Screenplay vs novel

[Actor]

I've taken a break from writing a screenplay and turned my attention to writing a novel. The reason I'm doing this is that I have an idea for a story that just does not lend itself to indie filmmaking. It's just too big. "The Mongol horde swept across the plains" is seven words in a novel. In a film it's seven million dollars.

Anyway, having gotten about 10,000 words down on paper I think I'm still writing a screenplay. I mean, it's formatted like a novel but I'm still in screenplay mode: short descriptions followed by lots of dialog. I glanced at a couple of novels from my bookshelf and found just the opposite: lots of description and sparce dialog.

I need to switch into novel writing mode, if there is such a thing. Start doing things that screenwriters are never supposed to do. Get into my characters heads and reveal their thoughts instead of trying to reveal everything through words and actions.

[tlatosmd]

I'd say the concept of short, sober descriptions and revealing dialogues is not necessarily bad for literature on itself.

[steve hyde]

...I personally think dialogue should be the last step when writing a screenplay. Writing dialouge before writing what all the scenes have to do to make the story work is like doing the finishing work on a house before the framing.

Steve