Recently Writer’s Digest published a blog post about studying screen writing and what you can learn by reading specific Oscar winning screen plays. Their post was intended for people who are studying screen writing. I’d like to expand on this – study screen writing and screen plays no matter what type of fiction you write. Because there is something to learn whether you write picture books, graphic novels, or young adult mysteries.
Here are four things you can learn by reading screen plays.
The Three Act Structure. Stories frequently consist of three acts – the beginning (introduction), the middle (body of the story), and the end (or resolution). While fiction writers in general are aware of this, among the first to realize the importance may have been screenwriters. In her Plot Whisperer book, Martha Alderson pulls examples from both books and movies.
The Hero’s Journey. The importance of this form in story telling may have first been discovered by Joseph Campbell who studied ancient stories and found that throughout time they consist of certain types of characters and certain plot points. You have heroes and mentors. You have a call and a climax. To read more about this and how it applies to writing check out The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.
Humor. So often I see editors asking for books with more humor including books that deal with serious issues. One of the screenplays on this list, The Apartment, was cited not only for being funny but also funny while dealing with the “unsavory.” Loved the use of that word. Casablanca was also noted for its often humorous dialogue.
Characterization. Speaking of Casablanca, another reason it made the list was for fully realized characters. Even the cameos presented characters who were given an opportunity to shine. There are no stock characters here so if you feel like your secondary characters come across as flat, check out this screen play.
Check out the post from Writer’s Digest, download the various screen plays and get to work. It is time to make those manuscript shine!
One Writer's Journey 