Tag Archives: screenplay

A Few Words on Characters…

As a novel or screenplay is written, writers need to be aware of their characters.

Duh…

No, really, give it some thought.

All stories have a protagonist and an antagonist so, as a minimum, stories have two characters. A story can be written with only two characters but, usually, there are more than two.

Many more.

Usually characters are human but sometimes they are not.

A character could be an animal, like the shark in JAWS or the pig in BABE.

Some characters are make believe such as vampires and zombies, Porky Pig, or Superman.

Weather has been used as an antagonist. Two good examples are hurricanes and tornadoes.

Even inanimate objects have been used as characters. Remember the strange car in Stephen King’s CHRISTINE, or the toys in the TOY STORY franchise?

One thing I learned from publishing my novel, WINDFALL, was to be cognizant of how many characters I introduce at any given time in the story. If too many characters are introduced at one time, the reader can’t keep them straight.

Try to introduce characters one at a time. This gives the reader time to get to know them. If this is not impossible, introduce characters in small groups.

One way to help readers remember characters is to differentiate them. The writer does this by making each and every main character come alive on paper.

If your characters are important to the story, give them a name and, if possible, make the name memorable. Give them physical attributes that are impossible to ignore, and habits that stand out, or an occupation that is so unusual it will never be forgotten.

But, if a character is secondary, such as a doorman or cab driver who only appears once in the story, don’t give them a name. In fact, don’t tell us they have fire red hair and weigh as much as an elephant. We don’t want to remember secondary characters. If a reader notices the secondary characters, the reader is distracted from the main characters. Writers should make secondary characters almost invisible.

So how many characters are too many? There is no answer to that question. Some stories only need two characters. Other stories will have hundreds. Just make sure your main characters are memorable because that makes it easier for the reader to remember them.

A Busy WRITING WEEK, Screenplays to Novels…

When it comes to my writing, I’ve been very busy this week.

I wrote a short script for this month’s challenge at MoviePoet.com. The script has to be five pages or less, and it can only have two characters. The complication to the challenge is that the two characters must be strangers to each other. I’m pleased with my entry and glad to have that behind me. In previous MoviePoet contests, I’ve earned an Honorable Mention but never placed. Maybe this month… (or maybe not…).

I also read a feature written by Greg Tonnon, a friend of mine at MoviePoet.com. It is titled Habeas Corpus and I plan on reviewing it for him this week-end. It’s a good story, based on a real story. I hope someday it’ll be made into a movie.

I’ve done a lot of work on FINDING VERITY.  Currently, word count is 56,859 words. I’ll be glad when I can say the first draft is done. Then comes the rewriting, the part of writing that I really like. It always amazes me when writers say they don’t like rewriting. For me, rewriting is the part where I see the story improve, getting stronger and coming together. I’d really like to have this project done this year.

As for the sequel to Windfall, titled ANGEL’S KISS, DEVIL’S MARK. I have started the screenplay and finished the first 15 pages. I plan on having the screenplay completed by August so I’m on schedule. Then I’ll start the companion novel.

Bend the Rules when you Write!.

I’ve been feeling very creative lately and my writing has been going well.

FINDING VERITY is now over 51,000 words and I’m excited about the novel’s progress. I’ve experienced some doubts about my planned ending but I’m nowhere near to having to make that choice. I have hope that the problem will resolve itself.

I started the ANGEL’S KISS, DEVIL’S MARK screenplay and finished the first ten pages. I admit to feeling apprehensive about writing the screenplay because it’s been over six months since I’ve written in that format. But, I found it was like riding a bike. I jumped on and started to pedal, and the first ten pages flowed. When I’m finished with the screenplay I plan on putting the story in novel format. This is what I did with WINDFALL and that worked well for me. (Angel’s Kiss, Devil’s Mark is Windfall’s sequel.)

So, now I’m in the process of writing a novel and a screenplay at one time, and it’s interesting. I wasn’t sure I could do it but now that I’ve started, I know it’s possible. Both stories are blocked (outlined). I know the plots and characters well enough so I’m not confusing the two projects.

I’ve found that, since I’ve returned to writing novels, my thoughts on “screenplay format” have relaxed. There are voluminous ways to write a novel. Because of this, I wondered why there have to be so many rules related to screenplay format? Of course, until you’ve proven yourself as a screenwriter, you need to “play by the rules.”  But, screenplays (when compared to novels) haven’t been around very long and it (the screenplay) remains an evolving art.

Bottom line, what the writer should be most concerned about, is the story. And a story has to have a beginning, middle, and end. I asked myself, if all stories aren’t identical then why do formats have to be identical? In my opinion, a screenwriter or a novelist should stay as close to the “rules” as possible. But if bending the rules a bit allows the writer to show the story better then, in my opinion, bend away!

Writing with PASTA!