Have you ever read a screenplay? If you write picture books (or graphic novels), I highly recommend reading a few. Screenplays have a lot of similarities to illustrated children’s books, not only in structure but also in the relationship between words and pictures, or, as we say in screenwriting, between dialogue and action.
Some background: I have an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA and am a working and produced comedy screenwriter. After becoming a mom, I rediscovered my love of kids’ books and decided to take a break from the film industry to focus on kid lit. (Also, it was a lot easier to write picture books instead of screenplays when I only had a few hours a day during nap time).
Admittedly, I had no clue what I was doing at the start. My first picture book was 1700 words and rhyming (poorly rhyming). But after doing research and reading a TON of books from the library, I realized that my screenwriting background was extremely helpful in writing picture books. Here are the reasons why:
1. THEY HAVE SIMILAR STORY STRUCTURE
In screenwriting classes, “structure” was drilled into us. Every professor was obsessed with it… and rightfully so. Most screenplays, even the most unique ones, are very formulaic in plot structure. This isn’t a bad thing! The structure works, that’s why we use it. But after studying picture books, I realized that they use a similar structure— just in a simplified way! Below, I break down Ryan Higgins’ MOTHER BRUCE, using screenwriting structure:
ACT 1:
- ORDINARY WORLD (or SET UP):
In screenwriting, this shows your character (or characters) in their regular day-to-day life. We learn a little bit about them: who they are, what their personality, problems and/or flaws are, and what their goals are. Sometimes the character is happy with their life… but often, the opposite is true and they want something different.
In MOTHER BRUCE, we learn a little bit about Bruce on the first few pages:
- Who is he? A bear
- Flaws/ Personality? He’s grumpy, a loner, doesn’t like
cute animals.
- Goals? To cook gourmet recipes from ingredients he finds
in the forest.
- Does he like his life this way? Absolutely.
- INCITING INCIDENT:
This is an event that sets the plot into motion. It will alter the course of the story and will disrupt the “ordinary world."
In MOTHER BRUCE, Bruce’s stove goes while he is cooking goose eggs. Thus, instead of a gourmet egg dish, he gets goslings.
- POINT OF NO RETURN:
In screenplays, this is the end of Act 1, and it’s usually a decision the protagonist makes that propels them into the action. There is no going back once this decision is made. While it’s less common in picture books, I’ve still found it in some.
In MOTHER BRUCE, it might be a stretch, but I believe this moment comes when Bruce decides NOT to eat the goslings. That’s a choice he makes and and it propels him into action— because now he must figure out what to do with the goslings he doesn’t eat.
ACT 2:
-RISING TENSION:
In screenwriting, this is the part of the story where the protagonist faces obstacles and tries to overcome them but doesn’t usually succeed, or succeeds only to be met with a another problem.
In MOTHER BRUCE, Bruce tries to get rid of the goslings in various ways. No success.
- MID POINT:
At the midpoint in screenplays, there is usually a change of some sort. The protagonist sometimes changes their attitude or approach to achieving their goals. Sometimes they go from being passive to more active.
In MOTHER BRUCE, the mid-point is when Bruce realizes he is stuck with these goslings, and tries to make the best of it.
-MORE RISING TENSION/ HIGHER STAKES:
Now the protagonist faces more obstacles and conflict, but now the stakes are higher.
In MOTHER BRUCE, Bruce struggles to raise the goslings. It’s HARD work! Time passes and the goslings grow up. (Meanwhile, they’ve also gotten attached to Bruce, and maybe he to them— which raises the stakes).
-LOW POINT:
Screenwriters also sometimes call this the “Big Gloom.” It’s the point when it seems like all the protagonist’s efforts have failed and all is lost. This is generally a much worse and much bigger plot point in screenplays than it is in picture books. But most picture books still have one… maybe we should call it the “small gloom.”
In MOTHER BRUCE it comes after Bruce has tried to get the birds to migrate, and all his efforts have failed. It’s summed up in one word: “Sigh…”
ACT 3:
- CLIMAX/ RESOLUTION:
In screenplays, this is when the protagonist finds a way to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals, even if it means changing what their goals are. They may not get what they originally wanted at the beginning, but this change is part of their character arc. In screenplays, the protagonist will usually face one last obstacle or difficult challenge, but in picture books, sometimes it’s just a new idea, a realization, or change in character that becomes the resolution.
In MOTHER BRUCE, Bruce decides to migrate with the goslings, by taking a bus south to Miami. Bruce is still stuck with the goslings, but he doesn’t mind so much anymore, especially when he gets to relax on the beach. (He changed his goals but found a resolution that both worked for him and kept the goslings happy.)
