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I've noticed there's a definite sort of class snobbery in the writing field where people who write books are considered "real" writers, while those who write scripts are not really considered writers at all. Oddly, writers of plays are often treated as writers, but never those who write screenplays. There's a sort of general scorn for movies and television -- as if the actors are just making things up on the spot. Why is it that the presence of a camera means the writer should not be considered a writer?

I think there is some amazing writing out there in the form of scripts, and the quality of the writing absolutely makes or breaks a film or TV series.

Have you encountered any TV series you think has had especially good (or bad) writers on board?

The ones that come to mind for me are Supernatural (when the original writing team was there and Kripke was actively vetting scripts), and the UK version of Being Human.

The new version of Hawaii 5-0 is one I think is an example of a good concept, great cast and flashy cinematography, bogged down by bad writing.

Well, scripts are far different than books, that's for sure. It's like comparing apples to oranges. Mostly you are just setting up shots, scenes, actions, and dialogue. And when you get done, the film director is going to do what he wants anyway. It's more of a blueprint for a film, while a book is basically art. One of the really 'big deals' in a script is good dialogue. Without it, a script can be crap.

FYI: If you think you ever want to try your hand at screenwriting, download some free scriptwriting software. I prefer Celtx myself, but you need a primer to figure out how to use those programs correctly.

Sure, but how is that different from writing a play? You still have to create the plot, the settings, the characters. And the dialogue doesn't just spring out of nowhere. Someone has to write it. I don't see that as any less an art than writing a book.

I'd love to have the talent for screenwriting, and I'm told I have a knack for dialogue, but I'm afraid I'm not much good when it comes to plotting a long piece.

In my opinion, anyone who puts pen to paper in order to keep someone else interested, whether it be a story writer, script writer or just a scholar writing an essay, is a writer.

Nirvana wrote:In my opinion, anyone who puts pen to paper in order to keep someone else interested, whether it be a story writer, script writer or just a scholar writing an essay, is a writer.

I'll buy that. I guess you could say everyone who writes falls under the writer category, sort of like auto mechanic. But writers, like mechanics, often specialize. One guy fixes Hondas, another does Chevys. One person writes plays, another one mystery novels. The rare writer is one who can do all of it.

I actually had a (completely unpublished) writer inform me that if you haven't published FICTION, you really can't claim to be a published writer, because all nonfiction writers do is string facts together and that's not really writing.

Having done both, I can tell you that screenwriting is so much more difficult as a craft. I am glad I went from script to creative fiction, as opposed to the other way around. That seems like it would have been terrible to have to limit oneself to just A/V after existing in the world of persona narrator.

Script writers absolutely ARE writers, too. It's not easy to make a screenplay interesting. One has to put all the character, story, and atmosphere into dialogue during the building process. That's no easy feat. The creation of one is just as intricate as the creation of a novel or any other prose work.

Some of my favorite screenplays have been those to "The Silence of the Lambs," "Mr. Skeffington," "Gone with the Wind," "All About Eve," and "Shakespeare in Love." Of course, there are the Shakespeare movies... But those don't count.

To me it doesn't matter WHAT you write, I would still consider you a writer as long as you write something. Screenwriter, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, it doesn't matter. With so many forms of writing out there whose to say one form or medium is better than another? We all put our heart and soul into whatever we write and do the best we can. Or at least we should, anyway.

anomalocaris wrote:I actually had a (completely unpublished) writer inform me that if you haven't published FICTION, you really can't claim to be a published writer, because all nonfiction writers do is string facts together and that's not really writing.

Wow. Non-fiction writers are true writers. You can string facts together but it won't always come out as a story the way non fiction writers make it. Some of the best books I have read were non fiction. I wonder where that writer got their intel.

I think anyone who writes is a writer. However, I do agree that writing a novel and writing a screenplay are different things. I think a big part of it is the intended audience: is it someone who is reading a book and picturing it themselves, or is someone sitting in front of a screen and watching and listening to what is happening? There are some people who do both, like William Goldman (The Princess Bride).

Some of my favorite screen writers: The writers of the BBC's Sherlock, FX's Justified, and CBS's Elementary. All of the above have fantastic characters, fantastic settings, and dialogue that makes me green with envy. For comedy, it's hard to beat 30 Rock, and The Big Bang Theory also has some great episodes, although those are a bit more hit-and-miss sometimes.

Although I do think script writers should be classified as writers, they are producing different material than those who write books. Not that one is better. Everyone is entitled to their preference and how they class it. I find its the same thing with doctors and surgeons.

I've definitely always thought of script writing as just another form of writing. I would imagine that in some ways it would be harder, because you're confined by things like he amount of time a show or movie can be.

I think it's script writers who are just rewriting a book that may seem like they have an easier job, because they should just be changing the source material into a different format, though I imagine that comes with a whole slew of difficulties. I'll just never understand why they deviate from the source material so much.

Nirvana wrote:In my opinion, anyone who puts pen to paper in order to keep someone else interested, whether it be a story writer, script writer or just a scholar writing an essay, is a writer.

I definitely agree with this, and I like how you worded it too.