The question of screenwriting vs novel writing hit me hard after I finished my novel What Meets the Eye and screenplay It Just Gets Better. A screenplay is structured in the present tense, and presents a story in a somewhat detached view, whereas most novels unfold in varied tenses and from more than one perspective or point of view. That change alone altered everything about how I approached storytelling.
My screenplay and my upcoming children’s book about Nyx the Banshee Kitten Princess taught me that the screenwriting vs novel writing goes deeper than format. Understanding the core differences between script writing and screenplay work versus novel writing transformed how I create stories in both mediums. Years of switching between novel vs screenplay projects taught me about each form’s unique demands and rewards. Here’s what I learned.
Screenwriting vs Novel Writing: The Core Differences
Length and word count realities
I drafted It Just Gets Better as a screenplay and worked within a tight 90-120 page limit. This translated to roughly 27,000 to 30,000 words. What Meets the Eye required between 60,000 to 120,000 words to tell its full story. The screenplay felt like writing in haiku.
Every word had to earn its place on the page. My upcoming children’s book about Nyx presents yet another length constraint, but the screenplay experience taught me to cut without mercy. You can write a full-length screenplay in a week if the story demands it, though whether you should is another question. Reading through a screenplay takes little over an hour, which means structural issues jump out right away. Novels demand more time for both writing and revision and often take a year to complete if the plot runs deep.
Present tense vs past tense
Script writing and screenplay work operate in present tense. Every action unfolds now. “She walks into the room. She picks up the phone.” This keeps things moving forward with relentless momentum.
My novel lived in the past tense like most contemporary fiction. “She walked into the room. She picked up the phone.” That shift changed how I constructed every sentence for the screen. Present tense forces readers to stick close to the viewpoint character and creates immediacy that past tense doesn’t quite capture. Novels give you flexibility to skip time and weave flashbacks more easily, while screenplays lock you into the moment.
Internal thoughts vs external action
The screenwriting vs novel writing discussion often misses this point, but here’s what matters: screenplays consist only of what audiences can see and hear. Nothing else. I couldn’t tell you what my protagonist was thinking while writing It Just Gets Better. I had to show it through behavior, dialog and physical action. Novels let me explore internal monologues and peruse every nuance of thought and emotion. What Meets the Eye gave me pages inside my characters’ heads to learn motivations that would never translate to screen without voice-over. Screenwriting demands you convey feelings and character layers through actions, not prose. What your character does matters far more than what they think.
The collaborative nature of screenwriting vs novel writing
A screenplay functions as a blueprint and requires dozens of creative professionals to execute. Producers, directors, actors and cinematographers all interpret your words. Studios will interfere with your script, and on-set malfunctions can trigger rewrite requests within hours. Screenwriters rarely control the final product unless they also direct or produce. Multiple writers often work on a screenplay before it reaches theaters. Reality intrudes constantly. A loving sunset description becomes worthless if shoot day brings overcast skies.
Solo creative control in novels
Novels gave me something screenplays never could: complete creative control. What Meets the Eye meant I controlled every decision, from plot to pacing to the smallest descriptive detail. The finished work stayed close to my original vision with my agent and editor. I didn’t just need forty million dollars or Brad Pitt’s commitment to create the story. I already had everything required. The finished novel existed as a complete work of art, not a suggestion awaiting approval from higher-ups who might rewrite or discard sections at will.
My Writing Journey: Switching Between Both Forms
Starting with novel writing
The novel started as words on a page. I’d been a novelist first, drawn to the freedom that fiction offered. Internal monologue felt natural for building characters. I had unlimited space to paint scenes with language, and descriptions flowed with ease. My early years focused on prose, developing voice and learning how to sustain narrative across hundreds of pages. Novel writing gave me room to explore backstories and linger on emotional beats. I wrote myself into understanding what my characters wanted.
Moving into screenplay territory
The move into screenplay work came later. Breaking into that world proved harder than I expected. The competition felt fiercer than in novel publishing, with decision makers relying on personal contacts and recommendations. Screenwriting terminology runs very specific, down to fractions of a page. I had to unlearn my novelist tendencies. Every instinct told me to describe what characters were thinking, but screenplays only capture what audiences see and hear. Directors decide many things writers don’t control. Actors revise lines, directors cut scenes, and settings change based on production realities. That collaborative nature took time to accept.