Now I’m not saying that every picture book has this exact structure, but if you look closely, you’ll find that plenty of them follow it somewhat. Try reading a few out and checking for the plot points above! Personally, knowing screenwriting structure has been so useful in writing picture books.
2. THEY ARE BOTH VISUAL MEDIUMS
When you write a screenplay, you have to describe what's happening visually in each scene. We call this the "action." And you can’t write anything in the action that cannot be SEEN. For example— you can’t write: Lindsay expected her days were numbered— that’s not visual. You have to show it through Lindsay’s actions. Does she display fearful behaviors? Is she marking days off on her calendar? Or you can use her dialogue: Does she say something to another character about not being around this time next year? You have to provide all the information about the characters and plot, without narrating to the viewer what’s happening, because that becomes expositional and boring. You must also convey to the director (and the rest of the crew and cast) what the visuals should be, while also leaving them room for creativity of their own.
Similarly, in picture books, you need to write text that will complement the illustrations, and convey to the illustrator what should be be pictured, while also leaving room for the illustrator to be creative. Because nobody wants to read text that shows the exact same thing as the illustrations. If Ryan Higgins had written: “Bruce stuck his head in the tree looking for eggs”, on the page where the illustration shows Bruce sticking his head in the tree looking for eggs… that would be pretty boring.
When I first started writing picture books, I had a LOT of illustration notes—hey, I was just writing action like in screenplays! However, I soon learned that this was not acceptable. Luckily, due to my screenwriting skills, I was already good at finding ways to “show, not tell.” I just had to adapt those skills slightly.
Just like writing screenplays, it’s a tricky balance to create a visual medium through text only.
3. HUMOR FROM COMBINING/ CONTRASTING TEXT AND VISUALS
As a comedy screenwriter, I’m well aware that a lot of jokes in film and TV are funny because they use the visuals to either complement or contrast what the character says. Here’s an example from WHEN HARRY MET SALLY:
The famous line “I’ll have what she’s having” is not funny on it’s own. But when the character says it right after we’ve witnessed Meg Ryan pretending to climax at the next table, it’s hilarious. The screenwriter had to write that into the action of the scene, in order to make that joke.
So I know I just talked about too many illustration notes being unacceptable. But when you need that illustration note for a great joke, leave it in!
Here’s an example from Jory John’s SOMETHING’S WRONG:
On the second page the bear is wondering why something feels wrong. He says: “I don’t get it. Why do I feel so odd right now?”
That line alone, is not funny. But because the illustration shows that the bear is in his underwear and nothing else, it IS funny, because the bear doesn’t realize that he’s forgotten to put on pants. It’s only a joke because the text and illustrations work together. But if Jory John hadn’t included that very important illustration note, the joke (and whole concept of the book) would have been completely missed.
That’s how being a comedy screenwriter has helped me be a funnier picture book writer!
4. THEY ARE BOTH SPARING WITH WORDS
Now I know that screenplays are a LOT longer than picture books, so this may not totally make sense, but hear me out. A GOOD screenplay must be very sparsely written. Nothing should go into a screenplay that isn’t absolutely essential to pushing the story forward or developing character. Everything should be integrated and important.
Unlike longer form writing, such as novels, there is no room in screenplays for flowery descriptions or characters’ inner thoughts. The visual details are provided later by the director, set decorators, art design, editors, visual effects artists, etc. The screenwriter worries about none of that.
I think the same is true of picture books. As the writer, you don’t provide the details of the illustrations. You don’t go into too much detail about the characters or their back stories. You pare it down to what really matters in the story, and that’s tough to do!
As a screenwriter, I’ve had to cut so many scenes from scripts. So as a children’s book author, it’s been easier for me to do the same!
In conclusion, if you want to hone your skills as a picture book writer, read a few screenplays and/or a book about screenwriting! I guarantee you’ll take away some valuable lessons. Plus, it’s kind of fun to see how your favorite movies were written.
Resources:
Here’s an article that lists websites where you can read screenplays:
https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/10-great-websites-download-movie-scripts/
Here are some books about screenwriting:
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Screenplay by Sid Field
Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect by Claudia Hunter- Johnson (So, I haven’t actually read this one, but it's on my list because I think it could be a good lesson in sparse writing and only keeping the bare essentials.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Megan has an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, and has been working as a comedy screenwriter for over 10 years. After becoming a mom, she rediscovered her long-lost love of children’s books and has since been pursuing a career in kid-lit. She also works part-time in a children's book store called Green Bean Books, in Portland, OR.
No comments:
Post a Comment