Make your scenes shine! In This Scene Sucks: 15 Screenwriting Mistakes to Avoid, Timothy Cooper shows writers how to do just that by describing
the screenwriting mistakes he most often sees. Of course,
the same principles apply to fiction writing.
Here are the problems Mr. Cooper, an accomplished
screenwriter, most often sees:
1. Characters
are described in excruciating detail
2. Characters
have androgynous names.
3. Character
names begin with the same letter, and/or look similar on the page.
4. The
scene begins at the very beginning of the exchange, rather than the middle.
5. Typo.
6. People
say exactly what they mean.
7. The
actual action of the scene is unclear.
8. We’re
introduced to too many characters on the first page.
9. Formatting
issues.
10.
Much of the information is impossible to actually show on the screen.
11.
Long chunks of text.
12.
An unimportant character is given too much weight.
13.
No major conflict.
14.
Unnecessary parentheticals.
15.
Clichéd dialogue.
#4,
“The scene begins at the very beginning of the exchange, rather than the middle”
is one of my favorites. Timothy Cooper expands on his statement:
Yes,
many conversations begin like this in real life. But on the page, it’s
crushingly dull. Instead, enter the scene mid-conflict by jumping in
as late as possible
(without being confusing). Then, make sure to exit the scene before it’s all
wrapped up neatly. This leaves some tension to push the reader into your next
scene.
I
also like #8, “We’re introduced to too many characters on the first page”:
Introduce us to just a few characters
at a time. It’s like going to a party: If the host tells you everyone’s name at
once, you won’t remember a single name. But if you start by talking with just
two or three people, then move on to the next small group, you’re way more
likely to get to know and care about each individual.
I
just purchased a used copy of The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer,
by Sandra Scofield. The author offers this advice about scene openings:
It is
possible to pull the reader into the heart of the story, beginning in media res
without getting lost, if your opening lines offer enough details of situation,
setting, and potential conflict.
Sandra
Scofield offers an entire chapter to scenes with many characters. As I tend to populate
my story with lots of characters (a curious writer trait, as I’m pretty much of
a loner) I’m going to pay close attention to this advice.
Can
you add pet peeves to this list? Tell us what you’ve done to rescue your
beloved story.
Read Timothy’s Cooper’s entire article here.
For more on The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer, click here.
8 comments:
Great post, Maggie. And I'm so relieved to find someone else who populates their books with a lot of characters. I do, too. I know it can be hard on the reader, but it's my way of getting in a lot of suspects!
Maggie,
Love this list of don'ts, esp the one of characters saying exactly what they mean. Our characters often lie, omit facts, and hide deep, dark secrets to keep our readers in suspense.
I had to reduce the number of my characters in my book and I took some out of the first chapter because it was really confusing. I haven't read this book yet, but I do love self-help books on any writing. I read them and then keep them and revisit sections often, referencing areas I need to brush up on. These type of books, I never give away.
In many English novels and TV shows, we get bombarded with characters from the start. Eventually we do sort them out. In my third book I'm trying to slowly introduce the characters.
All good points! Refreshers are always good. Thanks for the post.
Good reminders! I recall never finishing a book because there were far too many characters and I kept losing track of them.
nice tips... thank you
These reminders are helpful, especially starting a conversation in the middle where the conflict is strong and ending before it's wrapped up. I'll put that at the top of my dialogue reminders.
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