Adapting my novel for screen
I’m in the process of adapting What Meets the Eye for screen, and the process forced brutal cuts. I had to eliminate nearly a third of my material just to fit screenplay page requirements. The story needed restructuring, which meant killing scenes I loved and characters who added depth but slowed momentum. Every page of the script equals a minute of screen time, which meant ruthless prioritization. The novel’s internal reflections had to change into external actions. Characters who processed emotions through thought now needed to express everything through dialog and behavior.
Working on different projects simultaneously
I started juggling multiple formats at once. It Just Gets Better and my Nyx children’s book taught me something unexpected: the mediums boosted each other. Both forced me to think about storytelling in new ways. My novel mindset stayed tied to screenplay visuals, while script work made me avoid formulaic thinking and focus on internal narratives. The two mediums bounced off each other, separate enough in form that switching between them felt easy rather than confusing. Each project fed the other and strengthened my storytelling across both formats.
The Challenges I Faced in Each Medium
Character development in novels
What Meets the Eye gave me space to build multi-layered characters with detailed backstories. Novels let me explore internal conflicts through the way characters illustrate their own stories. I could spend pages developing psychological depth that screenplays don’t accommodate.
Showing emotion without internal narrative
Writing It Just Gets Better forced me to convey everything through visible action and dialog. Screenplays keep internal monologues out unless you use voice-over, and not much of either. The actor fills in emotions from what’s on the page. That’s their job, not mine.
Managing the business side of novels vs screenplays
Novels proved easier to publish than screenplays to produce. Self-publishing gave me control and 70-100 percent royalties. Screenplay territory required navigating thick layers of resistance and studio gatekeepers who often weren’t available to new writers.
Dealing with creative feedback and revisions
Screenplay revisions involved multiple stakeholders arguing over creative direction at each production stage. My novel revisions stayed closer to my original vision. I worked with editors who respected that vision.
Time investment and completion rates
Novels took a brutal time investment. Screenplays took weeks for rough drafts. Novels stretched across months of agonizing over every word.
Which one pays better
WGA minimums range from $53,000 to $100,000 for theatrical films. Novelists like Dan Brown made over fifty million dollars in U.S. royalties alone. Most screenwriters make $0-$15,000 their first year.
Why I Continue Writing Both Novels and Screenplays
Both mediums taught me different things about storytelling, and each gave me lessons of equal value. Screenplay work sharpened my knowing how to cut ruthlessly and show rather than tell. Novel writing gave me the freedom that let me explore character depth without constraint. You don’t have to choose one over the other permanently. Try both if the chance presents itself, because the skills transfer in unexpected ways that strengthen your storytelling in any format.
FAQs
Q1. What are the main differences between writing a screenplay and writing a novel? Screenplays are written in present tense and limited to 90-120 pages (roughly 27,000-30,000 words), focusing only on what can be seen and heard on screen. Novels are typically written in past tense, range from 60,000-120,000 words, and allow writers to explore characters’ internal thoughts and emotions in depth. Screenplays serve as blueprints requiring collaboration with directors, actors, and producers, while novels give writers complete creative control over the final product.
Q2. Is it easier to get a novel published or a screenplay produced as a first-time writer? Getting a novel published is significantly easier than getting a screenplay produced. Novels can be self-published with relative ease, giving writers direct access to readers and 70-100% royalties. Breaking into screenplay writing requires industry connections, agents, and navigating multiple gatekeepers. Even traditional novel publishing is considerably more accessible than selling a feature screenplay to studios.
Q3. Can you write both screenplays and novels simultaneously? Yes, many writers work on both formats at the same time and find that the mediums enhance each other. Screenplay work can sharpen your ability to show rather than tell and cut unnecessary content, while novel writing develops deeper character exploration skills. The formats are different enough that switching between them can feel natural rather than confusing, with each strengthening your overall storytelling abilities.
Q4. How do you show character emotions differently in screenplays versus novels? In screenplays, emotions must be conveyed entirely through visible actions, dialog, and physical behavior since you can only write what audiences can see and hear. Novels allow writers to dive into internal monologs and spend pages exploring a character’s thoughts, motivations, and psychological depth. Screenwriters rely on actors to fill in emotional nuances from what’s written on the page.
Q5. Which format pays better for writers—screenplays or novels? Payment varies widely in both fields. WGA minimum rates for theatrical screenplays range from $53,000 to $100,000, though most screenwriters make $0-$15,000 in their first year. Successful novelists can earn substantial royalties—some bestselling authors have made over fifty million dollars. However, novels offer more consistent income opportunities through self-publishing and traditional publishing advances, while screenplay sales are less frequent but potentially more lucrative per project.