Whats the difference between scripts and novels?
Wow, that’s a biggie and I wish I had time to give you a complete answer! I actually have a lecture on that very subject that I’ve given to online classes and writer’s groups. But my short answer is twofold; page count and words. You have approximately 120 pages in a script to tell a complete story vs. 250+ for a novel. Secondly, there is NO INTERNAL NARRATIVE as there is in a book, so you know the character’s thoughts by how he behaves–a physical proxy–the subtext of the dialogue, his actions or perhaps his inaction. And some people believe dialogue is the last element you add to a script. So, whereas a lot of readers read novels for the sparkling, tense, vibrant dialogue, you watch a movie to see what’s happening. As I said, there’s so much more, but I hope I’ve given you a bit of the differences.
