Writers Need To Give The Story The Power Not The Medium – Tony DuShane

Film Courage: How does a writer know if prose is better for them creatively or the screenwriting format?

Tony DuShane, Writer/Podcaster/Teacher: I think it’s just trial and error. I wrote a screenplay in 2019 right before Covid and I was jazzed about it. I’m like Let’s go, let’s go! I wasn’t ready to show it because I knew I had rewrites to do and then now I’m writing the novel. I read the characters are intriguing me so much I’m like I really need to get in their heads. When I write I hand write. I’m not a typer so I have to handwrite everything and that’s giving me so much joy right now because I’m finding out things about the theme and what I thought I was presenting. I was just like Oh no, that’s not the theme at all. If something’s a screenplay or a book it could be both, it could be just a novel and some novels would be really hard to adapt. If anyone asked me to adapt a novel that was unadaptable I feel like I could find the thread to do it but that’s probably because I get a little delusional and I want to problem solve.

I don’t think we need to give the medium so much power. Let’s give the story the power.

Film Courage: You love these characters so much that you realized that 110-page screenplay wasn’t wasn’t enough for you creatively?

Tony: I don’t know if it wasn’t enough? I don’t think the screenplay is there yet, so that’s part of it. I think there’s a lot more to explore and for me the way to explore it is through prose and I’m just doing it that way. In the end it might be a graphic novel, who knows? It’s almost like you don’t want to put it in a ball too quick, just let the story go, let’s see where this story goes and who knows? Maybe it is just a book? Maybe it never was meant to be on the screen at all? Maybe the book gets tossed away and I learn a couple things and go back in the rewrite? I don’t think we should hold on to the medium so much, work through it and try to complete things, I don’t think we need to give the medium so much power. Let’s give the story the power.

Film Courage: Was there a defining book of your teenage years…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).