!). So if it’s not absolutely necessary to the story, it gets cut. What’s more, if the movie star isn’t in any given scene, the studio will want to know why. After all, they’re paying a salary in the millions, and they want to get their money’s worth. The same is true in writing a novel. Your Reader has invested in the Main Character. If “She” isn’t in a scene, it must not be that important.
Attention Span. We all know that modern Viewers and Readers share a diminished attention span. At first, this seems like a negative quality. I, however, suggest it’s merely a byproduct of the massive amount of information we consume on a daily basis, and our ability to process that information rapidly. Therefore, the writer must take this realization into account. You must write to the contemporary Reader, one who’s used to getting hooked into a story on Page One, or Scene One. Then, beyond that, your Reader wants those pages to keep turning. You must keep your Reader engaged every single second along the way. No time to dilly-dally.
Story Structure. Used to be, one had to read a million books like I did in order to understand how Story works. Not so anymore. You can watch a movie in two hours, take notes, and have a good idea how the whole thing got put together. Once you’ve gotten a bunch of films under your belt, you’ll start to see the patterns emerging. Oh, look, there’s the Inciting Incident. That there’s the Midpoint. Wow, the Epiphany didn’t show up until Act III. And when you can see what these Screenwriters did, you might gain some insight into your own narrative projects.
So go ahead. Make yourself a big bowl of popcorn right now, plop down on the couch and get to work. It’s never been easier to study The Art of Story.
