Script vs. Novel Update

Infrared image of a hand brought in from the cold.

 

I am now working on a novelization of my first screenplay: A Very Convenient Truthiness.  The conversion to a novel has given me more ideas for the screenplay and helped me get out of mental block.  Doing rewrites over 6 years has been more work than I expected.  At the suggestion of my wife, I've now cut the initial scenes set in 2008 and gone straight into 2028.

I'm also working with another writer on a screenplay titled: NY Nightfall.   Working with a partner on a script allows for some back and forth creativity and usually makes the final product better.   I got a bit ahead on some plot details and needed to rewrite a long section.  Instead of being frustrating it allowed me to look at the material with a fresh perspective.

Script vs. Novel format:

The script format places the dialogue directly under the person speaking the lines.

In the novel format, I'm dealing quotation marks and trying to find a clever way to note who is speaking using something other than the standard dialogue listed below.

Trever said, "run away from that pterodactyl.  He looks a bit peckish.  Oh, and while you are running for you life, please avoid trampling the flower bed.  The marigolds don't take the abuse like the hostas." 
 
Also, novels with overly long scene and character descriptions make the reading tiresome.   I'm working on giving just enough for context. 

In movies, fight scenes in movies can also be drawn out and dull like watching someone tenderize meat.  The sword fight from the Princess Bride movie gets it right.

Princess Bride - Sword fight - 3min.