Screenplays vs prose

Some have asked me about the transition from screenwriting to prose.

I spent most of the last decade focusing on my screenwriting to some mild success. Over the last two years I switched to prose for various reasons.

With a screenplay there are no he said she said. No long exposition or scene descriptions. It makes for faster and easier writing to some extent. The writer relies on the director and actors to put their touch on the story. The writer supplies the outline for the most part with plot and dialogue, and then the creative team molds it into something that may or may not resemble the original work.

With prose, it is a one person show. (With some help from the editors.) It allows me to explore (improve) my wordsmithing. My characters aren't always changing the dialogue on me. It allows me to more fully explore my voice, and feed that monster inside me that must tell stories.

An unfamous author can make more money in screenwriting than they ever could with prose, but the satisfaction and fulfillment of a finished work far surpases that of a screenplay.

Two years and counting focusing on my prose. I'm studying those masters that have gone before me to learn from their art.

My novel that will be published in 2013, I hope will exhibit my continued comfort with prose.

RKT