Style Matters

A follow up to this question from Chris:

Would you say... you prefer the style of the "L.A. Confidential" excerpt you quoted?

Yes, my preference is muscular, spare prose with a healthy use of visual metaphor -- Andrew Kevin Walker, Joe Carnahan, Lem Dobbs. I want to hear military marches, see storm clouds bearing down on the horizon, and feel my arm hairs stand up.

The most important thing in the screentrade is that the script tell a story. All the rest of it is gravy. So, if you are getting solid feedback on your material (meaning people who make movies are showing interest in making movies with you) than don't worry too much about the purple prose. I've read some of the driest work on earth that is absolutely brilliant in its ability to lay out conflict between people and create real drama that transforms the characters and the viewer. And that's what it's all about at the end of the day.