Quantum Storytelling

Working on screenplay versions of my stories is teaching me a lot about the weaknesses in my writing and creative processes. I almost regret trying to write a novel first.

Why?

Because in writing a novel, you’re encouraged towards higher word counts, excessive description, and more detail. Word count, description, and detail all steal thunder from the focus of the scene.

“What has to happen in this scene?”

Surely the answer is not, “We need to see the paint peeling from the walls?”

A scene should be simple. There should be a basic conflict in it between two or more characters, or a character vs. his or herself.

I recently worked on a scene where I was trying to telegraph the villain’s nefarious plans for the hero. In the novel version, an employee of the villain is spying on the hero through surveillance. The villain walks in and asks for a progress report. It’s a naturally short scene. But because I was writing the novel version, I felt it needed a bit more detail so I expanded it across several pages, made the conflict between villain and employee a bit drawn out, and focused on more details.

When I sat down to write the screenplay version, I realized the expanded details were unnecessary. There were only two goals of the scene:

• Show that the villain & his organization are watching the hero, and have plans for him.
• Show that the villain and the employee doing the surveillance work don’t see eye to eye — this is important later in the story.

Those are the only two critical elements of the scene. Everything else is just fluff. The screenplay version? Barely a page. Trying to make the scene longer would be a waste of time. And yet, writing this scene in a novel a writer would be encouraged to pad it out.

Don’t make mountains out of molehills. If you’re having trouble with a part of your story you’re probably over thinking it and trying too hard. Pick one or two goals for the scene, and don’t be afraid to leave it short. Better to be too short and leave the audience wanting more information than to blather on for pages and pages in excessive detail.

Under staying your welcome with the audience is better than overstaying it. If you’re having trouble you’ve probably made the scene too complex.

Keep it simple.